[ Photography ] Prime Lens

January 20, 2020 by William Tjipto in Cameras, Photography

For nearly 9 years, I used two kit lenses for all my photography needs, as they provide enough focal ranges for all the pictures I needed. In the past year or so, I’ve started to slowly realize that my pictures lacked a certain quality that separates great photos from my mediocre ones. My photos, while not terrible IMO, weren’t “special.” Not to mention numerous photos taken inside dark gyms always were a little noisy, dark, or blurry, tripod or not. I don’t know how I used my camera for so many years strictly on “automatic” without knowing more about what other dial options, ISO, shutter speed, or f-stop meant.

When my Nikon started to have shutter issues a bit longer than a year ago (has it been that long already?), I did a bit of research on cameras and fell deep (...so deep…) into the rabbit hole of photography. I essentially had to start from scratch, trying to make sense of all these terms and most importantly, how I can take better pictures.

The world of photography is quite vast. Even with months of reading, researching, and a bit of experimentation, I realize I am an absolute amateur and I still know nothing. It is exactly the Dunning-Kruger Effect; the more you know the more you realize you don’t.

Wading through this information, time and time again, I heard an oft repeated recommendation to start off with a “prime lens” in order to truly learn how to take great pictures. Prime lenses only have one focal length, forcing the user to move closer or further to reframe the shot. This might help in understanding positioning, getting better angles and more interesting shots. Though honestly, this sounds like more work to me.

So why would one bother? Prime lenses can capture that elusive, beautiful blurred boke / bokeh.

This also means it lets in a lot of light allowing for brighter pictures with lower ISO, generating less noise and sharper images. Who knew that f-stop meant so much?

So all these benefits of prime lenses are great to be sure, but the lower cost APS-C ones, around $200 USD or less, are often manual focus, manual aperture, and often lack electronic sensors for file data. From there, lenses around $200 and up may have auto-focus, but sadly, often lack any lens built-in stabilization with cheaper third-party lenses. For hand-held shots, this can make a big difference, worth a couple of stops. And, again, they only have one focal length!

But when shots are this beautiful…

…nothing else matters.

[ Photography ] Sony NEX-5 Mirrorless Review

January 08, 2020 by William Tjipto in Cameras, Japan, Photography, Reviews

I have been enjoying my Sony A6000 and A6300 for a year now, at least one of which is always going everywhere with me. I even squeezed more shots out of my old Nikon D40x, but after a few thousand more photos, the shutter issue appeared again. I suppose the old beast has done more than I could ever have expected, so it was about time I retired it.

However, the D40x had a lens that I really needed, a 70-300mm zoom that really could bring subjects up close without me getting in the way. This was particularly useful for sports competitions, where it was not possible or practical for me to get really close with my current 18-135 zoom on my Sony bodies. Now that I’ve fully committed to the E-mount, I searched for a replacement and came across a “kit lens” 55-210 and a full-frame 70-300. The 70-300 was exorbitantly priced at over $1200 so that was immediately out of the question. The retail for the 55-210 was about 42,000￥ ($390 USD), but since it was also commonly included as part of the “Double-Zoom Kit” included with various Sony cameras, I could find it in the second hand market for around 12,000￥ ($110 USD).

This lead me to pick up a second-hand NEX-5 camera, 16mm F2.8 prime lens, 16-55 F3.5-5.6 lens, 55-210 F4.5-6.3 lens, and various accessories off of Yahoo! Auctions for barely more than 25,000￥ ($230 USD) shipped. This was a bit more than I wanted to spend on just the lens, but I figured the extra body could come in handy. I actually am still using a crappy Canon point-and-shoot ELPH150 at my workplace, so the NEX-5 will stay there permanently for whenever a quick photography session is required. Look forward to a review on the other lenses, but the question right now is “How good is a camera released back in 2010?”

Review
To put it simply, the Sony NEX-5 is a 9-year-old, entry-level mirrorless camera that cannot complete with current Alpha-series cameras. In fact, the last NEX camera, the NEX-7 (2011), was dropped in favor of establishing their entry-level camera as the A6000, released in 2014. This move pushes the Sony mirrorless line out from amateurs and beginners because even the basic A6000 is a full-featured camera that is not really suited for newbies.

That being said, the APS-C sensor is nothing to scoff at, especially since it can take 14MP RAW photos. The interchangeability of the E-mount with a wide selection of Sony and third-party lenses give it a real flexibility that traditional point-and-shoots do not have.

