29Jan DSLR Cage mounting options
Sometimes you need to mount a lot of stuff around your DSLR. In this case I have 7 cold shoe adapters, 2 friction arms, a Sony CLM V55 monitor, a stereo mixer, and two Sennhieser G2 wireless mics all attached to a Letus35 DSLR Cage. I wouldn’t want to hand hold this mess, but for tripod and slider work it can be pretty handy when you need that much kit.
I would like to say this is an extreme example of mounting, but I’ve seen cages loaded down with even more then this depending on the job. In any case, questions about brackets and mount are pretty common so lets dive a little deeper into the hardware used to mount all of this gear.
Probably one of the most useful and affordable things to have around is this little cold shoe adapter. You can find these on Amazon for around $6.99, or if you want to save a little money, they can be found on ebay for as little as $2. If you do decided to go the ebay route, remember that they ship from China, so it could take up to 4 weeks before you see them. So make sure you order a few extra in case your needs change.
The cold shoe adapter is attached with a 1 inch peace of 1/4 20 all thread and a thumb nut, but for $4 you can get something a little more elegant. Or you can go down to your local hardware store and pick up some 1/4 20 screws which will also do the trick.
Most newer camera gear including microphone mounts, wireless packs, LED panels, and monitors will work with this adapter. Even if you don’t have a need for them right now, it’s a good idea to keep a few of these in your bag just in case something comes up.
Friction arms are another important mounting solution. Only a few years ago it was hard to find a friction arm for less the $80 with most priced in the $120 to $140 range. Now days you can find friction arms of all different sizes for as little as $14 to $30.
If you’re using an external monitor, boom mic, or LED light panel a friction arm is the perfect way to adjust and position your gear. Just remember that you always want to hang your friction arm in the direction that it threads into the mount. So if you mount the arm on the right side of your rig it should hang towards the front of the camera and if your mount is on the left side of the rig it should hang towards the operator. This simple mounting trick prevents your arm from swinging free and possibly damaging something.
Also note that these more affordable friction arms aren’t as heavy duty as earlier models. The good part about this is that they weigh a lot less but it also means that they can’t handle as much weight. So keep that in mind if you are trying to mount something large.
You might recognize this adapter as I’ve written about it in the past. Since that first post in the middle of last year, they’ve raised the prices a little bit but you can still find it on amazon for between $20 to $25. It’s a little over priced, but it’s nice to have a few of these around if you really need to cram a lot of stuff into a very small place. Add it to the end of a friction arm and you can position LED panels and microphones at the same time.
Mounted to the cold shoe adapter is a cold shoe to 1/4 20 adapter. These are great for adapting field recorders and other items to your rig or mounting things directly to your cameras hot shoe. You can find them on ebay for around $3
and Amazon for between $5 and $10. Keep in mind that not all of these little cold shoe to 1/4 adapters are the same. Make sure you take a look at the photos on amazon and ebay before you make your choice, some of them have thumb screws that are too small or don’t provide enough threads to be very useful.
Most of these items are pretty affordable and very handy no matter what rig you plan to use. The more gear you add to your setup the more mounting options you’ll need to consider. If most of your shooting is locked down on a tripod or even mounted to a slider your mounting needs might be a lot different then hand held shooting or gorilla work. Once you’ve used your gear for awhile you find configurations that best suit your needs depending on the situation. No matter what you end up with I’m sure you’ll find many of these mounting options will come in handy.
January 30th, 2013 at 10:25 pm
Nice little write-up! Thanks!
I’ve recently started shooting and have been reconfiguring my rig components after every shoot. I’m having a difficult time finding the right configuration. Seeing this certainly provides fresh ideas! So, thanks again!
January 31st, 2013 at 8:38 am
Great post. I’ve been shooting for a while but now feel it’s time to look into some sort of rig for my DSLR and your article has given me some great ideas. Thanks.
January 31st, 2013 at 3:05 pm
awesome post…love how built up but functional this cage is!
February 4th, 2013 at 4:43 pm
where can ya find the twist swivel mount for the sony lcd?
February 4th, 2013 at 9:40 pm
It comes with the monitor.
February 10th, 2013 at 9:09 am
Is this cage in your gear page, I didn’t see it?
February 10th, 2013 at 10:04 am
It’s the Letus Talon DSLR Cage down at the bottom.
April 21st, 2013 at 5:43 pm
1) I’m not able to tell what is required to mount the wireless receiver. It looks like you were able to put a screw into the back of your receiver. I have a sennheiser ew 100. Any ideas on what I will need to mount it?
2) I am using a Nexus 7 tablet for monitoring. I have bought a holder that wraps around the back of it. I need a way to fasten it to an articulating arm. Would you have any ideas on this?
Thanks for any help. — Brent
April 21st, 2013 at 6:35 pm
The ew 100 is attached with a female cold shoe which is attached to the rig using a 1/4 20 screw. As for the Nexus 7, a number of people have simply glued a 1/4 20 adapter to a plastic case. You might also want to check out one of these bike mounts
on ebay.
April 27th, 2013 at 11:33 pm
Hello,
What is your opinion on sticks and fluid head to hold all the gear. I have a similar setup with FF etc. and wanted to know what you use. I am looking at Manfrotto 755 with the new 500ah head. Most tripods in this range hold up to about 16lbs max. I would prefer 25. I like to go to the shoulder rig (loaded) to the sticks. Any opinion would be appreciated.
Thanks!
January 3rd, 2015 at 11:15 am
I’m looking for A rig for a Kodak Zi8 might you know of any low cost options? DIY would be welcome too
Paul
PS yes I googled Binged and yahooed
January 3rd, 2015 at 6:18 pm
Yes, for about $10 you can get one of these on amazon. They give you some mounting options, you can drill holes in it if needed and you have some mounting and mic options as well. Pretty handy for the little zi8.
March 18th, 2016 at 12:40 pm
I’ve been fairly lucky with my rig setup…until now. I have a modded Jag35 Field Runner and I have follow focus, Zoom H4n and wireless mic receiver mounted. Now I need to add a field monitor and I’m stymied. Looks like a ball joint arm is the only option, but I shoot handheld and I’m worried that it won’t hold up with lots of moving around.
March 18th, 2016 at 7:20 pm
It is a bit spendy, but if you are looking for something that’s a little more solid, you might want to check out smallrig’s Nato mounts.