Field Monitors

I've had a bunch of field monitors now. Most of them have trouble being seen in daylight. If I put a hood on them they're OK, if we're inside they're fine. So far I've stayed with the major brands. Thinking about adding at least one more so wondering what others are using and what your thoughts are.

Thanks.

there are a couple of field monitors with 2000-3000 nits, they are rather good in bright daylight.

Not cheap, but the flexible 7” 12G BMVA12G7 monitor/4K recorder/streamer goes up to 2500 nits and is a pleasure to use in sunlit conditions.

A friend had this one on one of the outdoor shoot. I was using a SmallHD Focus OLED which has crisp picture but it was hard to see in daylight. This one was certainly fine. I don't know about the quality but definitely very bright for outdoor filming and much less expensive than my SmallHD.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... creen.html

ive been using the feelworld lut6s for about 2 months now and love it. Havent had an issue with it outside as of yet.

That FeelWorld 7” looks quite capable as a small field monitor up to 2200 nits and the price is right.

I am happy with the FeelWorld HDMI variant. It works well with my URSA Mini Pro and is fine in bright sunlight. To power, I use the IndiePro DTAP to L-series adaptor, and make sure I hang a high capacity battery to my camera.

I'll put a couple cents in for the Lilliput H7 (HDMI only) or H7S (HDMI and SDI) which B&H has for $206.10 and 251.10 this week. I have used in direct sunlight at not even their full brightness output for focus assist and composition. Even LUTs can be added. The camera monitor I usually set to false color for exposure.

Hey Ellory and everyone else, thanks for the replies. I just got back from trying this one out: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... d_out.html

It was very bright, that's for sure. We set it up with a SmallHD that was adjusted based on consulting the waveform settings. We had to turn the Feelworld down to about 10% brightness to get it looking near the SmallHD. After 10% nothing happened at all.

He let me borrow it so I'm going to try it a little more early next week. I'll put it up against my Odyssey and the SmallHD again this time with some charts that will have expected results on various exposure monitoring tools.

I'm curious if anyone knows the difference between the Freeworld FW279S and the LUT7S. I think it's just LUT's but am not sure. The one thing neither of these have are any usable scopes. I've found I use waveform and vector scopes often. If I'm moving fast I don't but I use them enough that even when I'm moving fast I've got a good feel for the exposure and am generally very accurate.

After a short time with this monitor I got the feeling that I might underexpose a bit which is something I've read about this ultra bright monitors. Any thoughts on that?

I don't know much in terms of the difference between the 2 Liliput models.

I use the SmallHD Focus 5.5 OLED and I really like it. The only problem with that is brightness, with that ridiculous 350nits, when outdoors. What I think will fix that is a loupe with a diopter that is snug, look and feel integral to the monitor. That will do the trick. I know it has a touch screen interface but if they create a loupe that can swing open (like the ones for Ikan), then I think it will work. I have contacted SmallHD several times requesting them for something like that as a add-on. If they price it reasonably, I think most Focus 5.5" OLED owner (SDI or HDMI) will want to but one. This will be good for daylight, and with that OLED display will make it work like an EVF too, albeit oversize. . I would not mind buying one.

Not cheap, but the flexible 7” 12G BMVA12G7 monitor/4K recorder/streamer goes up to 2500 nits and is a pleasure to use in sunlit conditions.

To add to what Rick said:
I have the 5" and bought it for some projects I had on the road this summer. It allowed me to focus well during the day in bright sunlight. But it also allowed me to do something I rarely do which is shoot at night. I usually can't see the P2K screen in pitch black well enough to focus (and it's low light abilities aren't all that great) and with the monitor it was no problem. The night footage looked better than I thought it would so I've been under-utilizing that. I wasn't planning to use it as a recorder, but it did allow me to stack the camera on top of my Mixpre3 and record to the monitor. This streamlined my setup. There are cheaper options for sure, but I wanted something that I thought would be reliable and that I could buy locally in case there were issues. I'm happy with the results.

I don't know much in terms of the difference between the 2 Liliput models.

I use the SmallHD Focus 5.5 OLED and I really like it. The only problem with that is brightness, with that ridiculous 350nits, when outdoors. What I think will fix that is a loupe with a diopter that is snug, look and feel integral to the monitor. That will do the trick. I know it has a touch screen interface but if they create a loupe that can swing open (like the ones for Ikan), then I think it will work. I have contacted SmallHD several times requesting them for something like that as a add-on. If they price it reasonably, I think most Focus 5.5" OLED owner (SDI or HDMI) will want to but one. This will be good for daylight, and with that OLED display will make it work like an EVF too, albeit oversize. . I would not mind buying one.

