Benro 70mm Arca-Swiss Plate with Smartphone Adapter

I've tried 5 other mounts and none of them would hold my iPhone 14 Pro Max with Pan's Scheme Magnetic filter holder so I could mount it on my gimbal. This Benro mount handles both and I can easily move the iPhone between my gimbal and tripod with an Arca plate. Problem solved!

Benro ArcaSmart70 :This is a fine addition to anyone’s kit that appreciates versatility. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been out hiking and found a real desire to shoot something with my phone that would require a tripod mount. Historically I would carry a separate piece that I could attach to my plate, but it was always too much tracking and fiddling. With this plate, the phone mount is right there when you need it and it’s out of the way when you don’t. I love good engineering. :-)

Overall I like this, and it does work as intended. I only tested this with an iPhone 7 (as well as my camera), so I don't know how well it fits the newer super large phones. I did use a ruler to measure the clamp opening, and you can definitely fit a 3.25" wide phone in between the clamp, possibly a 3.5" wide phone (but it would be very tight).The machining on this clamp is very nice, and all parts fit together very well with little slop. Everything operates smoothly and feels great to use -- I would expect nothing less given the price point, and Benro's good reputation.It works well in my arca swiss mounts, and it does have removable retention screws in the bottom in case your mount supports that anti-slide-out feature (or whatever the proper terminology is).One of the things I would like to see added is a storage spot for the rubber thread protector. Although I'm not sure, I think this is meant to cover the 1/4-20 screw thread when you are using the clamp as a phone mount. The rubber cap fits tight enough that you can actually use it to push up against the phone while it's in the clamp and lock the phone from sliding towards the back of the clamp. Maybe Benro intended for this to be only shipping protection, but I find it useful for helping to lock a phone in the mount. As it is, there is nowhere to store this rubber cap, so if you want to use it you will have to carry it around separately. If they made the cap a little bit shorter, they could fit storage for it underneath the mount.Another thing I am concerned about is the anodizing quality. After only a short while testing, I can see the anodized finish wearing through on some parts of the body (I attached a photo showing the wear on the clamps). At this rate, the anodizing seems like it will wear off quite quickly. This doesn't bother me all that much, but it could be important if you rely on the center-point marks.One last thing I would like to see changed is the angle of the clamping forks. As it is, they are angled upwards (see photo). As such, with the spring tension on your phone, the top of the phone has a tendency to slip backwards, angling your phone upwards. This will be especially noticeable/problematic if you have a moderately slippery plastic case. I would have preferred the forks to be at a 90 degree angle (or even slightly less) relative to the support arm.I suspect most people using this won't care too much about weight, but I know some backpackers might be concerned. Mine weighed in at 2.6 ounces.

It works as it should for holding phones. No slipping

This mounting plate is very versatile. First, it can be used as a standard arca-swiss plate for your DSLR or other camera with a 1/4-20 screw mount.Additionally the phone clamp can be folded out and used to secure a cell phone to any arca-swiss compatible tripod heads. The clamp opens wide enough to fit larger screened phones. I checked the fit with an olderNexus 6 "phablet" and it fit even with a phone case installed (just barely) so larger phone should fit no problem.The materials and finish are high quality. There is rubber padding to secure the plate to your camera, and there is additional rubber padding inside the hooks to secure your phone from slipping out while preventing potential scratches. The thumb screw has a fold away loop to allow you to secure the plat to a camera without tools, but it does have a coin slot and a hex wrench socket for removing it if it gets stuck. Everything about this mount plate appears to be well engineered.The spring tension is enough to hold you phone securely without being so tight that you couldn't remove the phone with one hand if it was necesary.The cold shoe slot on top is sufficient for a microphone or other lightweight accessory but I wouldn't put a speedlight on it, especially one with a plastic base because the slot doesn't make full length contact witht he mounting rails. It shouldn't be a problem because there aren't many speedlights designed to work with phones, but you never know what someone will try. It can also be used as a stand alone cold shoe mount for lightweight stuff, not just when a phone is mounted.This one little device can make your tripod twice as useful while still allowing you to use your favorite arca-swiss ball head, and it doesn't take up any more space than a conventional mounting plate. Typically, live streaming is a lot easier from a phone than it is from a DSLR, so this could be the solution you need to get shak-free tripod stable video out to subscribers in real time as events unfold.The all metal construction is far and away better than most cheap plastic mounts and will not crack and leave you without options. I've had plastic tripod accessories break before, and you wouldn't want an expensive phone to take a fall because of a cheap plastic mount.One bit of advice, if you are concerned about falls, is to use a phone case that has a wrist strap which you can use to tether the phone to the tripod so that even if the phone somehow comes loose, it won't fall all the way to the ground. It could save your screen.