My Custom GH5 Rig + 8Sinn Cage Review

Published on May 2, 2017

Cinematography & Filmmaking

8sinn, camera cage, dslr rig

I’ve got my Panasonic GH5 for a about a month and the first thing I do is look for a cage. After reading several reviews, such the one from 4KShooters, I decided to go for the 8Sinn Gh5 cage.

What I seek for in a cage is good design and sturdy/save connections. This cage definitely wins at both! Through their rod system I was able to build a custom rig that allows me to work fast and get great shots.

All these parts are shown and discussed in the video above and you can find more information below:

• Panasonic Lumix GH5 Body
• 8Sinn GH5 Cage + Top Handle Scorpio + 15mm Universal Rod & Metabones Support
• SmallHD 501 HDMI Field Monitor Kit
• Lanparte VBP-01 V-Mount Battery Plate
• Selens LP-E6 Dummy battery for Canon
• HQRP BLF19PP Dummy Battery for Lumix GH4/GH5
• Smallrig Safety Nato Rail for EVF
• 15mm Rod Carbon Fiber
• Neewer Grip Handle for 15mm Rods

8Sinn

Communication with 8Sinn was pretty good. They respond to your email within a day or two, but I did had to wait a little on the shipment. Probably because the cage had just been released and many people ordered it. But once I received it, I was super happy.
Design wise it’s one of the better cages I’ve seen so far. It wraps beautifully around the Panasonic GH5, making it very nice to hold and work with.

Apart from the OFF switch that isn’t so easy to reach, all the rest like the screen, cards, battery, etcetera are easily accessible. It’s also nice they have three top handles to chose from, so you can pick the one that fits your needs. I went for the Scorpio, because it had a 15mm rod clamp on the side to attach my monitor to.

SmallHD

Together with my camera I also got the SmallHD 501 monitor. It’s a not a new monitor, but it’s still pretty good for its price. What I found important was the build quality, weight and FullHD resolution. This monitor scores on all these points. I do would like to have a little more back-light for outdoor shooting, but all in all it’s pretty reasonable. If you do shoot a lot outdoor, I suggest to look at the new released FOCUS from SmallHD.

Power

I’m still waiting on my new V-mount plate from Lanparte and a dummy battery for the camera, but once I got that I can power the entire rig with one V-mount battery. Such batteries can give my rig power for an entire day, plus I’ll have some more connections available for a light or something.

V-mount batteries are heavier, but I like the extra weight. It puts this rig into perfect balance when holding it with the top handle and it’s a sturdy block on the back to put in your hip or lean against your shoulder.

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