Drawshot
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So I definitely don't use camera cages to their full potential. I mostly do photography, and don't need to attach extra handles or monitors that are typical for video work. My use of them is primarily so that I can securely attach a sling strap to the left side of the camera, rather than the more common setup of the sling being attached to the bottom. I do this because I prefer to have the sling set up to hang on my left side with the lens facing backward. This way, I can easily grab the camera grip with my right hand when I need to start shooting. So... maybe not a typical use case or typical setup. With that said, here are my somewhat rambly thoughts on the Smallrig and Tilta cages for the A9iii
For the past year, I've been using the Smallrig A9iii cage. No complaints regarding the build quality at all. It has remained secure, and has held up pretty well. However, the extra bulk it added around the grip has always been something that annoyed me. And considering it didn't even provide any mounting points to the right side, it didn't seem to serve any purpose. I also didn't like having to swing the part on the bottom out of the way every time I needed to swap batteries. With my previous A7iv, I had used a Smallrig half cage, which did not have either of these problems. After recently doing pretty long day of shooting, and having a lot of hand fatigue afterwards, I decided to look again to see if Smallrig or any other company had created a half cage for the A9iii.
It seemed the only additional product Smallrig had produced for the A9iii since I bought my cage was an almost identical cage that was also marketed toward A1ii users. However, I found that Tilta had a cage that the right side could be removed... essentially giving the choice of either using it as a full cage or half cage. So I decided to try it out. And for the past couple weeks, it has held up pretty well. I definitely have had less hand fatigue using the Tilta cage.
But the switch to the Tilta did not come without encountering a couple problems... None of the 1/4" holes on the Tilta were deep enough to allow me to screw in the Leofoto QD mount I had previously used on the Smallrig cage. All of the holes on the Smallrig went completely through, but the holes in the Tilta were of a limited depth. Luckily, I had another QD to 1/4" adapter from RRS that had a slightly shorter screw and I was able to tighten all the way against the cage. Also, it seemed much harder to attach a small ring to the strap mount on the left side that I had previously done fairly easily on the Smallrig. I eventually got it on, but It was very difficult. I do this to have an easy method of clipping on a backup tether for my strap. Another minor nitpick is that the text printed on the back of the cage at the bottom is not perfectly straight... but I think I'm going to probably cover that text up with gaff tape or a marker eventually anyway.
TLDR: The Smallrig cage is good if you have massive hands. The Tilta gives you the option of ditching the right side of the cage, but the 1/4" holes have a limited depth.
For the past year, I've been using the Smallrig A9iii cage. No complaints regarding the build quality at all. It has remained secure, and has held up pretty well. However, the extra bulk it added around the grip has always been something that annoyed me. And considering it didn't even provide any mounting points to the right side, it didn't seem to serve any purpose. I also didn't like having to swing the part on the bottom out of the way every time I needed to swap batteries. With my previous A7iv, I had used a Smallrig half cage, which did not have either of these problems. After recently doing pretty long day of shooting, and having a lot of hand fatigue afterwards, I decided to look again to see if Smallrig or any other company had created a half cage for the A9iii.
It seemed the only additional product Smallrig had produced for the A9iii since I bought my cage was an almost identical cage that was also marketed toward A1ii users. However, I found that Tilta had a cage that the right side could be removed... essentially giving the choice of either using it as a full cage or half cage. So I decided to try it out. And for the past couple weeks, it has held up pretty well. I definitely have had less hand fatigue using the Tilta cage.
But the switch to the Tilta did not come without encountering a couple problems... None of the 1/4" holes on the Tilta were deep enough to allow me to screw in the Leofoto QD mount I had previously used on the Smallrig cage. All of the holes on the Smallrig went completely through, but the holes in the Tilta were of a limited depth. Luckily, I had another QD to 1/4" adapter from RRS that had a slightly shorter screw and I was able to tighten all the way against the cage. Also, it seemed much harder to attach a small ring to the strap mount on the left side that I had previously done fairly easily on the Smallrig. I eventually got it on, but It was very difficult. I do this to have an easy method of clipping on a backup tether for my strap. Another minor nitpick is that the text printed on the back of the cage at the bottom is not perfectly straight... but I think I'm going to probably cover that text up with gaff tape or a marker eventually anyway.
TLDR: The Smallrig cage is good if you have massive hands. The Tilta gives you the option of ditching the right side of the cage, but the 1/4" holes have a limited depth.
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