Varavon Panasonic Cage  (2 of 4)

Varavon had some very interesting prototypes at their booth this year at NAB. They had one of the sexest looking Panasonic GH3/GH4 cages I came across on the floor. Machined from a single block of aluminum, the reps said this was actually one of the first prototypes from the factory floor. The final version will be anodized black.

The Varavon Panasonic camera cage has a nice lip at the front of the unit to prevent any kind of camera twisting and built in cold shoe adapter at the top of the unit. It’s less of a protective cage and more of a all in one mounting solution.

Varavon Panasonic Cage  (3 of 4)

There are cut outs around pretty much every control you’d need to reach on the camera with plenty of 1/4 20 mounting points. They’ve also included a nice leather hand strap for hand held use. It’s hard to get an idea of the actual size of the cage from these photos, but the camera cage is slightly smaller than a Canon 6d body.

Varavon Panasonic Cage  (1 of 4)

Varavon also included a locking mic port as well as a cut out for the LCD screen that allows for full rotation. The reps said there would also be an optional HDMI locking port available upon release. Estimated street price is $200 for the cage and leather handle, but they weren’t sure if the HDMI lock would be included in that price or if it would be sold separately.

There are cages like the PNC Honu Panasonic cage for around $99 but the bolted side and top plates tend to make them flimsy. I haven’t seen a whole lot of other options in this price range that look as well polished. This will be on my buy list once it’s released, should be a perfect fit for the Panasonic GH4.

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