Protecting your camera with an AirTag, same as your wallet, makes perfect sense – it’s an expensive piece of gear you don’t want to lose, after all, especially if you have one of those pricey professional models. Problem is, how the heck do you attach an AirTag to the camera without making it look and feel awkward? Well, it definitely looks like they figured that out with the Elevation Lab TagVault AirTag Camera Plate.
Billed as “the best way to keep AirTag on your camera,” the device consists of a tripod plate with Apple’s tracking tech onboard that you simply install underneath the camera. That means, it’s no more intrusive than a regular tripod plate, allowing you to handle and operate the camera like normal, while being able to track its location at absolutely any time.
The Elevation Lab TagVault AirTag Camera Plate looks like any basic Arca-Swiss base plate that you can use to quickly mount and dismount your camera body from any compatible tripod head. Yes, it’s meant to work as one, too, so you can keep it on and use the camera like normal. Of course, what makes it special is the integrated AirTag tech onboard, which allows it to communicate with Apple’s Find My network, giving you the ability to monitor its location from, practically, anywhere in the world.
The base plate is made from carbon fiber, so it’s incredibly lightweight, ensuring it won’t add much noticeable weight to your camera rig, while being pretty slim, so it doesn’t add all that much bulk, either. That carbon fiber body should make for a strong shell, too, ensuring it provides adequate protection for the electronic components. The plate is attached to the camera using a machined stainless steel screw, so it should stay in place the whole time, ensuring you’ve got Apple’s tracking hardware in tow, no matter what happens to your camera.
The Elevation Lab TagVault AirTag Camera Plate’s screw requires a T20 Torx driver, by the way, so it’s not exactly something a thief can take out unless they bring one along with them everywhere they go. That means, you might get a bit of time to track it in case your camera gets stolen. More importantly, though, it looks like any standard base plate (and works like one), since the tracking hardware is completely hidden from sight, so there’s a good chance thieves may not even bother removing it. Suffice to say, no one’s going to look at that thing and think it’s an AirTag.
The plate works with any camera whose battery door is over 1.25 inches from the center of the tripod mounting point. According to the outfit, that should be compatible with plenty of cameras in the market, including Sony’s A7 and A6 series, Canon’s EOS and RF series, all Nikon DSLRs, and a whole lot more. Will it work with your camera? Well, Elevation Labs doesn’t have a full list of compatible models, but you can probably do your own measurements and figure it out for yourself.
The Elevation Lab TagVault AirTag Camera Plate is available now, priced at $19.99.
