Ronnie Amighetti Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Hi all, will try and make it as short as I can. I'm in need of an external monitor for my GX85 setup. I've been using it now for a few months and more often than not I struggle to focus pull or even just focus with its tiny screen. I of course jumped into all sort of forums and looked around to get all the infos I needed. I ended up with a huge mess in my brain as was to be expected. I was dead set on a field monitor, preferably 5" (7" looks way too big for my setup and I hope putting my eyes close to the monitor ala viewfinder I will be able to judge focus and even do some reliable pulls here and there). Possible options: Ikan DH5e (most expensive), Ikan VL35 w/ viewfinder (I fear it would be too small being a 3,5" but it has the bonus of the viewfinder), Aputure VS2 Fine HD (7") and FeelWorld FW760 (again a 7" model, cheapest of the bunch). I then started considering a monitor/recorder combo, starting with the BlackMagic Video Assist and the Atomos Ninja Blade. Both of them 5" in size, but the key feature would be to have a ProRes422 file ready to edit without having to transcode on my workstation. I would also be able to go over the recording time limit but that is really not much of consideration to me. The biggest question mark for me is the fact that the GX85 can downconvert to 1080p to its HDMI output (both the BlackMagic and the Atomos do not accept 4K) but I don't know and have no way to test if this downconvertion is any good or what. So I'm looking out for a few suggestions and or advices from you guys. Hope I made myself kinda clear. PS: as you can understand from the various models I listed I'm in the market for a solution well under 500€ so please do not suggest I go and grab a PIXE5 or the Video Assist 4K or whatever else that is way above my budget. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinegain Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Video assist is more of a recorder with a screen than a monitoring tool (there's HDMI Mode 1080p selectable with Info Display (Rec) OFF). Take a look at the Lilliput Q5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Amighetti Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 Thanks Cinegain. Would you please elaborate more on the VA? I see they added some nice features with their latest firmware release (LUTs etc). I already considered the Q5 but I don't remember why I checked it off my list. More homework to do. :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cinegain Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Ah, I didn't realize there they released new firmware two weeks ago incl. for the original VA: https://www.blackmagicdesign.com/support/readme/4244ca03ae18484eb22ac1cfab400788 and more a month earlier. Cool. Then yeah, that got pretty interesting again. Need to check the improvements and if it's usable. Q5 needs to be fed with a 1080p monitoring signal rather than 4K? If that's what you want, the Ikan does look pretty neat too. Just as a monitor the Lilliput has all the features ('Timecodes, Columnar YRGB, Pixel Zoom Function, Vector Scopes, Waveforms, Audio Level Meters, Peaking, False Colour, Histograms, Exposures, Check Fields, Color Bars, Pixel to Pixel, and Image flips') of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aldolega Posted January 3, 2017 Share Posted January 3, 2017 Yes, the latest firmware makes the 5" VA a pretty competent monitor. All it really needs now is waveform and a loupe. I'm planning on running one with a G85, because of the cam's weak 1080p bitrate. Vitaliy at Personal-View said the Chinese are working on an aftermarket 5" loupe, hopefully that happens, I'm hoping a sunhood will suffice until then. Cinegain 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ronnie Amighetti Posted January 3, 2017 Author Share Posted January 3, 2017 Thanks again Cinegain, I took a look at the Q5 and in fact it looks like a pretty competent monitor. Just a tad bit too expensive. 410$ is the best price I found, for the same price I just saw a used (almost brand new) VA in my country. To be honest the idea of having a decent monitor to help me compose and focus AND a recorder to speed up the transcoding and managing of files intrigues me a lot. Another possible solution could be the Neway CT500HO from Personal View, looks like the OEM version of Ikan's DH5e, and it's only 289$ shipped. Can't really make my mind up, considering the only external monitor I've used so far is the Panasonic app via wifi (close to useless for focusing) or the Scope app (which is the full screen version of Panasonic's), both of them on my iPhone. Not very reliable to say the least. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timotheus Posted April 3, 2018 Share Posted April 3, 2018 Hey @Ronnie Amighetti, how did this turn out? Got my hands on a super cheap Gx80. Lack of mic input is a hassle that a BM VA might solve (with other added benefits)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.