Design
Let’s start with the design of the camera which looks quite premium, but is actually a fairly light, plastic body. The small front grip does not make it pleasant to hold for long periods of time if the camera is coupled with anything larger than the 16mm kit lens, as it will be very front-heavy. With the exception of the power switch, the controls are fairly easy to reach and the tilting screen is decently bright and visible in all but direct sunlight; a problem my A6000 and A6300 also have. It’s too bad the screen also doesn’t flip forward like the A5000/5100 which would increase its usefulness to amateur photographers and perhaps vloggers.

For the serious photographer, they will find the complete lack of a rear viewfinder, a touchscreen, and a hot shoe seriously disappointing. (There is also a tiny add-on flash, but I’ve not tested this.) Further, they would want a physical function wheel, a wider array of customizable buttons, and wireless connectivity.

Along with other NEX and Alpha (A7, A5x00, A6x00, etc.) series cameras, the NEX-5 shares the same versatile NP-FW50 batteries in varying mAh. While the genuine batteries are only rated at 1020mAh, they seem to last for quite awhile and aftermarket third-party batteries are also plentiful and cheap.

Function / Performance
The first thing I noted about this camera was the extremely loud mechanical shutter. It was so loud that I initially thought I had purchased a second-hand dud. I had to double-check online and it turns out it’s normal… My Sony A6000 and A6300, while not exactly quiet themselves, are absolutely a whisper compared to this. Let’s just say in a quiet auditorium, this camera will certainly draw attention for all the wrong reasons.

Intelligent Auto Mode
I suspect Sony intends most of its NEX users to take photos under the Intelligent Auto Mode and to be fair, Sony’s algorithms are pretty effective, adjusting ISO, shutter speed, aperture, and white balance quite well. Over the few hundred photos I’ve taken thus far with this unit, it seems to find good settings nearly every time, though my only problem is that I cannot change focus area in this mode. (It often misses the target I want to focus on, which is typically the center object.)

The lowest bottom of the rear buttons is also dedicated to a highly annoying Advice menu which shows several dozen pages of simple photography lessons. This button cannot be changed in iAUTO, leading me to question how often will the typical user actually refer to this? Not to mention all of the advice is very standard, basic stuff any halfway decent shooter will already know intuitively, though I suppose it may not be common sense for all.

The one interesting “cheat” in iAUTO is the adjustable boke background blur. This feature simply forces the camera to prioritize aperture, but, as expected, it only can go as wide as your lens can handle. This isn’t a software cheat like some smart phones do to get fake boke… which leads me to also question how many users will adjust this slider.

Menu
Buried in the simple menu system are the virtual function wheel and various other camera settings. The most common settings are directly in the corresponding section, though some of the more advanced options are under the Settings-specific section. Once in different modes, you can also customize a few of the back buttons to give you some quick-access settings. Let me emphasize that it is a few buttons and some settings… definitely not enough for the power-user.

The remainder of the menu is pretty Sony-esque, as it is somewhat unintuitive, but otherwise there are plenty of adjustments, filters, and controls. If it only had a dial wheel and two or so more buttons, I think it would really make this better oriented toward the enthusiast.

Seriously, all this sounds like I would hate the camera, but its real-world performance can’t be disputed. Even its older hybrid AF system is decently quick, quite sharp (when focused on the subject I want), and has reasonably effective facial and smile recognition. Even with the provided kit lens and “only” 14 megapixels, the quality, richness, and beauty of the photographs are impressive.

Sample Photos
Here are some sample shots taken with the NEX-5 and A6000 at Mt. Aoba in Takahama, Fukui. Both are set on iAUTO, shot back-to-back at the maximum focal length, and utilizing the same tripod. The NEX-5 is shot at 14MP and the A6000 at 24.3MP, taken in RAW, and uploaded as JPG with no other edits.

Sony 16mm F2.8

Sony 18-55 F3.5-5.6

As you can see, the NEX-5’s images are actually quite lovely, though the color saturation is a bit heavy-handed. It surprisingly does well to minimize chromatic aberration compared to the A6000 even though they are both taken with the same lens.

Language Settings
For any buyer interested in picking up a Sony NEX series camera from Japan, be aware that there is no way of switching the language from Japanese to English, to my knowledge. There is no menu setting to change languages and unlike my A6000 and A6300, there is also no way to upload software and unlock hidden menu settings. Thankfully, I have just enough kanji reading ability to read the simplified menu system to use the camera.

