Wooden Camera Quick Cage for GH3
- Thread starter keylight
- Start date
Just a personal observation - it seems poorly thought out. Less is more. Why do you have so many "points of contact (POC)"? You want your cage and camera not to move around, that's all - that can be accomplished with one point piece... why do you need to fiddle with both a top AND bottom POC? If you attach your cam with a screw in the bottom, that's enough, it's not going to jump out - and if you need it not to twist left to right you still need an additional piece (which they do)... so what is the function of the top POC? The more of that kind of stuff, the more you have to fiddle with it, tighten, screw, attach, blah, blah, blah - all this fussing. I want something I can slide the cam in with minimum fiddling and fussing. Time is money. Good design minimizes the time/effort penalty needed by the user to use your product. And every additional unnecessary component or action is subject to the risk of losing and or breaking that piece. This kind of general sloppiness doesn't inspire confidence in this product. Take some of their additional components like the top handle - I hate that handle... look how awkward it is when you put that against your eye as the guy does - it almost pokes his head; worse, note how that handle is attached - again, through multiple screws... OMG! Why isn't there a QR mechanism where you just slide it on and off? Instead, it's a chore every time you need to put it on or take it off which may be several times in a shoot. Feh! And it's expensive for what it is.
Again, of course, to each his own - it might be perfect for your needs. You asked for feedback and I gave one from MY perspective... but everyone's needs are different.
Again, of course, to each his own - it might be perfect for your needs. You asked for feedback and I gave one from MY perspective... but everyone's needs are different.
FrameFarmMedia
Veteran
I like it. Seems like a very well thought out system. The only drawback in my mind is the price for the total package. If the 15mm rail base and top handle were $300-$400 all in I would be very very interested.
keylight
Veteran
Agreed, although I personally would never use the top handle. But I would use the 15mm rail base. Oh, and the cost for the EVF mount is also way too high. I cringed a tiny bit when I heard it!
Definitely appreciate your perspective, so thank you for the thoughts. Most cages use four posts (one at each corner) to connect the top and bottom plates. That can add a lot of weight and size to a cage, and means you can't normally have a small cage that hugs the camera and still allows easy access to top controls, card slot, battery.... Like this for example:
I *think* the multiple points of contact are so that the camera itself can replace the need for extra side posts. Compare the cage above with this:
And then compare it with a camera mounted inside:
Obviously, the Canon 5DMII on the Letus is larger than the T3i on the right.
I agree with you about a quick release plate on the bottom that would allow for sliding the camera right into the cage. That would be a nice improvement. Having said that, this cage really is light and form fitting so that I'm not sure I'd ever really want/need to take it off.