If you are a current SmallHD Focus 5.5" OLED (SDI or HDMI) owner or are interested in it, we can ask SmallHD to address this problem of brightness with a loupe. I have started talking to them and if there's enough interest, they will manufacture it. For more on this, see my post here: viewtopic.php?f=14&t=128486#p698584

Thanks for all the thoughtful help with this. I'm going to use the Feelworld over the next couple of days and will report in on what I find. I noticed the AndyCine 6 was reviewed on Newsshooter today. I've found Matthews reviews to be super helpful. He hints at having this as a second monitor just for working outdoors in full sun, which is the way I'm leaning.

Ellory, I tried the Zacuto loupes before as well what SmallHD touted as a EVF for the small montor, which I'm pretty sure I still have. Honestly I didn't like working with either of them. I just want a basic monitor that works well in daylight.

I'm sure in the next year or two all monitors will solve these issues. Maybe they'll have a button for use in bright light or something of that nature.

I am curious about the Portkeys. It looks like it's bright and some are dedicated to specific cameras. I'm a little shy on that only because cameras are changing so fast. I would be nice if they made these as firmware add-ons that you could choose at a later date but at the prices they're already making these for I probably dreaming.

the Feelworld I used for about a year, mostly outdoors, works very well. 2200 nits has become the minimum for me. And on the gimbal it is a bit large, but on the other hand very light. It can get very hot in the sun without shade protection, the passive cooling design has its disadvantages as well as its advantages (no fan sounds).

There's a rather new monitor, same size, weight, and price, from Osee. 3000 nits. I prefer the Osee for several reasons: brighter, better operation with a single joystick, all connectors on the back instead on the side (all camera monitors should have connectors on the back, much more practical in most situations).

Not cheap, but the flexible 7” 12G BMVA12G7 monitor/4K recorder/streamer goes up to 2500 nits and is a pleasure to use in sunlit conditions.

Do you know if the recent firmwares update fix the red cast?

Can’t say for certain as I don’t feel my unit has a red cast.

SmallHD 702 touch is my daily driver. 1500 nits good in most conditions. Also have the Osee G7 which is 3000 nits for those times when ultimate brightness in needed.

Spent 3 days using the FreeWorld FW279S shooting the surf that arrived from a decent December swell in SoCal.

I've always had a difficult time seeing the frame well enough to frame much less focus with my previous monitors. I've found my EVF is somewhat useless when tracking with a long lens. Too much camera shake from your head.

The FreeWorld allowed me to see the image really well in all sorts of light. Especially in brightest noon daylight. Super clear. I could also easily run it from my V-Lock, a plus. It's also very, very light.

On the downside I was not in love with the menu at all. I must admit I really like my SmallHD's. Don't know if it's just familiarity or a fact that they did a great job making the menus easy to use. Also the FreeWorld has no scopes that I often find myself wanting to see. Waveform and Vector are my two choices.

Apparently the one I used is the cheapest of the lot at $260. They have another that's even brighter and you can add LUT's. With the Pocket4K I just use one of the user defined keys for the LUT in the camera feeding it to the monitor. That way I can toggle it on and off, or flat and LUTed. So the cheaper one is fine. Just wish I could find something with good scopes and a better menu.

Here's a quick cut of the footage from the first day.

Spent 3 days using the FreeWorld FW279S shooting the surf that arrived from a decent December swell in SoCal.

The FreeWorld allowed me to see the image really well in all sorts of light. Especially in brightest noon daylight. Super clear. I could also easily run it from my V-Lock, a plus. It's also very, very light.

On the downside I was not in love with the menu at all. I must admit I really like my SmallHD's. Don't know if it's just familiarity or a fact that they did a great job making the menus easy to use.

Hey Marshall, looks like you had a good day shooting the surf in those swells. I should come down the coast this weekend and enjoy the scenes myself.

Glad the FeelWorld was bright and super clear. My first couple of monitors where Liliput and Feelworld and they were decently built. I agree the menu is not well thought out and the SmallHD does more and is a lot easier to traverse their menus. Thanks for letting us know about the FeelWorld. Sometimes having an extra monitor that's affordable can be useful on a shoot... like handing one over to the director or producer so they don't breath all over your shoulders and neck while they look over your monitor. LOL.

Just saw this. The Feelworld LUT73D ultra bright is on sale for the next 30 hours from B&H.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... creen.html

Just saw this. The Feelworld LUT73D ultra bright is on sale for the next 30 hours from B&H.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... creen.html

These two videos compare the FW279 and LUT7. The people who made these videos have used both. The LUT7 is the newer of the two monitors and addresses one of Marshall's reservations. I wonder why Feelworld is selling both, although the LUT7 is a couple of ounces heavier.

