You don’t need a giant content creation rig to produce big results. Watch as YouTuber and Sony Artisan Miguel Quiles shows how he sets up his Sony Alpha 7CR "mini rig" for content creation in this episode of creator setups.

Core Camera & Lens For Content Creation

Looking at the various components of Quiles’ mini-rig, the heart of it all is in his camera – the Sony Alpha 7CR. “Ever since this camera was released, it’s been my everyday walkaround camera. But it’s a powerful option for video creation since it can shoot 4k video up to 60 frames per second, and even has the ability to upload and use your own LUTs.”

Paired with the camera is the Sony 16-25mm f/2.8 G lens. “The lens and body combination makes the core of this rig not only lightweight, but very capable even in low light situations. The autofocus is excellent as well which will come in handy for the solo creators out there.”

Attached to the lens is a map box that accepts 4x4 and 4x5.65 filters. While he didn’t use it in this case, he still likes the way it looks when attached to the rig. The actual filter he uses is a variable ND filter made by NiSi. “It’s a 1-5 stop filter that helps when I’m shooting outdoors using S-log3.

Improving The Rig's Ergonomics & Versatility

Around the camera, Quiles uses a SmallRig Cage that allows him to attach various accessories via the threads and cold shoe. “Connecting the mapbox and the camera cage is a small rod which holds a SmallRig Rosette Rod Clamp,” he explains. “This is totally optional but comes in hand if you want to use something like a handle with your rig. It holds everything tightly and it’s probably overkill given how small and compact this setup is anyway.”

Quiles also uses a wooden handle on the top of the cage that’s made by LEFTPHOTO. Not only does the handle give the rig a cool look, it’s also sturdy enough to use with even heavier setups.

On top of the handle is a 5-inch touchscreen camera monitor from Portkeys. “You could use the built-in screen on the Alpha 7CR,” he says, “but this one is much bigger which can be useful in certain environments. It accepts Sony NPF-series batteries, but I’m actually using this coiled cable to connect it to a SmallRig NPF battery that’s seated on this NPF Mount Plate. What’s nice about this setup is you can run the monitor and camera from the NPF battery. Just attach the dummy battery to the camera, and you’re all set.”

To improve the rig’s ergonomics even more, Quiles added a Nitze side handle to the side of the camera cage. This way, at a minimum there are two handles to hold the camera, not including the Rosette clamp where you could actually add an extra handle if you needed it.

Managing Audio & Cables For Your Content Creation Rig

For audio, Quiles typically uses a shotgun microphone, but it’s not possible to attach it to this specific setup. Instead, he attached the Sony ECM-W3, which allows you to mic up to two different people, to the cold shoe on the camera and connected a 3.5mm audio cable to the camera. “All of the cables are nicely routed around the camera thanks to these SmallRig cable clamps, which attach to any 1/4-20 threads on either the cage or the handle. As you can see the entire setup is small and it can really produce some beautiful footage.”

Learn more about the Sony Alpha 7CR here.

Watch more videos like this one on the Alpha Universe YouTube Channel.