Going to leave 4 stars with this. They would have gotten 5 stars as this is an excellent product. However, my shipment was missing the side grip. Lucky for me that Amazon was quite helpful in replacing the missing side grip. Aside from that cage is wonderful. It’s a lot lighter than it looks which is handy in a cage where you are adding multiple things to the cage. The cage is built very sturdy and is very functional. Mounting exists for just about every single accessory's. Overall 5/5 product only reducing for the need to have Amazon to replace something that should have been in the box.
such a comfortable grip, very sturdy.
Fits like a glove and very lightweight, adds a bit of bulk to the handle which I find nice but could see others not liking it. Has some inner notches so I find it improves grip. As a hybrid shooter, I like that I can scale up a handheld film rig pretty quickly and strip it down for stills. While I prefer the L bracket for this purpose, I’m not so off-put by the form factor the I feel the need to remove the cage. The top handle has some flex to it but don’t find it’s compromising shots by any means.
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Love this setup its sexy and functional from photography to full rig shooting, yes its just another cage and there’s cheaper options but I’d pay the piper for this sexy design again, smallrig keeps stepping up the game.
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TL;DR – Expensive, not a great "value." Looks awesome. Solves a very specific problem. The side handle feels great, only wish it pivots. The top handle has issues if you have a heavy kit.I needed a cage for a complete video rig build-out while still being a good fit in the hand for photography. I tried some other SmallRig cages and they limit access to the top dials – this cage solves that problem and gives you great access to everything you need.The carbon fiber and general look is by far the best that SmallRig offers. Looks and feels premium while still being very lightweight. There's a plethora mounting solutions on every side of every piece you can imagine. Overall, it's one of the best cages/kits you can get for your camera.That said, I still have a few issues. For the price, the handle should pivot. If you were to purchase separately, similarly priced handles that SmallRig offers pivot.The biggest issue is with the top handle and how it mounts. The thin piece of carbon fiber doesn't look to be enough for a solid connection. With a full video rig, the handle easily bends/contorts when picked up. I tried other aluminum cages and handles from SmallRig and didn't have this issue. I would say it's a mix of the lack of metal connection on the cage itself (to allow access to the dials) and the thin piece of carbon fiber on the handle. See video.Ultimately, it's still a great kit and I would still recommend it. Just understand its limitations.
