The Best Sony A7s Cage of them All? – 6 Cages Reviewed

August 10^th, 201535

The Best Sony A7s Cage of them All? - 6 Cages Reviewed

by Sebastian WöberAugust 10^th, 2015

Movcam Cage for Sony a7S

The Movcam Cage for Sony A7S was one of the first cages available for the Sony A7s and is probably the most famous of them all. Let’s see how it performs in our review.

HDMI cable protector quality

The HDMI cable protector on this cage works well. Once setup via a single screw the HDMI cable can be locked in place. The only limitation is that an allen key is needed to secure the cable.

Notice:

Some cables might not fit the width of the HDMI protector.
On some cameras the protector pressed against the camera door which might harm the door.
You have to open the door before attaching the protector.

Access to other outputs on the side

Access to the other outputs is possible, but there is not much space to access the USB port if an HDMI cable is attached.

Ease of assembly and disassembly

This is where this cage is problematic for us. It is very hard to assemble / disassemble and ideally it would require 3 hands to do it without frustration. Furthermore you have to take off all 5 screws and all of them including the base screw fall out and can be lost.

The fact that this is a full cage that might sometimes have to be taken off makes this a double-red light for us.

How securely is the camera attached to the cage?

The camera is not locked on the Movcam Cage for Sony A7S which is a disappointment. No matter how well the base screw is tightened, with a slight pressure of the thumb the camera moves freely inside the cage, unless there is an HDMI cable locked to the camera.

This can be a problem if you intend to use a focusing accessory and it might also break the HDMI port eventually.

Another way to lock the camera is to use the optional riser accessory and attach it to the Metabones adapter.

Possible to use the Sony XLR-K2M audio module?

It is possible to use the Sony XLR-K2M, but the handle cannot be used at the same time.

Access to the lens release button

Yes

 Baseplate mount quality

The base of the cage offers only a very small surface and there is only a single 1/4″ thread. This makes it hard to lock any tripod plate securely.

The base has a built-in dovetail plate that mounts to the optional riser accessory and will provide for sufficient stability, but if you don’t have that accessory the problem mentioned above remains. It’s not ideal that we have to buy an extra accessory to put our camera on a tripod properly.

On a side note, the base is so narrow that it makes the camera fall to the front when no lens is attached. This is not a big problem, but just inconvenient.

Rod support quality

The riser and rod support can be purchased as an optional package. We had the cage-only version.

Handle design

While the Movcam Cage for Sony A7S falls short in some categories it certainly has a nice handle that sits very securely and offers multiple mounting points. It has an extra coldshoe, supports a 15mm rod to attach an EVF and comes with both 1/4″ and 3/8″ threads.

On the downside you require 2 allen keys to mount the handle and it doesn’t work with the audio module.

Overall Ergonomics

The biggest disadvantage of the Movcam Cage in terms of ergonomics is that all adjustments require allen keys, including the camera base itself.

It provides a full cage design which is nice as it gives us mounting points on all sides as well as two extra coldshoes. Another nice touch are the two strap attachments for people who want to use the a7s as a photo camera and don’t want to take the time to dismount the cage.

Due to the full-cage design unfortunately the CinEasy Touch mod (helps trigger the rec button) doesn’t fit on this one.

The fact that the cage falls forward when there is no lens attached can be displeasing.

There is a window on top that lets you easily see which shooting mode you’re on.

best-sony-a7s-cage

Conclusion

This cage only received 5 green lights and 2 double-reds by us. The small tripod mounting surface at the base, the difficulty to assemble and disassemble and the fact that the camera is moving freely inside the cage make this the only one we would personally not use anymore.

This came as a surprise, because many people use and like this cage, but it is certainly not for everyone. If you never need to take off the cage, if you are using the riser accessory and if you are locking it to the Metabones adapter, then you might be able to enjoy the benefits this cage has to offer, like the nice handle and EVF mount. Otherwise you should rather look at one of the other 5 options we had for review.

Price: $261

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