Conclusion
Let’s be honest, the old NEX-5 can’t compete with the current crop of basic DSLRs, but it is undoubtedly still a great starter camera for the price and excellent for beginners who want to get into photography without dealing with a bunch of minutiae. With its interchangeable lens system, quick autofocus, and solid APS-C sensor, coupled with a better photographer (ie. not me), it can take great photos which still tops the best cell phones even now.

[ Photography ] Peak Design Everyday Sling 5L Review

May 21, 2019 by William Tjipto in Photography, Reviews

For the past couple of years, I’ve been using two variants of the venerable shoulder bag… a “man bag” or “murse,” as my friends call it. While they may mock it, frankly, it’s a bit of a necessity traveling around Japan. There are quite a few daily necessities that are hard to leave home without. Let’s have a laugh and check out what I carry with me into the city:

Wallet, coin purse (Japan is still a generally cash-based society and they use coins for 500￥ / $5 USD and less), literally a dozen or more point cards that every darn shop has, sunglasses, handkerchief (for those lovely, humid summer days), hand sanitizer or wipes (many toilets lack soap), lip balm, battery bank and associated cables, earbuds, and maybe a small umbrella (for rainy days)...

Having picked up a “daily carry” camera, I wanted to incorporate it into my daily bag, so I won’t miss any great shots. With that, I needed to also add to my bag: Sony A6000, 2 lenses, and 1-2 extra batteries. Altogether, it is quite a lot to shoulder around, not to mention an organizational challenge.

For awhile, I was using backpacks which frankly are the most optimal choice, as they distribute the load over two shoulders and make carrying extra things like jackets or purchased goods much easier. However, there are days when I spend only a handful of hours somewhere and carrying a backpack is unnecessary. I also like the fact that a shoulder bag makes access much quicker and easier.

There were a few things I wanted out of a new bag: water resistance, some padding or protection, pockets or dividers, close-to-the-body strap (ie. not a messenger-style), a water bottle or umbrella pocket, and, of course, the ability to hold all my aforementioned stuff. And it has to look good!

Review
So I after falling in love with the Peak Design Capture Clip, my hunt for the best shoulder bag led me to the Peak Design Everyday Carry 5L in the sleek Ash Gray color. I liked the fact that it checked off almost all of my criteria: is not too large or small, is water resistant, has plenty of pockets and adjustable dividers, has some ability to protect against casual theft, and is decently padded to protect my camera gear. Sounds good, right?

Let’s get this out of the way: this shoulder bag and glorified fanny pack is $100 USD. It is not “cheap” by any measure, but “value” is different than “cheap.” With all the design features packed into the bag, I think it is offered at a fair value. Using a rare PD coupon, it was much cheaper for me to order directly from their website than Amazon.co.jp or other local retailers, coming out to about $105 shipped to Japan. It arrived about a week later from their shipping center in Hong Kong.

Packaging
Normally, this would be a ridiculous thing to mention along with those unnecessary “unboxing” videos, but this is an exception. PD really has some great designers putting thoughtfulness even into their packaging, which looks really slick and opens up rather cleverly.

Materials and Construction
Immediately, you can see the rather substantial build quality of the pack immediately. The stitching is tight and even, although the blue accent stitching has a bit of leftover thread that shouldn’t unravel, but only time will tell about that. The 400D water-resistant nylon surface of the pack is smooth, thick, and has a great, substantial feel. The water-sealed zippers pull assuredly, but require some solid “tugging” at the corners to overcome the bends, but this is a worthwhile trade off for weather resistance. The seatbelt-like material used for the shoulder / belt strap is very smooth and should most definitely outlast the rest of the bag. Overall, I have only positive things to say about the materials used.

Exterior Design
Speaking of the exterior, there is only one outer front pocket besides the main compartment. This keeps the design clean, but limits some useability, as a rear flat pocket for a passport or electronic pass card would be nice to have.

The zipper pulls are also “lockable” because they can tie into each other via a loop and button, preventing casual theft in urban areas. Not really a problem for me in Japan, but is a clever idea for traveling around many other major cities.

The shoulder strap has a relatively quick slide buckle arrangement that allows for on-the-fly adjustment to have the bag tighter or looser around the body and also for varying thicker garments. The best thing about the shoulder strap are the two stainless swivels that allow the strap to rotate and have more freedom of angles. This aids greatly in comfort and body angles. It can also be converted to a hip / waist pack as mentioned, but I will most certainly never use this unless it suddenly comes back in vogue.

