8Sinn Introduces a Panasonic S1 and S1R Cage

News

by Jakub HanJune 17^th, 2019

8Sinn has introduced new a cage for the Panasonic S1 and S1R. It is made of a single piece of aluminum and offers a lightweight design plus lots of 1/4″ mounting threads. The cage is compatible with all three top handles from 8Sinn – the Basic, Pro and Scorpio handle.

8Sinn Panasonic S1/S1R cage

Both, the Panasonic S1 and S1R full-frame mirrorless cameras have been announced at last year’s Photokina in September. The true launch, when these cameras became available for pre-order, happened in February 2019. The S1R is a high resolution model aimed at pro photographers, whereas the S1 is a modestly-priced allrounder model with the filmmaking community in mind. For more information about the Panasonic S1 you can check our early hands-on article with video and the “closer look” review with more sample footage.

Interestingly enough, four months after the launch of these cameras, there still do not seem to be a lot of cages available – which makes this newly announced Panasonic S1/S1R cage from 8Sinn one of the first options available.

8Sinn Panasonic S1/S1R Aluminum Cage

8Sinn Panasonic S1/S1R cage

8Sinn is a camera accessories company based in Poland. They are mostly known for their cages and camera rigging accessories. I have worked with some of their other cages before and I actually like their designs and ergonomics.

This new cage is machined out of a single piece of aluminum. It will fit both, the Panasonic S1 and S1R since the cameras share the same body. I believe that it will not fit the newest addition to the Panasonic full-frame family – the S1H – since that camera is a bit bigger. In any case, I am sure there will be cages available for the S1H when it comes out later this year.

8Sinn Panasonic S1/S1R cage with top handle Basic

The 8Sinn S1/S1R cage has been designed to be as lightweight as possible (weighing 205g), while offering many 1/4″ mounting points. It also features one extra cold shoe on the right top side of the camera. There seems to be free access to all the dials and buttons, as well as to the memory card and battery compartments – which is an important feature of every cage. The cage fits the camera very tightly, so it should not be a problem to comfortably hold the camera with the cage on.

8Sinn Panasonic S1/S1R cage with top handle Pro

Thanks to the two strap holders on the right side of the camera, users can add a strap for a more secure grip, if needed. The strap, however, does not come with the cage. On the top side, the cage does not prevent access to camera’s hot shoe, which might come in very handy when planning to use the Panasonic XLR unit. This will not be possible with every top handle, though.

8Sinn Panasonic S1/S1R cage with top handle Scorpio

There are M4 mounting points on the upper front side of the cage, in order to add one of the top handles. As with other cages, 8Sinn offers three different types of top handles – the Basic handle, Pro handle and Scorpio handle. Every handle is different, offering various features, and is suitable for different uses. The Basic handle looks like it would fit the XLR unit, but this would have to be tested first. Both, the Pro and Scorpio handles mount on the top side using a short NATO rail and offer more flexibility.

The 8Sinn Panasonic S1/S1R cage is available for purchase now. The price is around $170 US (around €150 + VAT in Europe) for the cage only (without top handle). Links are included below the article.

What do you think of the Panasonic S1/S1R 8Sinn cage? If you use one of the cameras, do you plan on getting a cage for it? Let us know in the comments underneath the article.