SmallRig has been rolling out some excellent accessories for custom camera rigs lately providing a variety of cages, handles, shoe mounts, camera support systems and more. Some of these parts such as the SmallRig Sony A7II/A7SII/A7RII Cage and the SmallRig Cheese Handle have become extremely popular among DSLR and mirrorless shooters.
The compact and lightweight design along with the flexible compatibility and the attractive price tags these units provide, make them a viable solution for many shooters working on a budget. WRDmedia recently released a video explaining how to build your rig for the Sony A7S II by using only bits and pieces provided by the Chinese manufacturer. Here’s a quick overview of the different parts you will need to put together an affordable and reliable run-and-gun rig for your favorite mirrorless camera system.
a7s Run and Gun UHD Smallrig from WRDmedia on Vimeo.
For the base of the rig, you can use the popular SmallRig Cage Kit for the A7S/A7R. To complete the whole setup, though, you will also need the Cheese Handle, the Lens Support, the Rosette Handle kit, along with the Shoulderpad. As the author of the video pointed out, if you want to use the Cheese handle as a side handle, you should get the Nato rail version as a better option so that you can also mount it on the side of the cage.
Except for sliding it forward and backward on the Nato rail to balance the camera’s center of gravity, the handle is back and forth adjustable for you to find the balance position of your rig. It’s also ideal for low-mode shooting and easy transport of your camera.
Furthermore, you can easily adjust the height of the lens support with the knob on the back and reposition the mount on the rails depending on the length of your lens. The rubber padding on the bottom also keeps the lens mounted on your camera from getting scratched. This Lens support system is perfect for long lenses and is compatible with any industry-standard 15mm rod system, thus helping you to create a more stable, vibration-free platform for shooting.
The Rosette Handle Kit, on the other hand, features two independent anti-slip handles utilizing SmallRig rosettes. Each handle or arm has an array of threaded holes that provide numerous options to for attaching accessories like monitors, rod clamps, cheese plates, battery mounts, and more. The quick release clamp on crossbar will save you time when mounting rods as it is ideal for quick, lightweight, shoulder-mounted configurations.
At last, but not least comes the Shoulder pad. The aluminum plate with threaded holes and removable foam of the unit offers comfort and portability, plus the 15mm quick rail block can be easily mounted on the shoulder pad. The latter can be moved towards or away from the camera depending on if you want to use an EVF or a monitor depending on your personal style of shooting.
Of course, that’s only one of the possible configurations you might want to assemble by using these affordable parts provided by SmallRig. So, if you are in search of a nicely appointed rig for your Sony mirrorless camera, you should give this run-and-gun rig a try.
[source: WRDmedia]
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