Here at 3LT, we are globally recognised as a leader in camera-support technology. We may be small, but we are mighty good at innovating, and we’ve won just about every award available in the photographic industry, from the prestigious Lucie Technical Award for Best Tripod, to gold awards from industry media across five continents.

3 Legged Thing is a small, British tripod company, revolutionising camera support technology and accessories. Our systems are modular, versatile, rugged and durable with design features and aesthetics that defy convention.

Our mission is to innovate, to improve the workflow and productivity of photographers, videographers and content creators, whilst never wavering on our British Engineering standards, or our unparalleled design.

What are Ultra Plates?

Long release plates are not new – they’ve been around the block and back, but no significant innovation has occurred in many years. With the advancement in DSLR to video, and introduction of new, smaller, lighter, more powerful mirrorless cameras we wanted to provide the connectivity of a cheese-plate or cage with the versatility and load balancing of a long plate.

The 3LT Ultra Plate is a new breed of release plate. Multifunctional, versatile and designed for use by photographers and videographers of all levels and disciplines.

Dual Balancing: With an extended camera-screw slot, the Ultra Plates have the ability to adjust exactly where they sit against your camera. The precision lasered measurements down each side enable you to move the plate on your support device to achieve optimum balance when shooting, especially when the center of gravity is away from the camera itself.

Cable Management Hook: Never before has a release plate offered a place to tether your cables, keeping your camera securely on your support device in the event of an accidental cable jerk. There’s room to neatly tuck in HDMI, USB, headphone, microphone and power cables for those using flash packs. The edges of the cable management hook are smooth, chamfered and designed to enable quick stowage and removal of cables without damaging them.

Standard Arca-Swiss profile, with unique Arca Square for effortless 90°, 180° and 270° transitions, creates so many new options for shooting and recording. With beautifully contoured 45° dovetail rails the Ultra Plate will lock perfectly and smoothly into any standard Arca-Swiss compatible clamp.

Coldshoe Mount: For those that like to use coldshoe mounted devices, such as  microphones, LED lights, magic arms and flashes, the beautifully precision-machined coldshoe mount has sloped front and rear edges, for easy mounting and connection. Transforms a standard long release plate into a bracket with options to mount multiple devices.

Multiple Mounting Threads: Each plate comes with multiple standard ¼”-20 threads, for use with all compatible devices. Accessible from both top and bottom, the mounting holes offer ultimate versatility when it comes to using additional equipment with your set up. There are also two 3/8”-16 holes for larger thread compatibility.

Get your mitts on my THINGY!

To augment Ultra Plates as a mount for long lenses, we have created an extra Thingy that attaches to the Ultra Plate, and then fixes to the base of your camera. This creates a secure and stable platform for both lens and camera to attach to your tripod, and prevents any unwanted twisting. Thingy is precision-engineered from aerospace-aluminium (the stuff they make rockets and planes from), and can be positioned to support a variety of lens-camera combinations where the lens has a tripod collar.

Can’t wait to get hold of our Thingy? Simply choose your perk level for the Ultra Plates, then select the Thingy as an add-on!

Thingy in Darkness, Thingy in Lava, attached to Ultra Plate

Thingy supporting the camera attached to Ultra Plate supporting lens

Engineering Standards

Each plate is available in our trademark Darkness (matte black) and Brushed Copper (orange) finishes, and is made of aerospace grade Aluminium, with industrial SUS-304 stainless steel fixings that have been salt-water corrosion tested for a minimum of 48 hours. Every plate and its components have been temperature tested in -60˚ to +50˚.

Real World Testing & Reviews

Chad Higgins

Chad has been using 3 Legged Thing gear since 2018. He’s filmed segments for movies, TV, and commercial clients all over the world. He also builds his own rigs for different jobs.

We offered Chad the opportunity to try the Ultra Plates with his kit. Check out the video to see what he did with them.

Learn more about Chad Higgins at his website, The Feral Clock.

Paul John Bayfield

“Being a field photographer, I often have to adapt equipment to fit my needs, so I was keen to see what I could use the Ultra Plates for. Turns out they are ace for many things, but I’ve primarily used them so far for enhancing a platform for high-end camera traps.

“These setups weigh a considerable amount and the UltraPlate is made to handle these kind of loads. The fact the plates weigh next to nothing, means I can carry a bunch in to the field, without the extra weight burden.

“The key to working well in the field is adaptability and I need to ask the same of my photographic equipment. Ultras Plate are a great example of good photo engineering. Great work 3LT!”

Emilie Talpin

A wildlife and nature photographer based in New Hampshire, USA, Emilie Talpin has been using 3LT equipment for about a year. She uses the Ultra Plates for photography and for her vlogging set up in this video.

John Rourke

Alan Hewitt

Customer Reviews

Voices from around the world

3 Legged Thing tripods, monopods, L-brackets and accessories are used by hundreds of thousands of photographers around the world. It is our customer’s feedback that helps us innovate and improve and reach new heights with every new product we introduce. Take a look at some of their reviews below…

Risk Free Funding

3 Legged Thing has a proven track record in this product category. We’ve manufactured hundreds of thousands of L-brackets since we first introduced them in 2016, and even more release plates since our inception in 2010.