The final notable outer design element is this loop on the right side of the bag that allows the mounting of a Peak Design Capture Clip for external camera mounting. I think this is a clever feature for additional convenience, but my clip is currently mounted to my backpack.

Good looking? You can be the judge, but I think it looks absolutely great. It has a smart, modern aesthetic that doesn’t look bulky or dated and likely will still look good in a decade or two; simple designs always endure the test of time. I also love their Ash Grey color with the small leather accent for the logo and the carry handle, as it can go with almost any look, casual or business.

Interior Organization
There are a lot more storage options inside the pack than outside. The main compartment is reasonably cavernous with all the dividers removed at about 5L of storage according to PD. To the back of the pocket is a large, magnetically-sealed flat pocket designed for an iPad Mini, but I put my USB power bank there. Directly to the sides of the main compartment are two stretchy side pockets which are tall enough to accommodate business cards and stretch for thicker items. The inside “door” has one zipper running the length with four smaller pockets inside. These also stretchy pockets are the perfect size for my Sony A6000/A6300 NP-FW50 batteries.

What sets this bag apart from other similar shoulder bags are the two included “origami-inspired” foldable and movable dividers. These dividers split the main compartment, but each cleverly fold for half-tall items, creating an additional “shelf.” I use the dividers to separate my A6000 camera with a 35mm prime lens, my spare 16-55mm short lens, and my wallet and coin purse in three distinct areas. Fully loaded, it can even accommodate an A6300, A6000, kit lens, 4 batteries, and still have a bit of extra room!

One thing I wish they added was some solution to hold a water bottle, small umbrella, or Gorilla Pod without compromising the interior space for the camera, as I often have use for one or the other. Some bags do this by way of an admittedly ugly stretch pocket or by two external lashing straps. The PD Everyday Carry 10L does this, but sadly not the 5L. Compromises had to be made, I suppose.

Comfort
The single sling strap offers a small, wider, slightly padded portion. This could be… or should be… a bit thicker and/or wider for long-term comfort. It would more useful as both a shoulder bag as well as a waist pack to those who use it that way. A fully-loaded bag does weigh quite a bit, especially with a camera with two lenses. Some of the discomfort is offset by the clever sliding buckle on the strap that allows for on-the-fly adjustability, allowing the bag to be tight around the body instead of flopping around. This keeps it close, which is important for urban environments like crowded trains.

With this sliding buckle system though, the bag is not fully designed for off-side (over left shoulder) use, as the padded area is only on one side and the the sliding buckle is on the other part of the strap. I do use it occasionally on the opposite shoulder and it seems fine for short jaunts.

Negatives
For the price-point, they could probably have made this in America. While I appreciate the unique design and quality materials that go into the product, I think it wouldn’t have been too difficult to at least have the labor done stateside, if not the materials. To be fair, they do offer a lifetime guarantee, so I can rest assured that the product will hold up or be fixed should anything go wrong.

The metal articulated loops also had obvious fingerprints upon receipt in the glossed finish, which required surprisingly a lot of rubbing to get off, even though the bag was sealed, new-in-package. This is probably not a common issue, however.

Conclusion
I am a huge fan of Peak Design and every one of their products I own and want to purchase are well-designed, incorporating a ton of smart features and a modern aesthetic, with a price point to match. This Everyday Sling 5L is right along with their rest of their product line. While it is far from a perfect solution, in most ways it does what I expect from a quality bag and it looks great doing it. Even though it is a glorified fanny pack.

[ Photography ] Peak Design Capture Clip V3 Review

March 15, 2019 by William Tjipto in Photography, Reviews

Today I’m taking a look at an alternative (or addition) to camera straps and slings. For nearly a decade, I used an ECHO NiNER camera strap with my Nikon and it worked out pretty well. While it wasn’t the most adjustable or smooth strap, it was certainly well made, with thick nylon webbing, solid quick-release buckles, and silicone non-slip coating. I worried that maybe somehow the buckles would accidently undo themselves, but I never had an actual issue.

I generally became tired with traditional straps because I wasn’t fully satisfied with the feel of a camera on my neck and the thick bulk of the E9 really could be improved. (Do I really need mil-spec webbing on a camera?) The idea of using a “holster” sounded pretty good. The most popular type at that time was the Spider Holster which necessitated a ball mount be affixed at the bipod mount. The biggest issues with that are it is no longer quickly mountable to any tripod and the camera no longer sits flat on any table. And the holster itself is pretty bulky. Not worth the hassle, frankly.

