Best Camera Rigging Cheese Plates in 2026: 10 Top Picks For Filmmakers

When we’re on the hunt for the ultimate camera setup, the unsung hero often turns out to be the humble cheese plate.

It’s the Swiss Army knife of camera rigging, versatile enough to mount just about anything.

We’ve scoured the market to bring you the best camera rigging cheese plates that’ll make your shooting experience smoother than ever.

Whether you’re a budding filmmaker or a seasoned pro, these plates are the secret ingredient to a top-notch rig.

Best Camera Rigging Cheese Plates

Let’s take a look at some of the top camera rigging cheese plates for filmmakers.

1. Smallrig Multi-purpose Cheese Plate

When it comes to camera rigging, durability and flexibility are critical.

The SmallRig Multi-Purpose Cheese Plate offers both, making it an ideal addition to any filmmaker’s toolkit.

Its solid, sturdy build withstands the rigorous demands of on-location shooting.

The numerous 1/4”-20 and 3/8”-16 threaded holes ensure compatibility with a wide array of camera accessories.

We’ve found the plate’s universal mounting points to be especially handy.

They allow for quick adjustments and attachment of crossbars, handles, or even external monitors when needed.

This versatility streamlines the setup process and gets us shooting faster.

• Robust aluminum construction – ensures long-term reliability,
• Slim profile – maintains the portability of our setup.

The adapting potential of this plate can’t be overstated. Mounting a follow focus system or a field recorder becomes effortless with this plate in our arsenal.

It’s a multipurpose tool that serves various rigging needs without adding bulk to our gear. Equipping our camera with the SmallRig plate has been a game-changer.

The ease of accessory integration it facilitates can expand the creative possibilities of any shoot.

Plus, with industry-standard dimensions, this cheese plate fits seamlessly into existing rigs, which is a relief for those of us who’ve invested heavily in camera support systems.

Using the SmallRig Multi-Purpose Cheese Plate not only improves our rig’s functionality but also amps up our productivity on set.

It’s a must-have for anyone serious about their craft. The convenience it provides has truly impressed us, and it’s clear why this cheese plate is a top choice for professionals and enthusiasts alike..

2. CAMVATE Universal Top Cheese Plate (2061)

Transitioning to the CAMVATE Universal Top Cheese Plate (2061), we find a small top plate made for an on-camera monitor cage.

It’s anodized aluminum and weighs 35.7 g, light enough that it doesn’t drag on the cage.

The plate’s mounting is specific, and that specificity is what makes it easy to use.

We appreciate the simple spacing: two unthreaded holes sit 18 mm apart, and a thumbscrew locks the monitor in place.

We’ve recognized that CAMVATE’s layout on this model comes down to:

• Eight 1/4”-20 threaded holes,
• Two unthreaded holes spaced 18 mm apart,
• A 1/4”-20 thumbscrew for securing a monitor in the cage.

This cheese plate’s anodized aluminum construction reassures us of its durability when the cage is in and out of the bag all day.

Its 35.7 g weight does not compromise the rig’s overall balance, maintaining the ease of mobility that’s critical on set.

One of the CAMVATE cheese plate’s limits matters as much as its threads.

It does not include 3/8”-16 holes, V-Lock slots, anti-rotation pins, or a built-in 15 mm rod clamp.

We’ve observed that the plate’s usefulness doesn’t depend on those extras.

It’s a top plate for a monitor: seat the screen, then use the remaining 1/4”-20 holes for a small accessory.

It’s equally practical when the only thing above the camera is that monitor and a single extra mount.

Deploying the CAMVATE cheese plate simplifies that corner of the rig.

We find it turns a bare monitor cage into a surface we can actually bolt to, which keeps the setup moving.

Use it to add a few accessory threads above a monitor cage, and choose a larger plate when the rig needs rails or a battery mount.

3. Wooden Camera Full Accessory Plate System

When rigging a camera for a professional shoot, having an ultra-flexible platform is essential.

The listing here is Wooden Camera’s Full Accessory Plate System (A00473), a kit of plates and mounts.

It’s the foundation upon which you can confidently build a customized rig.

It bundles cheese plates and hook-and-loop plates in 5×5, 3×5, 2×5, and 2×2 inch sizes, plus mini accessory rails, a hinge, an offset bracket, and a dual rod clamp.

Built from black anodized aluminum, the plates are meant to last through demanding shoot days.

The range of sizes lets us add accessories in more than one configuration, and swap a small plate for a larger one when the rig grows.

