The Quick Release is a tool intended to allow a photographer to quickly mount a camera into a tripod. Attaching it to the camera, however, is not always as quick. All use a screw to connect to the camera base. Some have a tab allowing one to screw the Quick Release without the need for any additional tools.
But the ones I use require a tool; a screw driver is the obvious assumption, though they seem to be designed to work with a coin. Larger coins provide more leverage. Some designer was thinking. Canadian coins — specifically the $1 and $2 coins — work, but they have a loose fit.
The Costa Rican 50 Colones coin works very well. The coin fits into the screw-head slot tightly and gently locks so the coin remains firmly in place when tightening. Even if one looses their grip, the coin will remain in the slot and not fall to the ground. At the current exchange rate, 50 Colones works out to about 4 cents, so it is both a functional and economically prudent choice.
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