Movcam GH5 Cage is impressive! First look
Movcam sent me an early release of the new GH5 cage and wow is it nice! Okay I shouldn’t say to much yet since I barely opened the box. A full review is coming on Newsshooter.com but at first sight I have to say it looks really nice.
I wasn’t expecting the cage to come with so many accessories especially not a riser for 15mm rods plus the rods were included! Nice touch. Not sure if the retail version will also include them but I hope so.
PRODUCT HIGHLIGHTS
- All-Magnesium GH5 Camera Cage
- Quick-Release Baseplate
- Top Handle
- 15mm LWS Rod Support
- Adjustable Lens Support
- Shoe Mount
- Horizontal 15mm Rod Port
- Threaded Mounting Holes All Around
The cage is made of all Magnesium that is super light and super durable. I feel like the rest of the accessories are as well since they all are feature light. This is a big deal since the GH5 is a little heavier than previous models and keeping a hybrid light to me is important. I’m not a big rig fan and I’m not referring to trucks here. I like to keep my camera package as small as possible and I think Movcam is on to something here.
The bottom of the cage already has a Arca-Swiss camera plate attached. I don’t have to add one. This is great for two reasons. If I want to take the cage off I don’t have to remove a QR plate. One less step means faster setups, plus the Arca-Swiss plate goes right into the locking riser with rails. Very cool!
On the bottom of the riser is a locking ARRI Dovetail that you guessed it will work on a ARRI Dovetail plate and lock in. The ARRI Dovetail design is more common with larger cameras but it is a very solid system. I used one on my FS7 and liked the amount of space I had to move the rig on the plate to balance the camera on the tripod. Most of these plates are 12″. That’s a lot of room for adjusting. Another trick is to put a Arca-Swiss QR on the bottom of a ARRI Dovetail plate so you can go back and forth quickly.
If you don’t use them just attach whatever camera QR system you have on your tripod. I would recommend using an Arca-Swiss system since the cage already has it.
The handle is designed to clear the GH5 XLR adapter and has a aded 15mm rod receiver so you add even more kit to our kit.
The Movcam GH5 Cage Kit ticks a lot of boxes and at a priced at a very reasonable $315.00, but how well does it all work? That’s coming soon after I get all the bits put together and use the system.
As of now i’m impressed with the build quality and machining. Thats a big deal for me. I never like poorly machined metal. You won’t find that here. More to come as I test and full review will be on Newsshooter.com.
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Filed in: Featured Post • GH5 • GH5 Cage • Movcam
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Movcam delayed the release so they could remanufacture the baseplate and top handle in magnesium to match the cage. They also moved the vertical adjustment knob for the baseplate from the side to the back. Definitley a bonus if it indeed does include rods.
The whole kit is so light and the machining is top notch. Had a bunch of work to do and still haven’t put the cage on the GH5 but tonight I will. I doubt it’s going to come off! 😀
Another brief but solid view into a product. I may be getting mine today or tomorrow. Feel like a little kid at Christmas.
Can you confirm that there are two mounting points on the bottom so you can attach your tripod plate of choice without twisting? I seem to recall seeing a few cages that only had one 1/4″-20 on the bottom which defeats one of the main points of a cage in my mind.
Yes you have (2) 1/4 20 taps on the bottom of the cage as well as on the bottom of the rail block. I put a Kessler QR plate on the rail block and it works great.
The cage has a Arca-Swiss QR plate already attached but if you want to use a different QR system plate you can but you will lose the comparability with the rail block since it also uses the Arca-Swiss QR.
Oh and to clarify, I mean on the bottom of the cage itself without the rail block.
I love the cage but I would like to have two handles-one on the top with xlr adapter and one on the side. Is there any way how to get one single handle? Thx