SmallRig 2209 Cage for Atomos Ninja V/V+

Gives me some good peace of mind knowing my expensive monitor has some more bump/drop protection. The additional mounting locations are a plus as are the built in cable management swivel prongs. Only downside is the added weight which I'll gladly trade for the benefits.

If you've had any experience with Smallrig products you know they put a lot of effort into all the products that carry their name. This cage is no exception. Fit and finish are excellent and offers many more connection points to help customize the mounting of your Ninja. Even if optional mounting points isn't main goal, the ability to secure your HDMI connections using the clamps available and the ability to use the Smallrig sun shade make this an excellent addition to the grip in your kit.

Everybody complaining about the FATAL design flaw --- I don't know what I can say that wouldn't my review taken down. It's called a NATO mount, you can clamp accessories to the top and bottom and slide them side-to-side anywhere you choose... not to mention the 3/8-16 Arri style mounting point in the center position on the bottom IS STILL AVAILABLE because the Ninja is only meant to be held in place by one 1/4-20 threaded bolt on the top middle and the two M2.5 screws on the side next to the HDMI ports. This more than secures the Ninja recorder, leaving plenty of options for mounting points in the center on the top and bottom. This is not so much a design flaw as it is a flaw in the imagination or intelligence of the people using the product. Maybe SmallRig could do a little better job of explaining how to it's supposed to be set up - there's probably instructions and a diagram on the pieces of paper that everybody instinctively throws away before they even get started. As far as the product goes, I'm extremely happy with it. Initially I didn't realize how critical having an external recorder would be and how integral this would become to my workflow. Now that I do know I'm more than happy to spend the money to invest in something to protect it. SmallRig goes out of their way to contour the cage in order to make sure it does not obstruct any ventilation or other ports. The retaining clips for the SSD slot is made to fit the Master Caddys (HUGE PLUS) and the HDMI Clamp to limit wear and tear on the all important HDMI in port is a HUGE plus. A well earned 5/5.

Why...Why would you make the primary mount location of this cage 3/8 rendering almost every Smallrig monitor swivel mount useless without an adapter? Absolutely puzzling. The monitor itself has a centered 1/4 so why they decided to design a cage that now changes that primary mounting location is mind numbing.

This cage has me conflicted. As a cage (to protect) your Ninja, this does a fairly decent job. Fits my Ninja V+ no issue, HDMI clamp is nice, loops around the vent on the back. As another reviewer mentioned, it probably costs 30-40% more than it should because there's the AtomX logo on it. There is however a MASSIVE design flaw that's almost fatal. The included mounting screws for the cage go right in the center-top and center-bottom holes of your Ninja. What does this mean for you? It means that any mount point you want for your monitor is NOT going to be able to go in the center. Because the cage screw is there. Now I'm not normally a OCD guy, but this I promise you will drive you crazy. In my case, I have almost everything setup to use the Smallrig S-Lock quick release I needed to mount a top and bottom plate (bottom for when I'm monitoring normally, top for when I've got the monitor mounted on my Ronin RS-2) and having them off center meant whenever I had the monitor on a table, it would fall over. Not cool. There is a solution which allows you to center mount and costs about .1.50. The first step is to NOT use the included screws with the cage, they stripped on me on my first install (and I wasn't even trying to wrench them down). Next is go to Home Depot (or hardware store of your choice) and get the Everbilt 1/4in - 20 x 5/8 in 5-pack of screws (Model #: 813431). This about .1.50. This screw is long enough to reach down through a quick release plate + the cage + get to the monitor screw receptacle. This securely mounts the cage to the monitor (top and bottom) and holds the QR plate. Don't forget to install the very small screws by the HDMI ports, those do add a lot of support. Don't install them before you install the main screws though, had some issues at first as they were slightly out of alignment. Your mileage may vary, but once you replace the screws, this does what a cage should and allows center mounting for my purposes. Just wish it came designed to allow center mounting out of the box.