NATO Top Handle

4 5/8” length x 2 5/8” height x 1”x1” handle. I only took it out of the box for a few minutes to get the feel of the handle. So in no way is this a comprehensive opinion or review. It was in a 3 way elimination series. the vertical post thickness that attaches the handle, it seemed a tad thick. However there’s not as much room on the handle to adequately hold it to the rear of the post. I think it’s meant to have your finger(s] splay around the center post. The GH5 cage I got has a fixed position nato rail, so without having a top cheese plate moving the handle forward to give you a grip in front of the post is impractical due to lack of space. So it compact and has nato, but my cage does not have a nato rail and I opted not to screw the baseplate on bun24268b, which would then only give me a fixed balance point at the cage left and right instead of front to rear? More of the fault of the default GH5 mounting cage without the addition of mounting (cheese) plates on top of the cage. For reference XL the grease monkey gloves and large size in Home Depot orange gloves.

The one thing I look for in a cage handle, is the ability to quickly breakdown and build my rig depending on what I am shooting next. This cage handle has a Nato rail mount that gives me that versatility that I need. To be able to quickly remove the handle, and place the camera on a gimbal is a huge time saver. And as everyone knows, time is money. Being able to quickly prepare from shot to shot, situation to situation is extremely important when shooting a film. I have three cameras now. I just recently got the third camera, which was when I ordered another one of these cage handles. So, if you want to be able to shoot quickly, this cage handle is a must have.

Great handle design! Easily adjustable, and it’s really nice that it includes a built-in spot to store the included hex wrench. Comfortable design that is just the right length for handling, but short enough not to get in the way. Useful mounting points all over, including the extra cold shoe on top.

I have to say at first I was not feeling comfortable putting it on my very expensive camera but as I start using it it just feels it belongs there. You will not be disappointed it is great quality easy to use. Also very easy to take apart and very Secure.

I love this handle and have gotten 2+ years out of it. The NATO connection is really secure and I've used it with quite heavy rigs (20-25lbs) with no problem. But I recently took this thing on a run-and-gun shoot that required walking around quite a bit from location to location. After about 3-4 hours of holding the camera, I noticed my hand started to develop what looked like blisters, and was getting uncomfortable so I put on gloves for the remainder of the day. Basically, this handle is great, but put on gloves if you plan to hold it for extended periods of time. The semi-rough edges and grooves on this handle won't be kind to your hands after a while.

Once I figured out how useful the NATO rail system was, I got rid of all of my other handles from smallrig and others that were simply bolt-on. I had another small rig Neto handle that had mounting points all over it, but return that one and I’m very happy with the feel and length of this handle, there’s a slight contour that helps with the fit for the hand, looks and feels much better.

Its solid all the way around. Great grip, and it says on very secure. On top of that, the accessories you can buy that work with this are solid and it makes its easier to expand in future scenarios. All smallrig items are legit and this is no different.

The quick release is key. It would be better if they had the option of bundling the nano plate with this though. Having the Allen key and the ability to manipulate where the handle goes post too cold to mounts all those extras are great to have.

I use it mostly for low shots, also convenient to carry the camera on longer shoots, always love smallrig included allen key, i also recommend getting the quick snap on rails with it

Works perfectly with my Canon R5. great weight (lack of it), sturdy, lots of options when used with Small Rig cage

Great top handle for my G85 + Smallrig Cage. The fact that it’s Nato saves a ton of time and allows for swift changes to rigging and mounting options

Happy I went for this one, really easy to customize and take on/off a cage.

It’s great, if the base could be rotated 90degrees you could convert it to a side handle. I thinks some top handles do this so something to consider which I learned afterwards.