I all the time buy things that I need.So why do I need this mount?I use my smartphone which is an Iphone 6s as a monitor for my camera and I needed something to place it on top(please see the pictures). I also use it to film some of the videos landscape mode. I use it mainly for my phone and I find it very useful considering that you can attach it to the tripod head(ball head) in different ways. I had something like this but unfortunately was from plastic and after a couple of months it cracked, was very bad for me because I need such a thing to use it daily. Yes, I film a lot and plastic is not an option for me. This is why I choose this plate because its made from METAL, solid durable.Small and compact, you can fit it in your pocket, attach it to your selfie stick if it has a regular screw. The advantage is that you can use it as a phone stand, to place it on the table to film. Was super impressed with the box it came in, didnt expect to get such a beautiful packaging. I dont use it for my camera but considering its made from metal it holds for sure a regular DSLR. On top has rubber which helps your devices not to slide somehow. In order to film portrait mode you have to put it on a ball head and rotate it, see pictures. There is a trick you can do, I use an external microphone when I record so using this plate I attach the receiver to it, nothing extra additional.So to use this, you dont actually need the release plate of the ball head, you know, we the photographers keep the plate on our cameras. In the video I have made you can see all the tips and tricks of how to use this plate.Hope this helps.