Peak Design introduced their Capture Clip several years ago as an alternative and it was pretty revolutionary, in my opinion. It was much smaller, flat, and compatible with Arca-Swiss tripod mounts. The “holster” clip itself was small, slick, and could be mounted on a variety of places, including backpack shoulder straps, making it extremely convenient and the camera still within easy access. Moreover, a friend of mine recommended me the PD clip since he used it with his own DSLR while hiking, keeping the camera hands-free when doing the Pacific Crest Trail through-hike. (Speaking of which, if youre into hiking, please head over to his site Halfway Anywhere to check it out. He’s crazy avid and runs a great site.)

Having picked up two camera bodies recently, I knew being able to switch between them halfway easily would be great, not to mention I wanted to try a different way to hold my camera while exploring. The typical over-the-neck carry wouldn’t work with two bodies and no way was I going to use those dual camera vests. So the idea of the capture clip really fit that need.

I’ll admit, I picked up a cheap, fake PD clip copy several years ago. First of all, at around $10 USD, the price was right. I needed to know how well it works and even if I would find use for it before investing in a real PD clip. And honestly, with one camera body and the camera strap. I had little use for a capture clip. So it basically sat in my closet for 2 years or so. For good reason, it turns out. But I’m getting ahead of myself, let’s start with a look at the real deal.

Peak Design Capture Clip V3 Review
This PD Capture Clip is the third iteration and has been fairly significantly redesigned to be smaller and sleeker than the two previous versions and it also comes in black and this shiny satin silver. The mounting plate is also thinner than before, but is still fully Arca-Swiss compatible. The clip can be mounted on a wide variety of straps and belts, as long as they are under 2.5” wide and .88” thick. In my case, I mounted it mid-way on the left shoulder strap of my Adidas backpack.

The mounting plate is screwed to the ⅜” tripod mounting thread on the bottom of a camera or in my case, to one of the threads on the cage. Sliding the plate into the clip will automatically result in an audible “click” and the plate is locked into the clip. (The plate can only be slid into the clip one-way and removed as such.) This results in a very secure holstering solution for your camera and PD claims that it has a 200-lb holding force, far more than virtually any camera setup and is probably much stronger than the fabric you’re mounting it to.

To remove the plate from the clip, simply push in the button on the side and simultaneously slide the plate (and attached camera, of course) out. With a bit of use, I was able to easily push the release button and pull the camera off the clip with one hand. Of course, I would advise this only with at least a hand strap or shoulder strap attached… you know, just in case you’re not as dexterous as you think you are. For extra security, the redesigned plate also resulted in the one toggle switch on the side of the clip serving as a safety lock function. Rotating the toggle switch 90° results in a safety lock that prevents the button from being depressed and therefore keeps the plate locked in place. It needs to be rotated back before the button can be pushed in.

The size and convenience of a smaller “holster” other than the Spider holster is obvious, but why does the clip work better than any traditional carry strap or sling? It allows for hands-free carrying of the camera when not in use for longer periods of time, especially when more strenuously walking / hiking about. With a traditional over-the-neck strap, the camera bounces around against the body without a hand to stabilize it. When carried over-the-shoulder, the strap can slide off the shoulder, again, without a hand to hold it. Carrying the camera crossbody works well, but it doesn’t work comfortably with a backpack or shoulder bag, resulting in straps crossing other straps; a messy ordeal if you ever need to take one and not the other off. In addition, being mounted on a backpack (or other shoulder strap) results in better weight distribution since such straps often are thicker and offer more padding than most camera straps.

While the PD clip certainly sounds absolutely awesome, I do have a complaint, but it could be easily remedied by PD. It relates to the two mounting thumb / sunken head screws. First off, why do the thumb screws lack a coin/flathead slot to help tighten it down? It seems like an oversight considering those two screws hold potentially thousands of dollars of equipment and that some people may lack the necessary strength to really get it tight, even if they have to make the head just a few millimeters thicker for more material. Secondly, why are only two sets of same-length screws included? Does it really cost that much more to include a second, slightly shorter set? My backpack’s shoulder strap is actually fairly thin, so when the thumb screw is fully tightened, there is about 3mm of threading poking out the back of the clip, potentially cutting into my clothing.

Yes, I could take a dremel to it or buy a second set of screws (which I will), but this seems like a huge oversight and I’ve sent an e-mail over to PD. I’ll update if I hear any feedback from them regarding this. (Update 3/19: they “are considering” the coin-slotted screws and they do not offer any shorter-threaded screws. Too bad, but not a break-it for this product.)

