Should I buy a cage for my camera or is it unnecessary?

Sort by date Sort by votes
Purchasing a big, fancy rig for the sake of aesthetics and making your camera "look more professional" = waste of money.

Expanding your rig for the right tools, because you know that each one will help you attain better images = smart purchase.

The basic shoulder rig is about stability, and the more you front-weight it with things like a mattebox and follow-focus and monitor, the more you'll need to have sufficient counterweight behind the the shoulder pad. If your forearms are having to spend more energy supporting the rig instead of simply directing it, exhaustion will come quickly and lead to shaky camera work. A counterweighted rig allows the shoulder to take the burden of support while the forearms are able to focus simply onoperation.

The follow-focus for a single operator is more about getting your hand off the lens, which can lead to less shake when pulling focus. Do you have stability issues pulling focus directly on the lens? If not, the a FF may not be necessry. If you have projects where the crew includes a skilled focus puller to work alongside you, it may be a necessary piece of gear.

The mattebox is all about light control. It blocks extraneous light from the lens and offers the ability to use plate filters as opposed to threaded (screw-mount) filters. These are faster/easier to swap out nd rearrange. The addition of flags to the top and sides of the mattebox increase light protection for reduced flares and glare.

So... is any of this necessary for what you do?
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
RealJasonBourne said:
I always see other people with a huge rig set up and it makes them look professional, but with my shoulder mount I just look like a noob. I just have a regular DSLR shoulder rig that you screw your camera on top of. Do you think I should buy this for $1200? The only thing I care about are the images that are produced, is it worth it to spend money on a set up like this?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/Tilta-DSLR-1...167?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a37c98547
Click to expand...

Why it is so expensive in ebay.com? I found some cages can fit for BMPCC only costing around 300 USD.

Here is the MOvcam cage: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...op_handle_spacer_mount_lws_2_15mm_rods_8.html

and the Motionnine: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1165471-REG/motion9_m9bpcccrk_cube_cage_for_blackmagic.html
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Do you have a case or bumper for your smartphone? That should be a guide for whether or not you need one for your smallish super expensive camera system.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I vote yes you need one, but not that one, and for different reasons. Deep down, we all want our films to look like the films that big boys produce in Hollywood. The cameras and rigs they use are massive compared to what we're typically using. Unfortunately, a small camera will move differently than a larger camera, so if you can make your camera larger, it will close that gap a bit and start to behave like a larger rig.
As to what rig you get, that's up to you. I'm a penny pincher and bought from FilmCity on ebay. It was less $150 and has a mattebox, cage, top handle, shoulder rest, counter balance and front handles. It makes the camera larger, helps control light, adds some protection, and still gives a bit of dog and pony show. They also have some with the follow focus.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I couldn't agree with El Director more.

I'd say you don't need one, but you should get one. It allows you to get more acquainted with professional rigs and systems which can open a lot of doors in the camera assisting and camera operating world.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top