The shooter-friendly peeps over at SmallHD released their crowd-funded product unmistakingly dubbed the Canon 5D Mark III Port Protector. The name literally says it all – it’s a port protector that prevents your USB and HDMI cables from abruptly disconnecting.
This low profile, lightweight (.9oz) accessory is a nice solution for anyone who fears signal loss during shoots. A nice feature about the unit is that it doesn’t require the use of the 1/4″ 20 baseplate accessory on the bottom. It quickly installs by cleverly hugging to Canon’s neck-strap bracket with a thumbscrew.
Since gravity never seems to take a day off, it also helps in preventing accidental damage to the ports caused by a fallen camera. SmallHD has tested the Port Protector against two foot drops and a tug-test from all angles. We’re not sure of the exact strength (or pound) of the tug-test, but judging by the video below it’s more Eagle Scout than Incredible Hulk.
A few caveats to the accessory: It will not work with a battery grip, and you shouldn’t try to reattach the neck strap to the unit after it’s mounted. The last, probably being the most important, is the size of the USB and mini-HDMI cables you can use with the device.It was designed specifically to be used with the SmallHD mini-HDMI cable, which they’ve included, and the Canon brand USB cable. Dave at SmallHD provided specs for their mini-HDMI – 1.26″L .56″W x .36″H – with the length measurement not including the connector part, but just the rubber jacket. This will give you a rough estimate if you ever need a replacement cable, but it’s just as easy to order another from SmallHD.
One is also available for the Canon Mark II and both sell at $49.99.