A Complete Kit for Directors

This is the Wooden Camera Directors Monitor Cage Version Three, and it occupies a niche space for video production tools. It's an aluminum cage with carbon fibre handles in which you put a small video monitor to watch the feed from a video camera.

It will allow more people to watch the camera feed, which could be very important for your video production. But is this cage worth the $299 price tag, and being a version three, how refined is the product you're actually getting?

Let's find out.

Monitor, Power, and Video Signal

The Wooden Camera Directors Monitor Cage Version Three, or DMC3, as I will call if from now on, looks really impressive.

Of course, you need to add a few products for the package to really make sense. I outfitted mine with an Atomos Shinobi seven external monitor, the Holly Land Mars Pro 300 wireless HDMI system, a 35mm HDMI cable from a Small Rig, and three Sony NPF batteries, two to power the monitor and one to power the HDMI receiver.

It makes for a compact and efficient system for monitoring the video feed or as a reference for focus pulling.

True Wireless Operation

The cage is intended to be used with a battery-powered monitor and a wireless video signal. That way, you can genuinely go cable-free and walk around your set with the monitor. There is a hole for a baby pin and a screw-on tightener at the bottom if you want to put the cage on a stand, but we'll get to that later.

I really like the hinged back design, which comes out by unscrewing one of two thumbscrews. It allows you access to the entire back of your video monitor without having to use any tools.

Construction Specs

The DMC3 touts universal compatibility with field monitors up to 9 inches tall, and I found no exceptions. The cage accepted my Atomos Ninja V and my Atomos Shinobi Seven seven pretty well. Although when it comes to mounting, the cage does not use the guide pin holes on the top of these monitors, so there's only one screw on the top and bottom. It means the monitor could develop play after a while, and you should consider periodically checking the screws to ensure they don't loosen.

I do wish the back plate was more universally friendly. There are no half-inch or quarter-twenty-mount points, only specific mounting points for V-mount, Gold-mount hole patterns, and Teradek receivers. It would be nice to see universal mounting points, as they've included them on the top and bottom of the cage frame.

One small note is that the frame does not protect your monitor very well, as it sits in front of the cage and not inside it. It would've been nice to see an option to recess the monitor into the cage to protect it more.

Misleading Marketing

The marketing material for this cage says that tt's 33% lighter than the previous version due to the addition of carbon fibre handles and 15mm rods. But when I got my unit, I was surprised to find it came with the standard 15mm steel rods. I checked with the web page to confirm, and it showed the rods to be carbon fibre. Even the box showed carbon fibre 15mm rods. So I sent an email to Wooden Camera to confirm, and they said that the company had stopped making the cage with carbon fibre 15mm rods because they had problems with the rods slipping out of the rod clamp, making the rig less secure.

That's fine, and I'm happy you fixed the issue for your customers, but I can't help but feel disappointed when I pay for carbon fibre materials but get steel and no immediate explanation as to why. I would've liked to have seen a price reduction and better communication about this change.

Mismatched Hardware

Another thing that Wooden Camera could have done better was the hardware. The DMC3 generously provides various screw sizes and types to mount signal receivers from many different brands. However, the included Allen key for tightening down the screws holding your monitor to the cage just flat-out doesn't fit. It's the wrong size. Sure, if you spend this kind of money on a case for an even more expensive video monitor, you probably have a set of Allen keys lying around, but why even include it? There are no other screws this size.

That being said, I do appreciate the other accessories in the box. There are a few velcro options for cable management, and the included neck strap is good enough quality. However, these are some of the cheapest crab clips I've ever seen, and I wouldn't trust them long-term.

Excellent Monitor Hood

I really appreciate the included monitor hood, which mounts via these two snaps on the top of the cage. It then wraps around the bottom to secure it with a velcro patch. I can't tell you how many times I've been shopping for an optional monitor sunshade, and it's either too expensive or the use of the shade requires the purchase of a cage that I don't want to buy. Wooden Camera's implementation in this instance is a great idea.

It even advertises that you can wrap the hood around the monitor to protect it during transport—a feature I can appreciate. But the hood itself, due to only having two mounting points, is lazy and flaps around. From the marketing video for the DMC3, the hood looks like it would fit better on Small HD Monitors, so your mileage may vary.

Awkward on a Stand

Another thing that may be better for you is the baby pin mounting hole on the bottom of the cage. I had difficulty getting the cage to stay still and not wobble about on the spigots or pins in my kit. It's because the hole for the pin is extra large to accommodate different pin sizes, so again, this may be an issue for those using smaller stands.

Build Quality

Now for a bit of subjective reviewing. I'm going, to be honest here.

The cage feels cheap. It's probably just the lightness of the aluminum I'm referring to here, but the entire cage has a thin and airy vibe, which is fine as long as it holds up. And over several shoots handing this thing to clients, it has never failed. But it does not inspire confidence.

It's super light, which is a good thing. When there is a monitor inside, the entire unit becomes rock solid, so wooden camera probably factors in the rigidity of having a monitor in the build to bring everything together.

However, as far as the metal quality goes, I find that products from Small Rig, Tilta, and especially Shape parts felt more solid to me; however, I have no way to test this.

Only Works with Some Batteries

Now on to my biggest issue with the cage, which is the compatibility for NP-F batteries on larger 7-inch monitors is a pain. I can only swap my batteries if I take apart the cage or remove the top bar. Mounted right side up or upside down, the NP-F batteries on the Shinobi bump right up against the cage. Therefore, you can install a Shinobi with batteries into the cage and close the back, but you can't remove dead batteries without removing the monitor from the cage.

This sucks for users of larger monitors who want to use NF-F batteries, and it's no wonder that Wooden Camera shows Gold-Mount batteries being used in every promotional image of the product. To give wooden cameras some credit, I can imagine that V-mount or Gold-mount batteries would be common to use on this cage, but I can't help but think this could've been avoided for users of smaller batteries.

Conclusion

To wrap up, then. I've never felt so mid about a product. I'm happy I found such a lightweight, compact system sold by a brand I generally trust to provide a good product. The product is fine, but it is far from exceptional. Owning the DMC3 has helped me understand why some people choose to build their monitor cages from parts on the market rather than go with a prebuilt unit.

Suppose you're in the market for a director's monitor cage, then. In that case, I will give a light recommendation for the Wooden Camera Director Monitor Cage V3 if you can deal with all the compromises. I would also recommend checking out similar options from Shape or Nitzie.

Or you could build your own.

This video was one of the first reviews on my channel, but I plan to do more, especially around products targeting creatives in the video production space. Thanks for watching, and I'll see you at the next one.

Josh Diaz is a filmmaker and video editor based in Winnipeg, Manitoba.