The Best Sony a7S II Cage / a7R II Cage – 8 Cages Reviewed

December 18^th, 2015

The Best Sony a7S II Cage / a7R II Cage - 8 Cages Reviewed

by Sebastian WöberDecember 18^th, 2015

The new Sony a7S II and Sony a7R II are currently leading the list of most powerful affordable large sensor cameras (Check out our comparison Review). To make those cameras work with third party accessories, a good camera cage is often a must. Read on to find the best Sony a7S II Cage (and a7R II Cage) out of 8 we tested.

Review by Sebastian Wöber & Johnnie Behiri

In August we reviewed the best cages for the original Sony a7S and now we take a look at cages for the new a7S II and a7R II cameras that share an identical body design. There are more cages out there that we didn’t test. Here we’re reviewing the ones that manufacturers sent to us in time to meet our publication deadline.

We followed the same basic review guidelines of our first test, but also took reader comments into account. In particular Metabones adapter support was one review point that some of you were more interested in. We tried to keep it short, but this review is extensive. That’s why we split the reviews for each single cage into a separate page.

Do you Need a Cage?

In the age of small cinema cameras the camera cage has become the most popular accessory by now. But it is not always a good idea to follow the trend. First here’s a checklist to see if you really need a cage for your application.

Mounting accessories on your camera?
Cages provide mounting points (standard threads and coldshoes) so you can mount stuff. This is the main purpose of a camera cage, as the Sony a7 cameras by themselves don’t provide any other mouting points, besides one single hotshoe on top.
Protection and Ergonomics.
Cages protect the camera and can enhance the ergonomics, by offering a more handy form-factor or handle rec-triggers. On the other hand they add weight and some of thembulkyness. So if lightweight and compactness is your #1 concern, think again.
HDMI cable protection.
The original Sony a7S offered external 4K recording. As the new a7S II and a7R II have internal 4K, HDMI protection is less of a necessity. However if you intend to use HDMI for external screens, EVF or recording, then a cage that protects the HDMI port is essential.
Lens Mount Support.
If you use larger lenses or rigs with focusing gears, a solid lensport is a good idea. Sony’s native E-Mount is not the most sturdy of mounts and many shooters work with a Metabones adapter to use Canon EF mount lenses on the a7S II and a7R II.

Why this Cage Comparison?

Because there are huge quality differences between cages and you will not be happy with just any of them. Most of them actually are not recommended. Don’t just order a Sony a7S II cage blindly. You should weigh all the pro’s & con’s of the cages we present, so you can decide which of them will tick most or all your boxes.

In our conclusion we will tell you which one we liked best, which ones we recommend and which need improvement.

Structure of Each Review:

Ease of assembly and disassembly.
How securely is the camera attached to the cage?
HDMI cable protector design.
Do we have access to other outputs on the side?
Is it possible to use the Sony XLR-K2M audio module?
Can we easily access the lens release button?
 How well can we attach a tripod plate?
How good is the included Rod Support?
Metabones Mount Quality.
The top-handle design.
Overall ergonomics.
Conclusion

How We Rate

We rated each point as follows:

Double-green: In some rare cases we decided to give a double-green rating for outstanding performance/design.

Green: The product performs as it should.

Orange: There are some issues, but it’s ok.

Red: The product didn’t live up to our expectations.

Double-Red: Something is wrong here and should be addressed by the manufacturer.

The Cages we Reviewed

Simply click on the name of the product to get to the review page or find the conclusion at the end of this article. Products reviewed in alphabetical order.

8Sinn a7RII / a7SII Cage
Came-Tv Rig for a7SII / a7RII
Movcam a7RII / a7SII Cage Kit
Moza Cage for Mirrorless Cameras
Shape Sony a7S II / a7R II Cage
Skier LiteCage for A7RII / A7SII
Tilta for Sony a7 Cage ES-T17
Varavon Cage for a7R II, a7S II