Simple Inexpensive Solution to a Common Problem
Review by Fernando Santos
Do you worry about losing your camera? If you use an iPhone, you may have considered using an Apple AirTag, but it’s not easy to securely and discreetly attach one to a camera, right? The good news is that SmallRig recently released the MD4150 Quick Release Mount Plate for AirTag, a universal Arca-style camera plate that has a small compartment designed to host an AirTag.
It should work with most camera bodies, but I recommend you check SmallRig’s website to make sure it will fit your camera. I tried it with several camera bodies ranging from the Canon EOS 7D Mark II to the R6 Mark II and it fit well, and I had no problem accessing the battery compartment. Any Arca-style plate should work well with any Arca-style tripod head, but sometimes items don’t go well together. I used the MD4150 with tripod heads and clamps from Really Right Stuff, Acratech, Leofoto, and other less-known brands, and the SmallRig plate fit well into all of those.
The product comes in a small box that includes the plate and two wrenches, and the one with a less-common size is the one you use to lock the AirTag compartment, which faces the bottom of the plate, visible from the outside. Personally, I’d prefer to have it face the upper side, the one standing against the camera body, making the compartment completely invisible. I’d also love to see this plate optionally extend to an L-bracket. And having a QD socket would be great too. The plate does include a place to attach a hand strap.
At just $24.90 and weighing just 1.73 oz (49 g), the SmallRig MD4150 Quick Release Mount Plate for AirTag could be a nice add-on to consider, as it won’t weigh much in your pocket or on your camera.