A new quick-release plate called the "Magic Plate" has made its way onto Kickstarter, where it claims to be the easiest way to quickly switch between portrait and landscape mode without having to remove your camera from your tripod.
Here's a simple tip that could come in handy: put a metal washer on your keychain for the purpose of tightening your tripod quick release plate.
About a month ago, we shared a Kickstarter for something called the Fusion Plate. The product made it easy to go from using a sling-style strap -- something many photographers prefer to the traditional -- to using a tripod without having to mess with screwing anything in.
The Fusion Plate has since far-surpassed its funding goal, but if you didn't get a chance to buy one of those, or if the $65 price tag was just a little out of reach, the folks at JOBY have announced a more affordable alternative.
There are a number of products out there that connect your strap to your DSLR via the tripod mount, allowing it to swivel, but taking up the mount is an inconvenience for photographers who actually use it regularly with their tripod. San Francisco-based Custom SLR (makers of the C-Loop) has come up with a solution that offers the best of both worlds: the M-Plate.