We have the highest engineering standards and quality control with less than 0.021% returns annually.

Specifically Commissioned by Nikon to produce the first L-Bracket in the world for the ground-breaking mirrorless Z6 & Z7 cameras.

We offer a comprehensive 5 Year Global Warranty on all of our products

We are a small, self-funded independent company that has won every major award, including the prestigious Lucie Technical Award for best tripod thanks to our unrivalled innovation and craftsmanship

Campaign Add-ons

Keeping our unique look and trademark form factor was integral to our campaign when designing the Ultra Plates. Our current users of 3LT tripods, monopods and heads can enjoy flawless integration with the Ultra Plates. What’s more, new-to-brand backers in this campaign will have immediate access to a variety of camera support accessories from 3 Legged Thing at heavily discounted prices in our add-ons, further advancing the versatility and capabilities of photographers and videographers around the world.

How to back our campaign

Once you have been dazzled by the Ultra Plates and realise you must own one, it’s time to select your perks. If you’re new to IndieGoGo, click on the FAQ link above for step by step instructions.

Shipping, Duties & Tax

Worldwide Shipping – During our continued research, we are fully aware of the temporary rise in global shipping costs. However we have researched prices with our shipping suppliers, and have come up with prices at competitive rates for the pledges and add-ons. We are committed to shipping all pledges and add-ons for the lowest possible cost worldwide.

*VAT, GST, Taxes & Duty – As we will be shipping pledges from locations within the US and UK, these pledges will not be liable for importation taxes and duty. Any pledges received from within the EU and other locations outside of the US and UK will be liable for local duty, taxes or GST and any other importation costs and will be the responsibility of the backer. All pledges and add-ons are inclusive of UK VAT at 20%.

Sustainability:

In the last five years 3 Legged Thing has taken huge steps towards becoming more sustainable and reducing our carbon footprint. We have reduced our air-freight by over 90% since 2018, and removed all non-recyclables from packaging, including UV printing and unnecessary plastics and blister packs. We no longer use plastic cable-ties to secure products – now we use reusable cable ties that customers can keep and use for managing cables in a variety of situations.

We work hard to audit our manufacturing partners to ensure rigorous standards and compliance with both local and international legislation. We recycle swarf from the machining processes, and impose the highest standards of health and safety in our factories. We are always seeking to improve our processes and continually modernise our practices to ensure we remain relevant and compliant in an ever-changing industry.

About 3LT

3 Legged Thing was founded in 2010 by photographer Danny Lenihan, who was frustrated by the lack of innovation or design in an industry rife with innovators and designers. He transformed conventional thinking about tripod technology and 3LT was one of the very first brands to introduce colour and modular systems to tripods. Since our inception, 3 Legged Thing has grown from a small, quirky British tripod company based in an old chicken shed in a disused poultry farm in Stagsden, Bedfordshire, to a global leader in camera support technology. 3LT make more L-brackets, both universal and camera specific, than any other tripod company in the world, thanks to the beautiful, modular craftsmanship of these products. Our tripods offer unbeatable load capabilities and functionality that is unparalleled by any other tripod company on the planet. Our tripods do things that others can only dream of, and it is this level of innovation and engineering that saw us win the prestigious Lucy Technical Award for Best Tripod.

All images show Pro Range Albert 2.0 Tripod

Press

If you’re looking for our latest press folder, follow the link below for images, logos, our PR release, and in-depth product information for the Ultra Plates.

LINK TO ULTRA PLATES PRESS RESOURCES

Why Crowdfunding? And why now?

Honestly, we’ve watched in awe as some of our competitors and friends alike have introduced new products into crowdfunding platforms and seen the success of Indiegogo as a way to reward early adopters of new products. We’ve had so many messages and comments from customers about creating a campaign, and we’ve decided that 2024 is the year to try it.

We are still a very small, little known company compared to our biggest competitors, so Indiegogo gives us a unique opportunity to reach a much wider community and show them what 3 Legged Thing has to offer.

Risks and challenges

We have tested the Ultra Plates and have already made a first production batch for reviewers, Pro Team members, industry press and brand ambassadors. We have a proven capability for delivering on projects, and the only question about timing of shipments arises from the success of this campaign. We are confident that we can deliver to all backers by the end of August 2024, whilst hoping that we’ll actually achieve this much more quickly. Our Quality Control standards are very high, and every batch is meticulously inspected prior to shipping to worldwide AQL Standards. Our returns rate for faulty products is less than 0.021%, so we have a proven track record for engineering and quality control.

Environmental commitments

Long-lasting design

Ultra Plates and accessories are made from aerospace-grade magnesium alloy, so they are durable and reusable for many years, with stainless steel corrosion resistant fixings that have been saltwater tested for 48hours.

Reusability and recyclability

The product itself is aluminium and stainless steel, so is recyclable. All packaging is made from recyclable paper-pulp materials. The product is attached to the packaging using a reusable hook and loop cable tie which can be used repeatedly over many years to organise cables.

Sustainable materials

Because of the types of process we use – extrusion moulds and CNC machining, we minimise waste, and recycle offcuts and swarf, melting them down to make new products. The packaging is made to minimise waste offcuts from recyclable card – less than 3%, and this is then recycled into pulp to reprocess into future packaging.