Equipment:
Filmmakers are constructing cages to add weight, increase versatility and more
By Daniel BrockettIf you look at the camera
market this past year, it’s
hard to deny the influ-
ence high-quality mir-
rorless cameras have
had on camera choice:
Models like the Pana-
sonic Lumix GH5, Sony
a7R III, Canon EOS R
and Nikon Z 6 and Z 7,
as well as the Fujifilm
X-T3, offer 4K shoot-
ing with high-quality
images, removable
lenses, professional fea-
tures like LOG recording, DCI
4K, IBIS and a host of other tools.
It’s no wonder cinema cameras that
used to cost between $6,000 and
$10,000 have been replaced by mir-
rorless models priced under $3,500.
But it’s not a perfect scenario. For
example, if you’re coming from a pro-
fessional video-camera/digital-cinema
camera, you’re sure to notice miss-
ing features that you’d have taken for
granted on larger, more professional
cameras, including built-in ND filters,
waveform displays, time code i/o, XLR
audio connections and more.
There are other things I person-
ally miss when shooting with a
mirrorless camera, such as size and
weight. The body on our Fujifilm
X-T3 weighs a little over a pound.
But even when you add a lens, it
doesn’t really significantly affect
the overall weight. Our Canon
C200, when fully rigged for shoul-
der-mounted shooting, can weigh
as much as 22 pounds or more,
depending on the lens mounted.That extra weight can be fatiguing
to carry and shoot with all day, but
it does add the bonus of smoother
handheld shooting. The extra
weight actually smooths out shake
and jitters that would be visible on a
smaller, lighter rig. Plus, movement
becomes smoother and more f luid
with extra weight.
While most of us love how light-
weight mirrorless cameras are, as well
as their portability and lower profile,
when it comes to creating smooth
handheld movement, too little weight
isn’t good. It’s more difficult (although
not impossible) to achieve smooth
handheld moves with no micro jitter if
your camera package is too light.
Ironically, when operating hand-
held, you, as the operator, have to
have a lot more skill and apply moreconcentration to achieve smooth, jitter-
free camera work with a 2-pound cam-
era rig than with a 7-pound rig.
There’s also the challenge of where
to attach various professional accesso-
ries on a small mirrorless camera body.
What if you want to attach a monitor?
Sure, you can put a small ballhead on
the camera’s hot-shoe, but what about
if you then want to add a microphone?
An EVF? A light? All mirrorless cam-
eras are pretty much limited to a single
hot-shoe.Enter The Cage
One popular solution these days is to
create a camera cage, which is a metal
series of bars with holes tapped into
them that not only encloses the camera,
offering more protection to the cam-
era body, but also gives you numerousAbove: Many mirrorless cameras, like the Fujifilm X-T3 (left), barely weigh over a pound,
which makes capturing smooth handheld footage a challenge. Building a cage, like this
SmallRig cage system (right), not only adds weight, but it can increase versatility. For
instance, we can add an Atomos Ninja V recorder if we have a client who prefers us to shoot
ProRes over the X-T3’s internal H/265 codecs. But if we have to shoot in a tight space,
where there isn’t room for the Shinobi monitor, we can just use the X-T3’s LCD screen.Caging Your Camera For Handheld Shooting
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