The mounts are standard threads, so gear that already lives on 3/8”-16 hardware can move onto the kit without a special adapter.

Some features that deserve highlighting are –

• 3/8”-16 screw mounts with locating pins,
• A lightweight 15 mm dual rod clamp,
• Mini accessory rails in 100 mm, 60 mm, and 40 mm lengths, attached with M2.5 threads.

These features cover a wide spread of rigging jobs, from a tiny 2×2 plate up to a 5×5 surface.

The locating pins keep a 3/8”-16 mount from spinning once it’s tight.

The dual rod clamp is how the kit meets a 15 mm rail, and the M2.5 mini rails give smaller accessories their own run of track.

Wooden Camera describes the kit as a way to mount items such as a focus MDR, an Accessory Cube, or Wooden Camera battery plates.

Our investment in the Full Accessory Plate System is a step towards streamlining our filmmaking process.

It supports an extensive array of camera accessories, from monitors and recorders to power solutions and more.

Every rigging challenge is met with a solid and dependable solution, thanks to the comprehensiveness of this plate.

Undoubtedly, the Full Accessory Plate System is a premium choice for professionals seeking precision and reliability.

Its utilitarian design helps transform camera setups into efficient and adaptable tools for any visual storytelling task.

4. NICEYRIG Switching Cheese Easy Plate Kit

The plate linked here is the NICEYRIG Switching Cheese Easy Plate Kit with a V-Lock male adapter.

It isn’t a Zacuto plate, and it doesn’t include a Cine Lock receiver.

It measures 90 × 50 × 10 mm and carries 1/4”-20, 3/8”-16, M4, and M3 holes, most of them on 9 mm spacing.

Those threads are grouped tightly, so a small bracket and a rod block can share the same face.

NICEYRIG and B&H describe it as a switching plate for railblocks, dovetails, short rods, rod clamps, and the bottom of a DSLR cage.

The included male V-Lock adapter screws on so the plate can mount to a female V-Lock base.

That adapter is the quick interface – leave it on for a V-Lock base, or take it off when the plate only needs to live on a rail.

In practice the kit shows up in a few familiar spots:

• On a railblock, where the 9 mm hole pattern meets other small hardware,
• On a dovetail or a short rod, where 90 mm of plate is enough,
• On the bottom of a DSLR cage, where a male V-Lock can meet a female base.

The cheese plate’s compact size means it won’t add a long lever to the rig.

It’s a switching plate, so the idea is to move it as the setup changes, not to leave it as a permanent camera shoe.

We’ve found the split between the plate and the screw-on adapter useful: the threads stay available either way, and the V-Lock side is there only when we need it.

For rail work and cage bottoms, that combination is the whole point of the kit.

It gives us 1/4”-20, 3/8”-16, M3, and M4 holes plus a male V-Lock, in a piece small enough to tuck into a pouch.

5. Tilta Multi-Functional Top Plate for Sony FX6

When talking about rigging a Sony FX6, we can’t overlook the Tilta Multi-Functional Top Plate (ES-T20-MTP).

The listing here is that FX6 top plate.

Tilta designs it to fit around the FX6’s original top handle and to support Tilta’s own FX6 top handle.

It provides 1/4”-20 and 3/8”-16 mounting points with anti-twist divots, plus a pair of 15 mm LWS rod holders for accessories above the camera.

We’ve found that the top of an FX6 is where a monitor, a mic, or a short rod actually has room to live.

Its threaded points use industry-standard 1/4”-20 and 3/8”-16 sizes, so the accessories we already own can move straight onto the plate.

The anti-twist divots are there so a mount doesn’t rotate once the screw is tight.

We appreciate the direct design – rods, threads, and a shape that clears the camera’s own handle.

Construction is aluminum alloy and stainless steel, and Tilta lists the weight at 0.45 lb.

That weight is light enough to leave on the body between setups.

The plate does not include cable clamps, and it isn’t a power plate, so battery wiring stays on a separate mount.

For the top of the FX6, what it does offer is:

• 1/4”-20 and 3/8”-16 anti-twist mounting points,
• Dual 15 mm LWS rod holders,
• Clearance for the original top handle, plus support for Tilta’s FX6 top handle.

It’s especially handy when we need threads and short rods above the FX6 and still want the camera’s handle in reach.

The dual 15 mm LWS rod holders are the part that puts a monitor or a mic on the camera’s top, on the same rod size the rest of an LWS rig already uses.

With the plate in the kit, moving a monitor from a side arm to the top rods is a small change instead of a rebuild.

