GEAR
MINI TESTS
FALCAM F22 CAGE SYSTEM £592/$579 falcam.com.cn In just three years, Falcam has gone from unknown start-up to the favoured brand of camera cages and accessories for a growing contingent of vloggers and YouTubers. That’s not always a guarantee of quality, but in this case the company delivers – and that’s why it’s booming. It produces a system of small, but efficient grip products that work together to turn a mirrorless camera into a production workhorse. Falcam’s video ecosystem centres around a 22mm quick-release (QR) plate. This screws into the camera cage and accepts accessories like a small ball head, monitor mounts, side and top handles and magic arms. There’s no one-kit-fits-all solution, as you pick and mix what you need. We tested a whole mix of kit on a Sony A7S III, including a cage, top handle, two adjustable side handles, monitor/accessory mounts and a different, soft-feel mushroom side handle. That little collection came to a total of £592/$579, but you do get what you pay for. What you pay for are CNC- machined aluminium parts that look good, fit perfectly and release when you want them to – but stay locked in place at other times. The 22mm QR technology uses a mortise-and-tenon fit to ensure a positive connection and lock into place without issue. To release, simply push in a silver knob, which is positive and not likely to get accidentally knocked.
The cage itself fit the Sony camera well and left access to all the main buttons and doors. It comes with a selection of 1/4in-20 and Arri-style holes for mounting other accessories, too. The top handle fixes on with one of the QR plates and has a coldshoe at the end to fit a monitor mount. It’s solid, not too heavy and feels good to carry. Side handles are adjustable and you can use one or both. We had two of the fully adjustable side handles, complete with QR attachments on the top for fitting a small light, mic or other
CAGE ADVICE Falcam makes bespoke cage systems with handles and QR plates
SPECIFICATIONS Materials: Aluminium alloy Colour: Grey Cage dimensions: 143x69x116mm/5.63x2.72x4.57in Cage weight: 216g/0.48lb accessory. We also had a mushroom- style side grip in case you prefer the extra comfort and don’t need extra mounting points. Our kit had plenty of accessories, which adds up to a decent amount of money. But you could start with the £95/$100 cage with the £84/$80 top handle and a couple of QR attachments for £27/$30. Or go with the cage plus a swivelling monitor attachment for £63/$60, then build up as you need. It’s a versatile, modular set-up that’s very well-made and lets you be just like one of the cool YouTubers, too. PRO MOVIEMAKER RATING: 9/10 Well-built kit that markedly improves your mirrorless camera Pros: Modular, fasteners work well Cons: Not cheap if you splurge on all the trimmings
SELECT YOUR SPEC Custom components let you rig up your camera with precision
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