I’ve been lucky enough to do a small run (lets optimistically call it a pre-production test) of some Nikon F3 camera plates, aka the ‘Nikovit’. I designed it a few years ago and had a couple of prototypes made as a favour. Needless to say they have lived on my F3’s ever since but I have long wanted to make a few tweaks (1/4″ accessory thread) and see if they could be made in larger quantities – why should I be the only one to enjoy this? Making something locally is not always easy or the cheapest way of doing things (the big tripod companies didn’t want to pick this up). Fortunately there are loads of specialist machining and manufacturing businesses in Adelaide. While pottering on some other projects at Sane Makerspace, I came across Singh Engineering. A few conversations and 3D model versions later, four more CP-F3 plates were a reality! They have been anodised black to match by another local company and now come with felt circles in the spare battery compartments (without which spare batteries can short). Needless to say I’m quite pleased with the result. But, is it economical… Well with only four made I’m not making any money. Even at $195 AUD (includes free postage) I’m barely breaking even. However, it has proven what can be done locally at about the cheapest rates I can find. So, hopefully this sparks some interest as I would like to have more made in the future but would need to do a run of at least 10 to make it worth it. So, if you are interested please get in touch (email or Instagram). I have three left to sell so don’t wait around for your friends to buy them.