It will not mount as a universal plate on other camera bodies, which is why it stays packed with the FX6.

On that camera, though, the fit around the handle is what makes ES-T20-MTP the top plate we’d actually leave installed.

6. CAMVATE V-Mount Battery Plate with Cheese Plate (C3698-US)

The listing under this pick is the CAMVATE V-Mount Battery Plate with Cheese Plate (C3698-US).

It’s a V-mount plate with cheese-plate threads, sold as CAMVATE’s C3698-US.

Amazon’s listing describes a V-mount battery plate with a single 14.8 V D-Tap output, plus 1/4”-20 and 3/8”-16 mounting threads.

One D-Tap is the power side of the plate – a single 14.8 V output, with a ring-terminal cable in the box to match.

Construction is aluminum and ABS plastic.

Listed size is 6.5 x 2.6 x 1 inches, and the product description gives a net weight of 252 g.

That’s light enough to live on the back of a small camera without rewriting the balance of the rig.

The package on that listing includes an Allen wrench and a ring-terminal cable, so the first install doesn’t depend on a separate tool kit.

The plate includes:

• A V-mount battery interface,
• One 14.8 V D-Tap output,
• 1/4”-20 and 3/8”-16 holes for accessory attachment.

The ease of the layout is the point: battery on the V-mount, one powered device on the D-Tap, and anything else on the threaded face.

Our gear remains organized and ready for action, regardless of the shooting environment.

We’ve found C3698-US easiest to trust when we treat it as one battery and one D-Tap, then use the cheese-plate holes for the rest.

A monitor arm, a small bracket, or a cable tie-down point can take a 1/4”-20 or 3/8”-16 screw right beside the battery.

It isn’t a multi-port power box, and the single D-Tap makes that obvious on the back of the plate.

On a compact rig, that clarity is what keeps power and mounting from turning into a pile of extra clamps.

7. CAMVATE Battery Cheese Plate for Anton Bauer Gold Mount (2194)

When we’re looking to put an Anton Bauer Gold Mount adapter on 15 mm rods, the CAMVATE Battery Cheese Plate (2194) is the backboard for that adapter.

It’s built as a cheese plate and a rod clamp, and the Gold Mount adapter itself is a separate piece.

The adapter is not included, and CAMVATE states this plate isn’t V-Lock compatible.

It adds 1/4”-20 and 3/8”-16 holes plus a 15 mm dual-rod clamp with a 360° swivel.

The plate is anodized aluminum.

CAMVATE lists a net weight of 254.9 g for the plate, clamp, and Allen key.

That figure includes the hardware we actually get in the box, which is worth knowing before the adapter’s own weight goes on top.

The threads are what let the backboard do more than hold a battery:

• A mounting face for an existing Anton Bauer Gold Mount adapter,
• 1/4”-20 and 3/8”-16 holes for extra accessories,
• A 360° swivel clamp that grabs dual 15 mm rods.

With this setup, we’re able to keep the adapter on the rods and still bolt a small accessory to the same plate.

The swivel matters when the rods aren’t level with the shot and the battery still needs to sit upright.

Anodized aluminum is the right material for a piece that stays clamped to the rails between scenes.

It isn’t a Shape cheese plate, and it doesn’t supply the battery mount itself.

Use it to hang an existing Gold Mount adapter on 15 mm rods and to bolt on extra accessories.

The 360° clamp is what squares the plate to the rods before an accessory takes a 1/4”-20 hole.

Because there’s no V-Lock interface on 2194, a V-mount battery belongs on a different plate.

Gold Mount adapters are the match, and only once we’ve already got the adapter in the kit.

8. CAMVATE Mini Square Cheese Plate (2824)

When a rig needs a small 1/4”-20 pad, the CAMVATE Mini Square Cheese Plate (2824) is the plate on this listing.

It’s a 55 × 50 × 6 mm square of anodized aluminum, and it weighs 32 g.

CAMVATE gives it an array of 1/4”-20 holes and three groove slots that mount with a 1/4” screw.

There is no 3/8”-16 thread on this model, and there’s no power output or cable pass-through either.

We’ve found that the weight is the spec that decides where it goes: 32 g will not change how the camera feels.

The plate is easy to place because there’s so little of it –

• An array of 1/4”-20 holes for light accessories,
• Three groove slots that mount with a 1/4” screw,
• A 55 × 50 × 6 mm body that sits beside a larger plate.

It’s a small accessory plate for 1/4”-20 gear.

