The Tilta Camera Cage for Canon C50 Pro Kit was designed to provide additional protection for the camera, as well as allowing users to add additional accessories. The kit can be broken down or built up depending on your requirements. If you want to add accessories to the new C50, then you really need some sort of cage.
Given its target audience and the fact that it is a pretty small digital cinema camera, a lot of users arguably want to keep the physical footprint to a bare minimum. I personally don’t like taking small-sized mirrorless cameras and making them as large as a digital cinema camera. To me, that defeats the purpose. In saying that, if you plan on using the C50 as your main camera, then the Tilta Camera Cage for Canon C50 Pro Kit gives you the option of making it either very streamlined or built out to the point where you can run a matte box, rails, and a larger cinema lens.
The foundation of this kit is the full camera cage, which adds additional protection and a lot of mounting points.
There are three points of contact for attaching the cage to the camera.
The full camera cage is nice and streamlined, and it keeps everything easily accessible.
The battery compartment is also easy to reach.
At the bottom of the Full Camera Cage, you will find a tool that you can use.
Build Quality
The Kit is solidly made, and in line with other Tilta cages I have previously tried. There was nothing I came across that concerned me when it came to build quality.
Mounting Points
There are plenty of mounting points on both the cage itself, and you will find a multitude of 1/4″-20 threaded and locating holes for attaching accessories, as well as 3/8″-16 with ARRI locating holes.
Top Handle
The Xeno Top Handle connects to the Top Plate via a 1/4″-20 thumb screw.
The handle features multiple mounting options for additional accessories, including 1/4″-20 and 3/8″ thread mounting holes with locating pins, and a cold shoe receiver. It is comfortable to hold onto.
The detachable Top Plate supports the original Canon XLR Top Handle that comes with the camera.
A lot of Canon C50 users are likely to stick with the XLR Top Handle and not use the one that comes in the kit. The only issue with the XLR Top Handle is that it has very little in the way of mounting points.
If you do need to mount accessories to the standard top handle, Tilta does make the XLR Extension Bracket for Canon C50 ($15 USD).
As the C50 doesn’t have an EVF, if you wanted to use something like the Kinefinity EAGLE HDMI e-Viewfinder, you could also either go with the Kinefinity top handle or use the Kinefinity Bracket Adapter in conjunction with the stock Canon XLR handle.
Arca Height Adjustable 15mm LWS Baseplate
The Arca Height Adjustable 15mm LWS Baseplate allows users to adjust the height of their camera in relation to their rods, which helps maintain the LWS 85mm standard between rods and the center of their sensor in order to ensure compatibility with a range of various accessories and camera bodies.
The Arca Bottom Plate accommodates multiple configurations with the added benefit of letting you transition between support systems such as tripods and gimbals.
The Arca Height Adjustable 15mm LWS Baseplate is well-made, but the rods that come with the kit are not overly long, so you couldn’t use them to run a matte box, and the optional Tilta Mini PD V Mount Battery Plate.
Left Side PD Handle
The Left Side PD Handle features a non-removable high-capacity internal battery, which delivers 50W PD output. You can use the handle to power the camera, and/or additional accessories.
The handle has a release lever that allows for easy adjustments to the handle’s angle.
The handle attaches to the 1/4-20 Mounting Screw to NATO Rail Adapter V2, which you have to screw onto the left side of the cage. As the side of the cage isn’t a NATO rail itself, you do have a limited range of where to place it without having to reposition the 1/4-20 Mounting Screw to NATO Rail Adapter.
There is a battery indicator on the top of the handle, but it doesn’t show you any percentage or remaining run time in minutes. There is also a cold shoe for mounting additional accessories. Having a handle with a battery inside (even one that isn’t removable) provides you with extra run time, or at worst, a backup solution.
Optional Tilta Mini PD V Mount Battery Plate
The Tilta Mini PD V Mount Battery Plate isn’t a new product, and it has been available for some time.
It allows you to use V-mount batteries to provide additional runtimes for the Canon C50 and to help power accessories. Along with a USB-C output, it also has two D-taps and a 2x 12V 2-pin LEMOs.
The Tilta Mini PD V Mount Battery Plate attaches to 15mm rails on the Arca Height Adjustable 15mm LWS Baseplate.
You can place the Tilta Mini PD V Mount Battery Plate fairly close to the back of the camera to keep the length to a minimum.
The only problem with doing this is that you need to move the screen out to the side, and it needs to stay there, as there isn’t enough clearance available.
If you want to be able to fold the screen all the way out and put it all the way back, then the Mini PD V Mount Battery Plate needs to be mounted quite a fair way back.
Above, you can see how far back it needs to go.
Real World Use
I got my colleague Taro Irei to try it out in the real-world conditions on jobs, and here is what he said:
The Good
The cage offers good grip contouring around the camera body, with access to all buttons. It is well secured with screws on the bottom and both sides.
I like the 1/4” holes with locating pins on both sides. Cable clamps are separate for each of the HDMI and the USB-C, so you can install only the one that is needed.
Two 1/4” tripod screw holes in line with the center of the camera, so the tripod plate stays aligned and free of twists.
The left side of the cage has a 1/4” hole with locating pins facing forward, which is handy for adding a rod to mount motors, or in my case, a handle.
The built in arca swiss style rail at the bottom can be slid directly into a gimbal, which is handy.
The rod mount is well designed, allowing for the change of the height of the rails (the distance to the lens), which is not only good for using autofocus and cinema-style lenses, but I also found it handy when mounting a shoulder stock brace to it. Being able to adjust the height comes in handy so you can keep the screen in view.
The not so good
The left side of the cage is not NATO compatible, unlike most of Tilta’s previous cages. The top attachment is also not a NATO rail. I would have preferred if both of these were a NATO rail style.
The V-mount solution that attaches directly to the rods has no pivoting function, so you need to loosen the rod clamps and slide them back and forth in order to open the camera LCD screen, but if you have something mounted to the front of the rails, like a matte box, then you need longer rails or you need to unmount the V-mount plate.
On another note, there is an optional part that mounts to the top handle of the camera. This one has a NATO rail built in, a cold shoe at the back, plus 2 1/4” and 3/8” screw mounts with location pins, which makes it good for mounting a monitor. The original handle has a 1/4 inch hole at the top, but the Tilta accessory puts these more forward.
Tilta’s solution doesn’t interfere with the inputs on the left-hand side of the camera, and it doesn’t drastically increase the size of the camera, especially if you are just using the basic cage.
Just like other Tilta cages in the past, their solution for the Canon C50 is affordably priced, well-constructed, and nicely thought out.
Pricing & Availability
The Tilta Camera Cage for Canon C50 Pro Kit retails for $349 USD.
Prices for other kits and accessories are below:
- Tilta Full Camera Cage for Canon C50 is $71.10 USD.
- Tilta Camera Cage for Canon C50 Base Kit $119 USD
- Tilta Camera Cage for Canon C50 Power Kit $175.20 USD
- Tilta RF to PL Mount Adapter Support for Canon C50/C80/C400 $12 USD
- Tilta XLR Extension Bracket for Canon C50 $15 USD
- Tilta Mini PD V Mount Battery Plate with Adjustable ARCA Receiver $139 USD
