GH4 Cages for GH5

I like the simplicity of the Smallrig. The Movcam looks to be the best design. 8Sinn seems over the top nicely sculpted, but I'd give some of that up for a lower price.
 
Paul F said:
I like the simplicity of the Smallrig. The Movcam looks to be the best design. 8Sinn seems over the top nicely sculpted, but I'd give some of that up for a lower price.
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I was at NAB and the Movcam GH5 cage seemed to be the best one so far. Very light due to the use of magnesium. Great design. Metabones support with or without the optional rail system.
 
SmallRig Cage Update: I've found it difficult to reach the top control dial (aperture, ISO, Expo. Comp.) because the cage sits right on top of it. However, I can reach the White Balance, ISO, and Expo. Comp. buttons just fine. It's not a deal breaker for me, just something to work around.
 
Benjobe said:
SmallRig Cage Update: I've found it difficult to reach the top control dial (aperture, ISO, Expo. Comp.) because the cage sits right on top of it. However, I can reach the White Balance, ISO, and Expo. Comp. buttons just fine. It's not a deal breaker for me, just something to work around.
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That's true for the GH4 cage too. Tracking says that my gh5 cage is arriving today. Will try out soon. I got the pre-order price, so it's really affordable. I think $45 or something like that. The previous cage has been serving me well. The edges are no fun for long handheld shots, and a couple of other issues, but overall it does what i need it to do with a fair amount of flexibility at an amazing pricepoint.

That Kung Fu Cage that Bern linked to, on the other hand: Dang! I just don't see myself spending $1500 for a dslr support setup. Having said that (and this really needs its own thread), I am having a very hard time figuring out what I want to do for a shoulder rig setup with the GH5. The EVF is just good enough that it tempts me to try for a setup that places the eyepiece in line with my right eye, but I'm still more of a monitor kind of guy. I got the Wooden Camera ultra arm for my smallhd701, but it's always so lame trying to figure out how far forward or back a dslr form factor should sit so that you don't have all of the weight forward...and the whole hanging counterweights off the back business...Aargh!

I have a ton of rig parts, have made a billion tweaks, and still I'm not happy. Often I end up just grabbing the silly $20 shoulder rig with the support on your stomach just because it's so quick, light, and easy. Now there's something that just reeks of non-pro on a set.
 
I have the 8Sinn cage too. It's lovely in general with a couple of bugbears, the main one being the way the Metabones support works, and the way the rod support bottom bracket points backwards, meaning your tripod plate doesn't sit under the normal centre of gravity for a fully built camera.

I'll probably write up a review soon to make all this more clear.

Cheers,

Paul :)
 
Not sure I really need a full cage, but I sometimes need to mount small LED, wireless receiver and rode mic... FYI - I currently have a full cage on my GH4 and thats fine, but I figure most of the time I can be even smaller and less pro-looking. 90% of the time I only need a rode video mic, so cage is not needed. When I need wireless receiver and rode they go on the beachtek - but
then I need another cold shoe like 5 inches away for the LED. looking for any thoughts on hot shoe expanders like this
https://www.amazon.com/Movo-3BA-1-H...rd_wg=5MJIs&psc=1&refRID=YSNZJTR6FMMMEH22NAW3

Looking for advice from people who've used 'em. This seems like it will all be too close - ie the light will hit the mic. or

https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-B...rd_wg=5MJIs&psc=1&refRID=YSNZJTR6FMMMEH22NAW3

maybe a handle mount?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005JSTLYY?psc=1

or?

Also what is up with the small rig and HDMI port? Are they doing a redesign?
 
Harry Pallenberg said:
Not sure I really need a full cage, but I sometimes need to mount small LED, wireless receiver and rode mic... FYI - I currently have a full cage on my GH4 and thats fine, but I figure most of the time I can be even smaller and less pro-looking. 90% of the time I only need a rode video mic, so cage is not needed. When I need wireless receiver and rode they go on the beachtek - but
then I need another cold shoe like 5 inches away for the LED. looking for any thoughts on hot shoe expanders like this
https://www.amazon.com/Movo-3BA-1-H...rd_wg=5MJIs&psc=1&refRID=YSNZJTR6FMMMEH22NAW3

Looking for advice from people who've used 'em. This seems like it will all be too close - ie the light will hit the mic. or

https://www.amazon.com/LimoStudio-B...rd_wg=5MJIs&psc=1&refRID=YSNZJTR6FMMMEH22NAW3

maybe a handle mount?
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B005JSTLYY?psc=1

or?

Also what is up with the small rig and HDMI port? Are they doing a redesign?
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I'm assuming they've improved the strength of the hot shoes since the problematic issue with the gh3's hot shoe coming undone with screws then falling into the camera. Not good. It was somewhat widespread with the gh3, but I haven't had the same issue with my GH4 nor GH5. HOWEVER, I've been generally very scared since the gh3 to hang much weight onto the hot shoe. I'd be careful with a t-bar that has two devices on it, especially if you are running and gunning. Perhaps locked down on sticks it's not bad, but with inertia...
 
Yea... I was also wondering about how much weight / pressure the hot shoe can take. Anyone know of a cage that uses the hot shoe as well to lock it in place? I dont have the external audio unit and I find cages that only bolt in from below twist... I prefer 2 points like my current GH4 cage.
 
Harry Pallenberg said:
Yea... I was also wondering about how much weight / pressure the hot shoe can take. Anyone know of a cage that uses the hot shoe as well to lock it in place? I dont have the external audio unit and I find cages that only bolt in from below twist... I prefer 2 points like my current GH4 cage.
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This was a concern for me as well when I first received SmallRig's GH5 cage, as all of the other cages I use mount to the hot shoe as well. However, the base of SmallRig's cage has a couple "blocks" that brace up against the front of the camera, preventing the camera from twisting in the cage, so no issues there.
 
Yeah, no twist issues at all with the smallrig cage. My main issue with the cage is that the only 1/4" hole on the bottom that is centered with the lens mount is all the way in the rear. This is not great for attaching a plate with the fore-aft weight centered over the plate. Some plates can use 3/8" screws, but I use a lot of arca stuff, and it's mostly all 1/4" only.

The hole that is in the forward position of the bottom of the cage is 3/8".
 
ozmorphasis said:
Yeah, no twist issues at all with the smallrig cage. My main issue with the cage is that the only 1/4" hole on the bottom that is centered with the lens mount is all the way in the rear. This is not great for attaching a plate with the fore-aft weight centered over the plate. Some plates can use 3/8" screws, but I use a lot of arca stuff, and it's mostly all 1/4" only.

The hole that is in the forward position of the bottom of the cage is 3/8".
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I just use a 3/8-16 to 1/4-20 thread adapter in the front mounting hole. Then you can mount long plates with two 1/4-20 screws.
 
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