The Best Sony a7S II Cage / a7R II Cage – 8 Cages Reviewed

December 18^th, 201594

The Best Sony a7S II Cage / a7R II Cage - 8 Cages Reviewed

by Sebastian WöberDecember 18^th, 2015

8Sinn a7RII / a7SII Cage

8Sinn is a new company based in Europe and they offer a few cages in their webstore. The 8Sinn a7RII / a7SII Cage comes in two different flavours (handle design) and is a very basic version of a cage. Let’s look at how it performs.

Ease of Assembly and Disassembly

It is easy to attach and detach a camera on the 8Sinn Cage. You do however need one of the two allen keys as the base screw is a hex screw. Also the screw can easily fall out and can be lost when there is no camera attached. We wish the base screw was slotted and integrated into the cage as on other cages we saw.

How Securely is the Camera Attached to the Cage?

The camera is securely locked to the 8Sinn Cage.

HDMI Cable Protector Design

The HDMI Cable Protector on the 8Sinn has a clever design and is easy to use. By locking the small hex screws on the side, the slanted metal bracket is being pushed onto the cables. This worked very well for us, especially as thicker cables can be used than on most other cages in this review.

The downside here is that if your HDMI cable and USB cable have a different thickness it might be difficult to lock them both.

Do we Have Access to Other Outputs on the Side?

Yes, there is good access.

Is it Possible to use the Sony XLR-K2M Audio Module?

Yes, this cage can be used with the Sony XLR-K2M audio module as there is sufficient space above and around the camera’s hotshoe. However you can not use the top-handle at the same time.

Can we Easily Access the Lens Release Button?

Yes, the lens-release button is freely accessible.

 How Well Can we Attach a Tripod Plate?

There is a lot of space and surface area to attach any tripod plate. Also the 1/4″ and 3/8″ threads let you attach those plates very securely.

How Good is the Included Rod Support?

The 8Sinn cage we received did not include a rod support. They offer an optional rod support in their webstore.

Metabones Mount Quality

This cage has no Metabones Mount option.

The Top-handle Design

The top-handle on the 8Sinn Cage is nicely crafted. It is lightweight and attached via a removable NATO rail and an easy to lock quicklock bracket. By unlocking the wingscrew on the side, the handle can be moved all the way forward and backward. Very easy to adjust and ergonomic. Also there are many 1/4″ and 3/8″ threads for mounting.

We do have concerns about the NATO rail quicklock design though. There is no safety mechanism included. If you forget to lock the rail or by accident open the bracket, the whole camera fall off without any further protection. On the Tilta Cage we saw a proper way to implement this.

Overall Ergonomics

The 8Sinn Cage stands out with its very lightweight and compact design. There are some nice touches like the easy to use HDMI port protector, the top-handle adjustments and a sensor position marking on top. There are several mounting points on the sides and a slanted coldshoe as well.

We also have some concerns though. The slanted cage design looks cool, but is not the most ergonomic when it comes to attaching accessories. Also on the top plate we would have wished for a few more mounting points and possibly another coldshoe or mounting points on the right. Some other cages offer a bit more there.

There is an edge on the right hand side that is almost knife sharp and should be blunted. And the base screw is sticking out which makes the cage rock from side to side. This is a minor concern, but could easily be addressed, especially considering the high price of the cage.

Cage weight without top-handle: 260g
Cage weight with top-handle: 373g

Conclusion

The 8Sinn Cage is simple and performs surprisingly well, especially considering this is a relatively new company in the camera accessory market. They got many things right and receive 9 green lights with a great built quality as well. So overall this is a recommended cage for us, targeted at filmmakers who want a simple, hassle free design that works, with no fancy features.

If you’re looking for a bit more, then you should know that there is no EVF rod mount on this cage, no metabones mount and only a few top mounting points. So in terms of functionality this cage only gives you the bare minimum which is a bit surprising considering the extremely high price. There is a version of this cage with a rod support included that costs a whopping $609 (inc. tax), far more expensive than any other cage we reviewed.

Price: $430

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