Peak Design Anchor Mount vs Field Plate: Which Do You Need?

Quick answer

Choose the Peak Design Anchor Mount if you mainly want to attach a strap to the bottom of your camera without blocking battery or screen access. Choose the Peak Design Field Plate if you switch between handheld shooting and a tripod often and want a tool-free quick-release plate.

Two different jobs on the same tripod socket

Both accessories occupy your camera's tripod socket, but they solve different problems. The Anchor Mount turns that socket into a low-profile strap attachment point, while the Field Plate turns it into a quick-connecting tripod interface. Because they compete for the same mounting point, you generally use one or the other rather than both at once.

That means the decision is less about which product is better and more about which workflow you actually repeat: carrying the camera on a strap, or moving it on and off a tripod.

Why the Anchor Mount's slim profile matters

The Anchor Mount is deliberately small and slim. Unlike a tripod plate, it is designed not to hinder access to battery compartments or flip screens. If you have ever had to unscrew a plate just to change a battery or tilt a screen, that difference is practical rather than cosmetic.

The trade-off is that the Anchor Mount is not a tripod plate. It does not give you a quick-release connection to a tripod head, so if tripod work is part of your routine, you will still need a separate plate or head system.

Where the Field Plate earns its place

The Field Plate is built for speed on and off a tripod. Its connection screw pops up with the press of a button and provides an ergonomic thumb-drive handle, so you can attach and remove it without hex tools, pocket change, or flimsy D-rings.

The trade-off is size and purpose: it is a tripod plate first, so it is not the low-profile strap anchor the Anchor Mount is. If your main goal is a neat strap attachment that stays out of the way, the Field Plate is more hardware than you need.

Can you use both?

Not simultaneously in the same tripod socket. Since both mount to the bottom of the camera, you would need to remove one to use the other. If you want both strap attachment and quick tripod mounting, plan to swap between them or look at a strap system that does not rely on the tripod socket.

Trade-offs at a glance

• Strap attachment vs tripod interface: Anchor Mount gives you a low-profile strap attachment point; Field Plate gives you a quick-release tripod connection. Pick the one that matches the accessory you use most.
• Low profile vs tool-free speed: Anchor Mount stays out of the way of battery compartments and flip screens. Field Plate prioritizes fast, tool-free on/off with a pop-up screw and thumb-drive handle. If you change batteries or tilt the screen often, the Anchor Mount's slim shape saves fuss.
• One socket, one choice: Both use the camera's tripod socket, so you cannot run them together. Decide based on whether your next shoot is strap-led or tripod-led.

Product facts

• Peak Design Anchor Mount: Attaches a Peak Design strap or any standard OEM neck or hand strap directly to the bottom of the camera in a low-profile way. Useful if you want a bottom-mounted strap point without adding a bulky plate.

  

• Peak Design Field Plate: A quick-connecting tripod plate with a connection screw that pops up via a button and an ergonomic thumb-drive handle, no tools required. Speeds up tripod mounting and removal when you shoot handheld and on a tripod in the same session.

  

Which one fits your setup?

Best for

• Photographers who carry the camera on a neck or hand strap and want a bottom attachment that does not block battery or screen access
• Users who already have a strap and want a simple, low-profile way to connect it to the camera base

Not for

• Shooters who frequently switch between handheld and tripod and want a fast, tool-free plate
• Anyone expecting the Anchor Mount to provide a quick-release tripod connection