Quick Release Plate with 1/4" Screw, HawkLock Quick Release Top Plate for Stabilizer, Action Camera, Monitor, LED Light, QR Top Plate for SmallRig HawkLock Quick Release System - 3730C

I am using the quick release drop in plate to attach my elgato teleprompter with a Sony A7c to a small desk tripod. I am still trying to iron out my exact teleprompter setup which required constantly attaching and unattaching my teleprompter. This was getting really frustrating. With the quick release plate it is just snap off from one spot and snap on to another (I bought two sets). Solid build, you know when it is in place, the unlock mechanism is easy... but not too easy. You need to be intentional about it, which is exactly what you want with someone that holds thousands of dollars of equipment. Quick install note: It comes with two extra mini-pins. If what you are attaching it to doesn't have them, just use the provided allen key and remove those, you probably don't need them.

Well, I can honestly say I LOVE these little guys. I am using mine for a slightly different purpose though. I regularly record live audio at concerts/shows with very high-end Schoeps microphones and recording gear in general. So I have upwards of $6k up on the top of my mic stand most shows. I was looking to trim some time it takes me to setup/teardown and figured that the QR systems were the way to go. Kinda stupid just to avoid screwing and unscrewing my Sioti/Smallrig ballheads/Rycote INV shockmounts on and off the top of my stand, but I wanted to give it a try regardless and see if it did indeed help me setup and teardown any faster. FWIW, I bought the Hawklock Drop-In first, and have since tried the cold shoe QR method (my LEAST favorite), followed by the NATO clamp + Smallrig rail method, followed by the Arca Swiss method. I also had everything on hand at the same time to truly run it through the proper tests. Well, without a doubt, mainly because of the size AND reliability, the Hawklock Drop-In and the NATO clamp + rails are my favorite. I chose the NATO rails with the safety pins JUST in case I didn't tighten the NATO clamp enough (HIGHLY HIGHLY unlikely). I'm still keeping a NATO clamp + Smallrig Rail setup just to have something different and equally reliable. But for the size, reliability and convenience, the Hawklock Drop-In aka Mini is my favorite option. If Amazon hadn't sent my 2nd Drop-In without the necessary tools and parts and HEAVILY used, I would already have (2) Drop-Ins. So I still need to pick another up from B+H. So if you're looking for the smallest size possible, while still being able to handle 11lbs (way more than I'll ever need), like true convenience and want something that's bulletproof reliable (so far), look no further than the Hawklock Drop-In aka Mini QR system! And I've seen videos and reviews on here showing a monitor bouncing around with one of these attached to it. Just use your brain and that won't happen. Just go to your local Busy Beaver (where i went), Lowe's, Home Depot or similar hardware store and pick up a few 1/4" ID (inner diameter) and 1/2" and 1-1/4" OD (outer diameter) rubber/neoprene washers and lock the top part of the Drop-In TIGHT with the included Allen wrench, and a freaking earth shaking earthquake bigger than anything on record WON'T be able to budge this thing. Trust me, I would NEVER risk $6k+ of expensive Schoeps microphones up on my stand without this setup being rock solid. I picked up (10) 1/4" x 1/2" and (4) 1/4" x 1-1/4" neoprene washers from my local Busy Beaver for around $5. I've been using rubber and neoprene washers for decades with my microphones and their equivalent mounting gear and have one on EVERY 1/4" connection on every mic stand, extension, clamp, ballhead, shockmount and mount i own. Trust me, it's worth it since my setups don't have ARRI holes to help keep things aligned and prevent any movement. So I can highly recommend and suggest the Smallrig Hawklock Drop-In and the NATO clamp + rail setups for a quick and ultra reliable QR system. And NO, I didn't get anything free for this review or compensated in any way. This is my honest opinion of things i bought with my own money. For this review I used the Smallrig Hawklock Drop-In system (duh!), a Deekenstar NC20 NATO clamp (that comes with the two 1/4" male to male adapters) and the SmallRig BUN2468 6mm thick Ultra compact rail and a SmallRig 1409 12mm thick rail. And too many cold shoe and Arca Swiss setups to name. Like I said, I just value quality for the price ratio and SmallRig has always given me that, so I buy their products if the price is right and close to other brands! I'll try to take some pictures eventually and post another review!

I used this product to rework my iPad photo tethering setup which uses a 12.9" iPad in a cage that provides 1/4-20 mounting holes that attach to a small monitor ballhead. The setup was nice, but getting the iPad on and off the setup was a little time consuming which made it difficult if wanting to grab the iPad to walk around with or review images with clients. The addition of this HawkLock quick release made the setup perfect! It is all metal construction for a strong, firm mount which in my case is for the largest iPad that is also mounted in an aluminum cage and it has no issue handling that load securely. I can now very quickly release and remount the iPad within a second and have no fear of it accidentally releasing and falling to the floor. I intentionally installed with the release lever in the back so that even if someone was working on the iPad while mounted, there is no way of accidentally hitting the release. To be honest, the release requires a very intentional movement, so is unlikely to do anything on accident, but better safe than sorry. I have since purchased a second HawkLock to install on a second mount to make it that much easier to change up how the iPad is used during production.

You don’t think you need this, but you do. It makes life much easier and highly recommend. Very durable build, quick release design and very functional.

I bought a couple of these to pair to put on a tripod and overhead camera mount to make my life easier. They are compact and small but feel secure for my Sony A6600 camera. I'm deducting one star because there seems to be slight tooling inconsistency between my units where it's hard to insert the top plate of one into the bottom plate from the other set without having to unlatch the mechanism first by pressing down on the lever. Small inconvenience but I'll keep it and deal with it. Cheapest camera quick release that I've seen at the time of purchase.

This is truly a quick release solution for my rig's top mounted 6" monitor. This QR solution allows me to quickly remove the monitor and reconnect it facing the other direction on my rig when I need to do personal videos. It holds the monitor very securely. I highly recommend it.

This is a great camera mount. Quick connect and dismount. Very well made and sturdy for a small device. I use it on my tripod to attach my Ricoh Theta Z1 360 degree camera. I do have to unattached the piece from my camera in order to charge it because the mount bracket is just big enough that it covers the usb c charging port, but its quick and easy to put on and take off with the provided allen wrench.

Very discreet and well-finished!