Viltrox (Copy) Review and Comparison
This Viltrox-branded Capture Clip is a clone of the original PD V1 design, so there are a few differences when we compare the V1 to the current V3. The most apparent is the footprint size. The V1 is much larger and wider. The larger size is nowhere more noticeable than when mounted to a backpack shoulder strap, as the width is definitely felt. My arms definitely hit the side of the clip quite frequently and that might be the main reason I never decided to use this clip in that intended position.

There is also a side tension screw which tightens the slack between the clip and the camera mounting plate. Tightened all the way, the screw acts as a lock, preventing the removal of the camera.

The button to remove the camera plate is also quite long, which I suppose is good for larger DSLR cameras. The metal button definitely has a more positive feel compared to the smaller V3 button, so in some instances, I like this better.

The V3 and V1 plates are both fully compatible for the V3 Capture Clip, but unfortunately, the V3 plate does not work with the V1 knock off clip, due to the shallower mounting plate, resulting in the camera body contacting the thumb screws. This is a small price to pay considering the smaller footprint.

The finish on both clips really can’t be compared. The PD clip has a wonderful anodized aluminum finish whereas the V1 clip has a somewhat uneven coating and the metals are quite heavy, porous, and somewhat poorly casted. To be fair, this piece of copied chunk of pot-metal is only about $10 USD, shipped. I’m not sure I can really complain a whole lot besides the fact it’s a copy. Luckily, to my knowledge, there are no knock off V3s of the capture clip yet. Maybe those Chinese companies aren’t willing to retool for the newer version.

Testing
Of course, testing something like this is purely subjective, as it highly depends on your needs and gear setup, but I’ll tell you what I thought after about a solid week’s worth of use walking and hiking around for the whole day in winter weather.

I currently have the V3 Capture Clip mounted on an Adidas 26L OPS backpack, a decent “box” type backpack so trendy now in Japan. While the padding on the shoulder straps are not particularly thick or heavily padded, they are adequate even when the backpack is fully loaded with two cameras, a sweater, a 14” laptop, and associated peripherals. This made it a perfect specimen to mount the clip, as I could see how comfortable it would be with weight directly on my left shoulder strap.

I found that while I could theoretically have two camera bodies walking around, it still was a bit of a hassle having to switch off between them, as I needed to make sure I wouldn’t drop one while drawing or holstering the other. Since I didn’t change bodies often, I more often than not just ended up leaving one camera in my backpack.

Did that make the Capture Clip a moot purchase? Nope! I still found plenty of use for it for the hands-free purpose, locking the camera into the clip when I didn’t need it when strolling around. It proved especially useful hiking up a somewhat icy treacherous mountainside path to take some of these gorgeous views.

[ Sony Alpha ] SmallRig 1889 Cage & Andoer Cage Comparison & Review

February 18, 2019 by William Tjipto in Photography, Reviews

One of my minor complaints thus far with my Sony A6300 is the tiny grip, as I mentioned in my initial review. As I have rather comparatively large hands and having used a DSLR for many years, I wanted to make the Sony much more comfortable on long shoots. I considered a Meike battery grip extension for around $60 or various leather grips for a bit more. The leather grips are rather ugly and bulky, giving the camera an old feel which isn’t necessarily appropriate for the modern look of the camera. (If I had a Fujifilm or Leica, it would look pretty great.)

The Meike battery grip extension offers a few benefits, namely that it increases the grip length for my loose pinky and holds two batteries for extended shooting time, potentially also keeping the camera cooler during long video sessions. There is also a “portrait mode,” which uses the shutter trigger button on the side of the grip for using the camera vertically. Personally, that is a bit dubious of a function for me, as I doubt I would ever need that. One issue with increasing the height of the camera is that it will be more difficult for it to be stored, drawn from a backpack, and generally carried on a strap. As much as I would like having longer battery life, I can’t think of many situations where it would be preferable to have longer run time than ease of changing memory cards, since this battery grip blocks the memory card access.

In the end, I decided on something that could not only offer a potentially better grip, but adds protection for the camera body itself. Seeing plenty of reviews scattered all over the internet, I looked into camera cages.

Camera Cages
At first, I thought it would be silly to add a fairly weighty chunk of aluminum around the camera. Why would anyone want to do that? With a bit of research, I realized they are practical and add some extra functionality at the cost of additional weight and bulk.

