If there is one thing that filmmakers need on top of a great camera and lens, then it is great camera accessories. The first step is a camera cage. Especially a photo-style camera-body like the famous Sony A7s deserves an appropriate housing to become a perfect tool.
But what is the best Sony A7s cage? We reviewed 6 A7s cages and will fill you in on the good, the bad and the ugly.
Review by Johnnie Behiri & Sebastian Wöber
Why a camera cage?
In the age of small cinema cameras the camera cage has become the most popular accessory by now. Matteboxes, handheld rigs, follow focus units, it’s all passé. Now the camera cage is what’s trendy and there are several good reasons why it’s the first thing to get:
- Cages provide mounting points (standard threads and coldshoes) so you can mount accessories
- They securely lock the micro-HDMI cable in place when you use the HDMI feed (for external 4K recording)
- They protect the camera
- They usually come with a handle, so it’s easier to carry your rig
- They make you feel more professional :)
Why this A7s cage comparison?
Because not every cage is equally useful. Actually the differences between cages and their functionality is huge. We wanted to know what the best Sony A7s cage is for our own work and we wanted to let our readers in on the pro’s & con’s of all the cages. So now there will be no reason to order a Sony A7s cage blindly. Here are the best cages for the A7s reviewed.
The way we did it
The cinema5D team (Johnnie, Nino and Seb) worked with all the cages (a few each) over the course of several months. At the end we sat together and went through all the cages, made remarks, tried them again and rated each aspect that we found important according to our experiences with them.
The aspects we rate:
- HDMI cable protector quality
- Access to other outputs on the side
- Ease of assembly and disassembly
- How securely is the camera attached to the cage?
- Possible to use the Sony XLR-K2M audio module?
- Access to the lens release button
- Baseplate mount quality
- Rod support quality
- Handle design
- Overall ergonomics
- Conclusion
The ratings we give:
This is pretty straight forward. Basically we used the traffic-lights system and gave a rating to each aspect.
Double-green: In some rare cases we decided to give a double-green rating for outstanding performance.
Green: The product performs as it should.
Orange: There are some issues, but it’s ok.
Red: The product didn’t live up to our expectations.
Double-Red: Something is wrong here and should be addressed by the manufacturer.
The cages we reviewed
Simply click on the name of the product to get to the review page or find the conclusion at the end of this article. Products reviewed in alphabetical order.
IndiPRO Tools Thor a7S Cage
LOCKCIRCLE Birdcage A7
Movcam Cage for Sony a7S
Motionnine CubeCage for Sony a7S
Skier LiteCage for A7
Varavon Armor II a7S Cage
Links to each A7s Cage Review:
- Page 1: Introduction
- Page 2: IndiPRO Tools Thor a7S Cage
- Page 3: LockCircle BirdCage A7
- Page 4: Movcam Cage for Sony a7S
- Page 5: Motionnine CubeCage for Sony a7S
- Page 6: Skier LiteCage for A7
- Page 7: Varavon Armor II a7S Cage
- Page 8: Winners