I saw that this morning. Actually the one I used, though it did not have LUT's (which I really don't need as I can add the LUT from the camera) it did have both HDMI and SDI and allowed pass-through. Important to me as I use SDI when I'm on sets that utilize larger monitors.

I have a monitor/recorder and these high-brightness monitors weren't on my radar. Marshall's post and B&H's 24 hour sale of the LUT7 have got me focused

I had been considering the new Portkeys LEYE EVF, but it's hard to ignore the B&H price of US$200 for the LUT7. The Portkeys is $400 plus $30 shipping.

Hey Marshall, looks like you had a good day shooting the surf in those swells. I should come down the coast this weekend and enjoy the scenes myself.

As Bruce said in Endless Summer.... You should have been here yesterday. Actually a couple of days ago. The swell is back to 2-4ft.

Hey Marshall, looks like you had a good day shooting the surf in those swells. I should come down the coast this weekend and enjoy the scenes myself.

As Bruce said in Endless Summer.... You should have been here yesterday. Actually a couple of days ago. The swell is back to 2-4ft.

Bummer. I do need to get out of the house. I've been hunkered down both for Covid and a project I'm finishing. I'll actually take a drive down to LJ tomorrow so I'll stop by LJ Shores to at least see the waves, get some December breeze. Have you been to any good Ramen place lately? We did some take out from Raki-Raki a few days ago. They have some killer Ramen but it's always busy so best to order ahead of time. Sorry, I digressed.

No mention yet of the Atomos Shinobi. Launched at US$400, the current price is $300. If HDMI, a 5.2" screen and 1000 cd/m sq. work, it looks pretty attractive, starting with weight at 196g/7oz.

I use the SmallHD Focus 5.5 OLED and I really like it. The only problem with that is brightness, with that ridiculous 350nits, when outdoors. What I think will fix that is a loupe with a diopter that is snug, look and feel integral to the monitor. That will do the trick. I know it has a touch screen interface but if they create a loupe that can swing open (like the ones for Ikan), then I think it will work. I have contacted SmallHD several times requesting them for something like that as a add-on. If they price it reasonably, I think most Focus 5.5" OLED owner (SDI or HDMI) will want to but one. This will be good for daylight, and with that OLED display will make it work like an EVF too, albeit oversize. . I would not mind buying one.

Five years ago, SmallHD released the "Sidefinder". For some reason they didn't make it for subsequent SmallHD monitors:

Five years ago, SmallHD released the "Sidefinder". For some reason they didn't make it for subsequent SmallHD monitors:

Yes, I know. It was overpriced and was limited to work on just one of their monitors so it did not do well in the market. Oh well!

I'll put a couple cents in for the Lilliput H7 (HDMI only) or H7S (HDMI and SDI) which B&H has for $206.10 and 251.10 this week. I have used in direct sunlight at not even their full brightness output for focus assist and composition. Even LUTs can be added. The camera monitor I usually set to false color for exposure.

If you use false color on an external monitor where a LUT has been added (the same LUT you intend to start with in the edit to convert from LOG to REC709) do you tell the monitor to ignore the LUT? Readout in false color and other exposure tools changes quite a bit if it’s judging the REC709 signal.

I had so many monitors,any brand. Feelworld,Eyoyo and andycine.
My latest monitor it's my favourite.
Andycine X7 (not C7). 2200 nits brightness and the body is all aluminium. It's an amazing 7 inch super bright monitor.
If you buy a monitor my advice is to buy a 7inch one.

If you are sure you’ll use the same LUT in post, I think it’s your choice. I would want the False Colour to exclude LUTs on log recordings and include LUTs on ProRes if the LUT is baked into the ProRes camera output.

If you are sure you’ll use the same LUT in post, I think it’s your choice. I would want the False Colour to exclude LUTs on log recordings and include LUTs on ProRes if the LUT is baked into the ProRes camera output.

Thanks Rick, besides watching for clipped highlights or crushed shadows - I would also be trying to have skin tones sitting around 60-70IRE but I know this is a REC709 related recommendation.

A freelancer friend recommended adjusting exposure so false color showed pink mostly on the brighter points of the face like nose, cheek bones etc. If I did this based on the LOG signal then applied my technical LUT at the start of each edit - would I therefore not always be bringing the exposure up/down initially in the edit to match?