The primary use for a camera cage is to expand mounting options on a camera. Most cameras only offer two mounting solutions, a hot shoe on top for flashes, microphones, etc. and a bottom tripod mount. To expand these options, some have used a cold shoe mount splitter, which expands the top to offer two or more mounting points. Some attachments at the bottom expand other mounting solutions. However, if you want a solution that can do it all (and then some), cages are the way to go, as they have multiple ¼” and ⅜” mounting threads and some offer extra cold shoe mounts, NATO-spec rails, rod mounts, or ARRI mounts. This exponentially increases the options you can add.

Why is all this expandability so important? For most photographers, these features are rather moot, since usually only a handful of accessories are needed. For videographers / vloggers, those two items are not enough. Some need to add a plethora of additional accessories, namely a microphone, monitor, video light, handle grip, and perhaps even an external audio recorder or battery.

Smallrig 1889 A6500/A6300 Cage and 1970 Wood Grip (sold together as the $55 Smallrig 2097 Kit)
With ¼” threaded mounting points, two NATO-spec rails, a cold shoe mount, and an Arca-Swiss mounting plate built-in, the Smallrig 1889 cage can mount almost everything you would ever want. It is made out of one piece of anodized, machined aluminum with a small laser-etched logo on the left side, so it is fairly lightweight and the finish appears to be quite durable. The one additional feature this camera cage has that most other competitors do not is that this one has two attachment points securing the camera to the cage: the bottom bipod mount and a side screw at the camera strap eyelet, requiring the removal of the stock triangle clip. (A strap loop is cut on the side of the cage as a sling attachment point instead.) This makes the camera much more secure to the cage and very unlikely to loosen without me noticing it.

With the cage installed, all the buttons remain completely accessible. The tilting screen, battery / memory card door, and cable connectors are also accessible. As a side benefit to having the camera surrounded by a metal cage, I feel the camera body will be more protected from the occasional bump. Of course, I will continue to be careful with my pricey equipment (and lenses) as always, but accidents are inevitable and this may save my camera from getting too damaged. No one ever plans on dropping or bumping their camera, but I’ve had a few close calls with my Nikon, after all.

However, those are not the reasons I bought the camera. I heard about the benefits of a better grip, so of course I picked up the Smallrig 1970 wooden grip to add additional handling surface for my fingers. The wood looks fairly well carved and polished, with a smooth surface and no obvious burrs to snag or splinter. I’m not quite convinced yet on how well the wood complements the look of the Sony’s modern design, but it definitely adds distinction and class.

The first time I wrapped my wrapped my fingers around the front of the camera with the wood grip installed, I absolutely fell in love. This is how ergonomic the camera should’ve come from the factory, compact size and light weight be damned. I feel much more secure about handling the body now, inspiring much more confidence and comfort in daily use. While it isn’t absolutely perfect and without flaws, it certainly feels much better than before.

This isn’t the first time discovering how great wood works in the right setting. I really hated wood steering wheels before, mocking them for being too old fashioned. Once I put it in my own MX-5 Miata, I realized it has quite a certain retro appeal.

Andoer A6000 Camera Cage $35
After having also picked up a used A6000 shortly after buying the Smallrig cage, I wanted to protect and add comfort to it, as well, but I wanted to try something different. At first, I considered a Camvate half cage, but it wouldn’t add a grip. I came across the Andoer on my search, which looks essentially like a knock-off of the Smallrig 1661 at a lower cost (Smallrig’s cage and grip kit 2082 is about $55).

The Andoer is also made out of one piece of aluminum alloy and anodized, so it is lightweight and appears to be quite solid. It is versatile, featuring ¼” threaded holes and a cold shoe mount for accessory mounting. I opted for the full kit, which includes a black aluminum machined grip and HDMI / USB cable side clamp.

As a side note: Even though I don’t have a lot of budget to spend, I do my best to not support intellectual theft with my dollars (or yen), buying the “original” whenever possible. But since I have more or less the “original” design cage, I justified buying this one to compare the difference and quality, to see how the older design feels, for the black grip which Smallrig doesn’t offer, and for the included HDMI cable clamp.

Much like the Smallrig cage, the Andoer feels really solid. The black aluminum grip has a great, smooth finish and looks really good on the camera. One minor issue with this design is the shutter button lies really close to the cage, so fat fingers or long nails will hit that edge. All other buttons, battery door, and connectors are readily accessible.

Speaking of connectors, the HDMI connector looks like it’ll work great to add support and protection.

