Movcam Cage Offers Support for Sony PMW-F5, F55 Cameras

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Sat, 03/23/2013 - 20:13 -- Nick Dager

Movcam CageThe new Movcam Cage system provides maximum accessory support for Sony’s recently released PMW-F5 and PMW-F55 modular, 4K-capable cameras, allowing camera operators what the company says is a near limitless ability to configure accessories specifically to his or her shooting needs—without a confining high price tag.

The affordable, intelligently designed Movcam Cage system—Top Plate, Top Handle Kit, Side Handles, LWS Base Plate, Shoulder Pad, LWS Dovetail Plate and EVF Mount—ergonomically envelopes the F5 or F55 in a rigid framework of mounting options, a veritable Swiss cheese of ¼-inch and 3/8-inch threaded holes if Swiss cheese was black, futuristic and cooler looking.

The Movcam Top Plate mounts, appropriately enough, on top of the camera and features numerous ¼-inch and 3/8-inch threaded holes to mount accessories. The front of the plate has a mounting bracket for 15mm mini rods, which lock independently. The top of the Top Plate has a Weaver rail mount, the same style of mount used for the precision mounting of scopes to rifles and compound bows. The Weaver rail mount secures the Top Handle to the plate, allowing for incremental adjustment of the handle position for better balance.

The Side Handles—again, peppered with even more threaded holes—reinforce the Movcam Cage system to support the fully loaded F5/F55 camera. Stick other accessories onto the Side Handles without worry. Completing the cage framework is the LWS (Lightweight Support) Base Plate that mounts to the bottom of the camera. It provides locking 15mm mini rod supports, as well as left- and right-side rosettes to affix accessories such as handgrips.

The Shoulder Pad mounts to the LWS Base Plate via the 15mm rods, which allows the pad to slide to best fit the camera operator’s shoulder positioning. The top of the pad has a flat aluminum surface that provides additional support to theF5/F55’s modular backend accessories, such as an onboard recorder.

The LWS Dovetail Plate, like all dovetail plates, allows the camera to be balanced properly on a tripod, which is a good thing. The EVF Mount is for electronic viewfinder (EVF) mounting purposes. The EVF Mount may be positioned on the front or the rear stanchion of the Top Handle, per operator preference.

Available from 16x9 Inc., the Movcam Cage system MSRP is only $1,950. The Movcam Cage system will work in harmony with all existing Movcam camera accessories, such as handgrips, wood handgrips, mattebox, follow focus and battery bracket and converter. All items and accessories are made of high-grade aluminum. The wood handgrip, of course, is made of wood—highly polished wood.