This article is about using the Olympus OM-1 camera with the SmallRig cage. Anyone who uses a DSLR or a mirrorless camera primarily for videography will know a cage well. For still photography, an L-Bracket or L-Plate may be preferred to a cage. The SmallRig cage for OM-1 came out in mid-2022. I also use this SmallRig cage as an L-Bracket.
This SmallRig Cage for OM System OM-1 Model 3948 is compatible with Olympus E-M1 Mark II and Mark III cameras too. Although the base of the OM-1 and that of E-M1 Mark II& III are not exactly the same size. I’ll explain it later.
You can call this cage a half cage or a mini cage. This small cage is light, weighs only 120g or 4.2oz. It’s made of aluminum alloy. When attaching the cage to the OM-1, it gives full access to the camera grip because of its thin edge. On the top of the cage there are many 1/4”-20 threaded holes and ARRI 3/8”-16. On the left side of the cage, there is a built-in NATO rail and a cold shoe on the top left corner of the cage. The base of the cage is designed for an Arca-Swiss quick release plate. This makes it easy to attach the cage to a monopod or tripod.
Basically, the camera cage is designed for video shooters. There are many threaded holes for attaching other accessories such as a microphone, an LED light, an external monitor, a top handle, a side handle or a follow focus for using with a cine lens, etc. Using a cage is therefore versatile to video shooting.
If we look at the bottom of a cage to see that it is well designed. There is no part of the cage covering the battery compartment cover. The SmallRig cage is also designed with a magnetic base for storing for a small flat-head screwdriver.
Unlike using the L-Bracket, the side of the cage doesn’t block the screen of OM-1 unless you attach the big quick release plate to the left side of the cage. Certainly, you can adapt this cage as an L-bracket. The picture below shows 3 sizes of the plate which you can attach to the left side of the cage.
I choose the biggest one because I can use it as a side handle. With the big plate, I can place the camera in vertical position on a flat surface. Anyhow, the small plate has the advantage when I want to flip the screen of the camera in any position. The big plate obstructs the screen from fully flipping to the side of the camera.
SmallRig offers a wide variety of side handles which are designed for video work. I purchased the small and inexpensive one. It’s the Mini Side Handle Model 2916 which weighs only 139g or 4.9oz. The material comprises aluminum alloy and plastic polycarbonate + ABS. The top of the handle has a 1/4” threaded hole which I can attach additional accessories. There are also 4 eyelet positions. A provided hex wrench can be inserted into a hole at the bottom of the handle, which has a magnet built into it.
As mentioned in the beginning of this article that this cage can be used with the E-M1 Mark II & III. Because of the base of the OM-1 is a bit larger than that of the E-M1 Mark II & III, so we can’t use the L-Bracket designed for E-M1 Mark II & III with the OM-1. But for this cage, it was designed to use with either OM-1 or E-M1 Mark II & III. The idea is SmallRig designed a hole in the cage’s bottom that we can move the screw in an appropriate position for each camera model. Please look at the 3rd picture above and the picture below. In the former, the location of the screw is at the bottom of the hole. And in the latter, the location of the screw of the E-M1 Mark III is at the top of the hole.
In conclusion, what I like is its lightweight and it works well for shooting both video and photo. I no longer need an L-Bracket for my OM-1. I can easily detach the plate anytime when I don’t want to use it.
What I dislike is the top of the cage looks bulky. When I use a small manual focus prime lens for photo shooting, it blocks my eyesight from looking at the scale of the lens unless tilting the camera upward.