Comparison
The Andoer cage is more comparable to the older Smallrig 1661 cage, so it lacks the Arca-Swiss baseplate and the two NATO-spec rails. The biggest difference for me is the fact that the Andoer also doesn’t have the additional right side eyelet mount. There is some very minor movement if pressure is applied. As a result, the Smallrig 1889 cage appears to be much more secure.

The black aluminum grip is more squared off, as it is based on the older Smallrig grip which was less rounded as well. The general finish of the Andoer is not quite as lovely, having a rougher, slightly uneven texture. Some screw holes are not also as cleanly threaded out if you were to nitpick details, but otherwise not quite as noticeable.

Does it fit?
Just to fulfill my curiosity, I wanted to see if my A6000 would fit in the A6500/A6300 cage and if my A6300 would fit in the A6000 cage and how well each would work, keeping in mind button, switch, battery, and memory card accessibility.

Surprisingly, both seem reasonably interchangeable. There appear to be no issues with battery doors or connectors on either cage with either camera.

Does the grip fit?
Since we’re making the comparison, I wanted to see if the Smallrig wood grip would fit in the Andoer cage and if the Andoer aluminum grip would fit on the Smallrig cage. Happy to note that both are interchangeable as well.

Does the cable clamp fit?
One awesome thing the Andoer came with is the cable clamp, which sold separately by Smallrig goes for $24. That accessory bonus alone makes the price of the Andoer quite well worth the money. Knowing the unlikelihood of me using the A6000 for filming as it lacks 4K and a microphone input, I wanted to know if it would fit on my Smallrig cage. Also glad to know there are no issues.

Impressions
Over this past winter holiday, I’ve put several weeks of use traveling around Japan with both of these cages, the Andoer mounted to my A6000 and the Smallrig mounted to my A6300. I have used them on occasion with an LED video light and my iPhone as a “budget” monitor, but I don’t have any other accessory necessitating a cage at this time. Therefore, my impressions will be focused on how the cage feels while being used for photography, slung over my neck, and mounted on my Peak Design Capture Clip. My Sony A6000 had the Andoer cage with my lighter Sony 35mm F1.8 prime lens and my Sony A6300 had the Smallrig cage with the heavier, but more versatile, Sony 18-105mm F3.5-F5.6 lens. (Look forward to a further review and comparison on those lenses, as well as a Capture Clip review later.)

When I found myself using the cameras often, I had the cameras on a sling around my neck. I did not find the additional bulk of the cages to be of any issue, since I was already used to a larger, heavier DSLR. The fatter grips made me feel very comfortable holding it and taking photos. My one minor issue is the bottom right metal corner dug a little in my palm after a long day of shooting, so I wish it was a bit rounded off at the edge there. However, it is only a minor concern after a full day and the better overall grip justifies its use.

Results
The cage makes reaching the focus ring on the prime lens more difficult. If the focus ring is further out like on the other kit lens, then issue is not noticeable. I can see this be an issue for manual prime lens shooters, since many aperture or focus rings are near the lens. The kit pancake 16-50 lens also looks like it will be difficult to manipulate. (This is purely speculation since I don’t have one on hand.)

Another drawback is that both cages make swapping lenses a more difficult affair, since the button is now slightly recessed and my short prime lens was harder to rotate, especially on the A6300. (The mounting ring is much tighter in tolerances than the A6000 is, perhaps as part of the weather-sealing.) This is not a huge issue for me at this time since I have two camera bodies and I don’t plan on swapping lenses often.

My biggest gripe with the Andoer cage turns out to be the aluminum grip. As Sendai is quite cold in winter, the metal was absolutely freezing against my bare, ungloved hands. It became so uncomfortable to use that I ended up putting the A6000 away when I was outside. Definitely not recommended for winter and now that I think about it, in summer, under direct sunlight, it might be too hot to use.

Conclusion
Both are great but only if you have a need for them, such as the bigger grip or added accessories. They add bulk and weight. Between the two, the Smallrig 1889 cage by far feels better, is more secure with the additional eyelet screw, and offers more mounting options. Cost-wise, the Andoer is a great value that can’t be beat. With the exception of the look of the black grip, I probably wouldn’t buy it again, however. The grip doesn’t feel as nice as the newer Smallrig design, the shutter button is uncomfortable to click, and the fact that it may prove unusable in extreme temperatures makes me reluctant to continue using it.

Update 6/7
Added a few pictures with my Meike flash and some dimensions to the space around the hotshoe.