A7s Movcam cage accessories

[mactas]

Hi there, I have the Sony A7S with the movcam cage. I'm looking at building this cage up so that it can be used as a shoulder mounted full rig. So adding handles, shoulder pad, riser block, rails etc. Has anyone purchased all of these movcam accessories and successfully done this? Does it work ok? Movcam website seems useless and I cant find any a7s related products on there so finding it very difficult to know exactly which parts to purchase to build this rig. Any help/ suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[Rdouthit]

Here's my setup. I have the Jag35 swivel shoulder pad to attach for when I'm doing run-and-gun. They don't seem to make this anymore, but any pad that I can press into my shoulder would work for this particular setup. I prefer small systems, and in this case I push the pad into my shoulder, as opposed to resting it on top of it.

Setup includes: Jag 35 rails, Movcam Cage, No-Name Lens Support, JuicedLink XLR, Westside AV Sony L battery adaptor, Sennheiser Shotgun, SmallHD DP4 monitor (on the left side - hard to see in this shot.) Here it's mounted with a Nikon 70-200 f/2.8. I've shot for several days straight with this setup on location without any issues.

 

[goodgoings]

I wanted the Movcam cage, but couldn't rationalize the purchase as I know how fast Sony upgrades their models. It sure seems like a fine cage. The only thing I would be concerned about is the weight. I made my own rail system up with part lying around that had a C type handle with all sorts of mounting points and double 15mm rail system with heavy steel 300mm rails. After shooting with this for one day I decide to reconfigure and loose the C type handle, double 15mm rails and single 300mm rails for lighter shorter ones. Instead I use a lite z-shape with a soft shoulder pad and a cheese plate for my recorder and battery. There's no convenience of handling the rig when holding, but it's lighter and feels better. I can now also use the camera viewfinder. Others like Rdouthit may have no problems with heavier rigs, but to each their own.

 

[mactas]

This is the part i am trying to source, can't find it anywhere

 

[Rdouthit]

This is the part i am trying to source, can't find it anywhere

That doesn't seem very practical (it appears to mount to the base, not the rods). You'd need a front-slung monitor, and at that point all your controls will be by your head. I'd suggest something rod-mounted that you can place further back.

Random samples:

http://jag35.com/shoulder-pad-adjustable-left-right-1486.html

http://store.redrockmicro.com/Catalog/rig-upgrades/microShoulderPad.html

 

[goodgoings]

I agree with Ryan. You'd only make this work with an EVF.

Or get this one so you can slide the shoulder pad farther back.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Movcam-Dual...658?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3a9e432cba

 

[mactas]

cheers for that guys. Isn't that one on ebay exactly the one in the picture?

 

[andersbundgaard]

I use the movcam cage and a rig i assembled from eBay parts. The atoms shogun i hook up with some old Zacuto parts. Sorry for the bad quality pic.

 

[goodgoings]

I use the movcam cage and a rig i assembled from eBay parts. The atoms shogun i hook up with some old Zacuto parts. Sorry for the bad quality pic.View attachment 101364

What base plate are you using with the cage? Can't make it out in the picture. I'm looking for a sturdy, but thin plate that can hold 15mm rods. The one I have now isn't very sturdy. The tightening screws for the rods have already stripped before using it in the field. Had to take out the washers to make the screws bite into the screw holes. That's the negative about cheap Chinese parts.

 

[andersbundgaard]

I use the one that came with the cage, and just builded from there. It works fine on a shoulder rig. But not so good when I put in my Satchler Ace tripod. Then it becomes wiggly..