I received a really nice EX1 base plate from Curtis at Juicedesigns.com . Out of the packaging it was apparent straight away that this was a well made item. Machined from a solid chunk of 6061 aluminum, the plate works by spreading the load on the tiny EX tripod mount across much more of the base of the camera. It attaches to the existing EX tripod mount as well as 4 other existing screw holes on the base of the camera. Hopefully spreading the load like this will prevent the small EX tripod plate from breaking. As well as adding strength it also significantly increases the camera’s stability when used on a tripod helping prevent wobble and flex. There are screw holes in the plate for the standard 1/4? tripod screws as well as the larger 3/8? screws found on professional equipment. One really nice touch is the way the plate has two small holes machine out to fit around a couple of raised “feet” on the bottom of the EX1, a very classy touch.
In use the base plate makes the camera much more stable on a tripod and removes all that annoying wobble that you can get with the standard EX tripod mount. It also gives you peace of mind when you put the camera down on the ground. I think all EX’s should have a base plate like this, it really improves the camera. My only slight criticism would be that there are no holes in the edges of the plate to attach accesory brackets for devices such as radio mics or nanoflashes. Perhaps that will be added in an update version. Still extremely high quality workmanship, a Rolls Royce of base plates. 9/10 (would be 10/10 with provision for accessory mounts).