A cold-shoe adapter, a tiny bracket, or a short arm with a 1/4”-20 stud can take one of the holes, and the slots give the screw a little travel when the spacing isn’t exact.

The 6 mm thickness is enough to thread into without the plate flexing like a thin shim.

Because the only thread is 1/4”-20, we keep 3/8”-16 accessories on the larger plates in the kit.

That’s a useful split on a crowded camera: the big plate holds the heavy mounts, and 2824 catches the small ones.

Anodized aluminum at this size also means we can leave it attached to an arm in the case and barely notice it.

It won’t carry a battery, and it isn’t asked to.

Its job is a flat, threaded pad when the main cheese plate has already run out of free holes.

9. RED DSMC2 Tactical Top Plate

RED Digital Cinema’s DSMC2 top plate, in the operation guides, is the DSMC2 Tactical Top Plate (790-0624).

RED doesn’t sell a separate part under the name DSMC2 Cheese Plate.

Built for the top of a DSMC2 brain, the Tactical Top Plate is machined from 7075 aluminum.

This plate isn’t a blank cover; it’s a mounting surface with the connectors the DSMC2 brain expects.

It provides 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 points for RED and third-party accessories, and RED says it’s meant to work with DSMC2 battery modules, expanders, and accessories.

It also adds a 3-pin POGO connector for a RED smart handle, an unpowered 3-pin Fischer port for start/stop, and a 16-pin LEMO connector for a remote LCD/EVF.

Those three ports are why the plate has to match the camera: the POGO, the Fischer, and the LEMO each have a job on the DSMC2.

A separate DSMC2 Production Top Plate (105-2178) offers the same connectors and is designed to pair with the REDVOLT Expander and Production Module.

Choosing between them is about the module behind the brain, not about finding a generic cheese plate with a RED logo.

The Tactical Top Plate’s threads still follow the familiar 1/4-20 and 3/8-16 pattern, so many third-party accessories can bolt on once the plate is seated.

Neither plate is a generic gimbal or drone cheese plate.

The Tactical Top Plate belongs on the DSMC2 it was machined for, where the 7075 aluminum face and those connectors line up with the body.

No Amazon listing for 790-0624 turned up, so this pick doesn’t include a buy box.

For a DSMC2 owner who needs the top plate RED documents – POGO, Fischer, LEMO, and standard threads – 790-0624 is the part number in the operation guide.

Adding Versatility To Camera Rigs With Multipurpose Cheese Plates

Multipurpose cheese plates are a must-have for filmmakers and content creators.

These plates serve as the foundation of an adaptable camera rig, offering countless possibilities for mounting and rig configuration.

Our rig’s flexibility can be significantly enhanced by a well-designed cheese plate.

It allows us to attach accessories where we need them, resulting in an efficient and personalized setup.

The best cheese plates feature a variety of thread sizes and patterns – here’s what to look for:

• 3/8”-16 and 1/4″-20 holes for universal compatibility,
• Counter-sunk holes to avoid any obstructions – Multiple slots for sliding elements.

In terms of materials, aluminum is the top choice for its strength-to-weight ratio.

It ensures that our rigs are both durable and lightweight, critical for run-and-gun shooting scenarios.

Compatibility across camera models and brands is another cornerstone of an excellent cheese plate.

This trait maximizes the plate’s usefulness, making it a long-term investment for our evolving gear.

Investing in a versatile cheese plate benefits us in various shooting conditions.

Whether it’s a studio setup or a mobile documentary shoot, the right cheese plate keeps our camera and accessories secure and accessible.

By choosing a cheese plate with a thoughtful design and robust construction, we optimize our workflow on set.

We adapt quickly, attach necessary gear without hassle, and keep our focus on the shot rather than the rigging.

With these multipurpose cheese plates as part of our gear, we’re equipped to face the diverse challenges of modern cinematography.

They ensure our setups are prepared for any demand, any shoot, anywhere.

Top Camera Rigging Cheese Plates For Filmmakers – Wrap Up

We’ve explored the game-changing versatility that the right cheese plate brings to our camera rig setups.

With the perfect blend of durability and adaptability, these essential tools empower us to tackle any filming scenario with confidence.

It’s clear that investing in a high-quality cheese plate is not just about adding another piece of equipment—it’s about unlocking the full potential of our creative vision.

So let’s make sure our gear is up to the task and ready to capture those impeccable shots that leave a lasting impression.

From entry-level to cinema-grade — we cover all the gear you need.

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