That’s pretty much why I’m struggling to understand using False Color on the LOG signal, but specifically when you are monitoring with the exact LUT which will be applied in post.

I know that if you expose a scene based on BMD Film, Extended Video, and Video LUTs you could get three different exposures based on Zebras or False Colour. Looking at the two extremes, Film and Video, you’ll find the camera may tell you that you are clipping highlights in Video, but switching to Film you can see there’s no clipping.

In post you have a lot more tools at your command (especially with Resolve 17) to fine tune any part of your luminance (or chrominance) of that wide gamma Film clip and get it to fit in a Rec.709 deliverable without clipping. The advantages of shooting Film or Extended Video log footage are there.

I feel third-party LUTs are best applied in post and only used, while shooting, for the director’s monitor as a visual aid to preview the film’s look; the camera operator could get the best quality footage without relying on a LUT guiding the camera exposure. Grading in post will ultimately produce a better result than simply applying a LUT. The LUT can still be useful but I would apply it late in the workflow after you’ve taken care of overall colour correction and other grading.

If your producer or client doesn’t want the expense of grading the film in this manner, well then, you’re going to rely on the LUT as a necessary shortcut so proceed accordingly.

I’d recommend you run some simple tests of the different exposure options to become comfortable with the methodology and trade offs. Include judging False Colour with Film, Extended Video, and Video with and without the LUT being applied. Include skin with highlights and shadows.

As for pink on facial highlights, it’s very safe to get into light grey and shadows pink if it suits the shots. In other lighting situations, having the face in green and dark grey can also work. It depends on what you’re shooting and the intents of the director who may want a Christmas romance look or a disturbing thriller.

Totally with Rick on these point...

The LUT can still be useful but I would apply it late in the workflow after you’ve taken care of overall colour correction and other grading.

When using LUTs, I always grade with the out as the last node in the workflow, and at least one or two adjustment nodes before it. There are cases when fine adjustment needs to follow the LUT node, but this is the exception than the rule in my workflow.

As for pink on facial highlights, it’s very safe to get into light grey and shadows pink if it suits the shots. In other lighting situations, having the face in green and dark grey can also work. It depends on what you’re shooting and the intents of the director who may want a Christmas romance look or a disturbing thriller.

Going with pink, grey, or green on skin tones depends on your interpretation of the scene and the lighting thereof and they are pretty safe as skin false color.

There's a new Portkeys monitor that has an aluminum body and wirelessly control the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6K/4K cameras through a Bluetooth module. When connected, the LH5P can trigger start/stop recording, adjust camera settings, or pull focus without touching the camera. Besides camera control, the L5HP can control the Tilta Nucleus N/M motor via cable and show lens cursor position. It also has a 1700 nits screen. All for $399.00USD.

https://nofilmschool.com/portkeys-bring ... -425352465

For $100 more, there's the BM5 with 2200 nits and all the controls, and has SDI 3G. I wonder if the controls work also with the UMP4.6 G2 cameras. It does not say.

https://www.adorama.com/pkbm5.html

Just saw this. The Feelworld LUT73D ultra bright is on sale for the next 30 hours from B&H.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... creen.html

These two videos compare the FW279 and LUT7. The people who made these videos have used both. The LUT7 is the newer of the two monitors and addresses one of Marshall's reservations. I wonder why Feelworld is selling both, although the LUT7 is a couple of ounces heavier.

BH Photovideo has these on sale again at $70 USD off:

FeelWorld LUT7 7" 3D LUT 4K HDMI Monitor 2200 cd/m2 $199.99 free shipping

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... creen.html

There's a new Portkeys monitor that has an aluminum body and wirelessly control the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 6K/4K cameras through a Bluetooth module. When connected, the LH5P can trigger start/stop recording, adjust camera settings, or pull focus without touching the camera. Besides camera control, the L5HP can control the Tilta Nucleus N/M motor via cable and show lens cursor position. It also has a 1700 nits screen. All for $399.00USD.

https://nofilmschool.com/portkeys-bring ... -425352465

For $100 more, there's the BM5 with 2200 nits and all the controls, and has SDI 3G. I wonder if the controls work also with the UMP4.6 G2 cameras. It does not say.

https://www.adorama.com/pkbm5.html

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Hello,
I need help with my troubles with monitor Feelworld T7. If I used the input and output HDMI on the monitor T7 I have a all informations from camera (batery level, stby, all informations from camera lcd)
on the monitor and also on PC and my recorded video is not useable. But if I have only input HDMI the screen on monitor is clean without any informations from camera.

Can someone help me please? I need use also output HDMI but wthout all informations on monitor and on recorded video.
Thank you