looking for monitor opinions

[Dan Sherman]

I'm looking to buy a monitor for my GH5 in the not to distant future, but I''m kind of stuck on what to get at this point. What I'm looking for is a 7" monitor that supports UHD signal monitoring and has features like audio monitoring, false color, pixel to pixel, zoom etc. I've narrowed it down to 3 options.

FEELWORLD T7

Pros:

• aluminum housing
• 1920x1080 IPS display
• hdmi pass through
• top and bottom 1/4-20 mounts

Cons:

• only 2 custom function buttons and they are on the top
• The specs say nine grid, zoom, pixel to pixel etc aren't supported in 4k. This seems odd though because I have seen you-tubers review older models talk about how great the zoom like features are. also it isn't clear if they mean 4k as UHD or cinematic 4k as it supports both.

 

FEELWORLD A737

Pros:

• aluminum housing
• 1920x1080 IPS display
• 4 custom function buttons that are on the front of the monitor

Cons:

• no hdmi pass through
• The specs say nine grid, zoom, pixel to pixel etc aren't supported in 4k. This seems odd though because I have seen you-tubers review older models talk about how great the zoom like features are. also it isn't clear if they mean 4k as UHD or cinematic 4k as it supports both.
• only 1 1/4-20 mount on the bottom

Bestview S7II

Pros:

• 4 front mounted custom function buttons (one reviewer mentioned it can go to 7)
• physical on/off switch
• hdmi and sdi in/out
• 1/4-20 mounts on all 4 sides

Cons:

• plastic housing
• the specs only say  38040*2160P @ 24,25,30 Hz it seems odd that 23.93, and 29,97 wouldn't be supported considering 24 and 30 are.

 

 

Has anyone used any of the monitors or have any opinions on them?  I have emails out to my retailer of choose, as well as the manufactures to clear up the ambiguities but getting response is a crap shoot at best.

 

 

 

[Cinegain]

http://www.lilliputuk.com/monitors/lilliput-4k-monitors/A7S/ might be what you're looking for.

Have you used field monitors before? I personally find 7" a drag to use and appreciate the 5-ish inch range ones more (e.g. Lilliput has the A5: http://www.lilliputuk.com/monitors/lilliput-4k-monitors/A5/ , as seen on: https://www.eoshd.com/comments/topic/27350-liliput-a5-or-any-other-cheap-5-or-smaller-competitors/ ).

 

[Dan Sherman]

35 minutes ago, Cinegain said:

Have you used field monitors before?

This will be my first monitor, but I've experimented with a 5" smartphone, as well as a  7"  & 10" tablet.  For my use case bigger is better. I'd go with a 10" monitor, but I don't want to  pay for it. ?

I looked at the Lilliput, Id prefer more custom function buttons if i can get them.

[jonpais]

Gotta say it, I’d avoid 7” at all costs. 5” is ideal for the GH5. Sorry, now I said it!

[IronFilm]

I agree with Jon, 5" is the sweet spot for a cam op! While 7"+ is better suited for a 1st AC or director's monitor. 

Used the Liliput A5 for the first time on the weekend and I thought it was amazingly fantastic for its price of US$149 (its biggest probably? It was my B Cam Op's favorite monitor so he'd keep on pointing it at himself instead of pointing it at me the DoP, and not using one of his other two monitors he had on the B Cam!!!):
 

 

[AaronChicago]

SmallHD 501, SmallHD 501, or SmallHD 501.

Plus the swivel pan/tilt mount.

[Dan Sherman]

5 hours ago, IronFilm said:

I agree with Jon, 5" is the sweet spot for a cam op! While 7"+ is better suited for a 1st AC or director's monitor. 

I'm just doing a one man show as a hobby, so I do everything. At times I'm far enough away from the camera that small monitors are pretty hard to see clearly.

[jonpais]

How about the remote app?

[Dan Sherman]

Just now, jonpais said:

How about the remote app?

The resolution coming through the app is horrendous. I've used it a lot, and in my opinion it's fine for checking framing, but useless for checking focus. Every time I look at it, I always feel the need to check the cameras lcd to verify focus.

[jonpais]

If you're standing far away from the camera then, how are you going to change focus, external monitor or no?

[Dan Sherman]

4 minutes ago, jonpais said:

If you're standing far away from the camera then, how are you going to change focus, external monitor or no?

I want to validate it, changing it is a different issue!

[jonpais]

?

[IronFilm]

Am guessing you want to focus on yourself? And check that?

Just pre focus on something the same distance as yourself beforehand! (such as the chair)

[jonpais]

Tap to focus with the remote app along with focus peaking always worked for me when I was vlogging. Maybe the OP is using manual lenses? 

[William Husker]

8 hours ago, jonpais said:

Gotta say it, I’d avoid 7” at all costs. 5” is ideal for the GH5. Sorry, now I said it!

I actually agree with jonpais on this, tried several 7" displays like the Feelworld F7 or SmallHD 701 on several mirrorless cameras, they always felt really unwieldy to me.
 

1 hour ago, Dan Sherman said:

I'm just doing a one man show as a hobby, so I do everything. At times I'm far enough away from the camera that small monitors are pretty hard to see clearly.

If that's the case I still don't think that a couple of extra inches are going to make enough of a difference at a distance. Also if it's more for a one man show than anything else, why not a good but cheap pc monitor that is 24" or bigger? If you're ready to go as far as 300$ you could even get a decent 4k monitor.

Otherwise for your needs I think something like the Lilliput A12 12.5" 4K Monitor might be ideal but it's pretty expensive.
Lilliput A12 12.5" 4K Monitor - bhphotovideo

[KnightsFan]

I, too, switched from 7" to 5" because the large screen was unwieldy. However, the size was not an issue for locked off tripod shots. It was just a problem for handheld or those occasional really tight spaces. I could see 7" being perfect for a one man show, where I assume you'll be using a tripod most of the time. However, if you ever do another project with a crew or handheld shots, I think the 5" will be more useful.

Either way, what about using a long HDMI cable and bringing the monitor with you, rather than leaving it on the camera? You can just set it down out of frame when you're ready to roll.

[Dan Sherman]

 

2 hours ago, KnightsFan said:

Either way, what about using a long HDMI cable and bringing the monitor with you, rather than leaving it on the camera? You can just set it down out of frame when you're ready to roll.

What I'm doing, is documenting woodworking, machining, and welding projects in my workshop. I'm usually dealing with something sharp, abrasive, spinning,  hot, or combinations of the prior. Thus, I try and avoid tripping hazards at all costs., I've seen the aftermath of someone falling into a saw blade before, and it's not something i want to ever personally experience.  I'm usually moving around in the frame a lot, and nothing screws with exposure like dropping a shiny chunk of metal in the frame. That's why I was looking at 7" monitors I wan't  see everything clearly.

I could probably work with one of the 5.7" models, but is seems none of them have audio level functionality. 

 

 

[Cinegain]

The A5 does:

On 7/17/2018 at 9:39 PM, Cinegain said:

http://www.lilliputuk.com/monitors/lilliput-4k-monitors/A7S/ might be what you're looking for.

Have you used field monitors before? I personally find 7" a drag to use and appreciate the 5-ish inch range ones more (e.g. Lilliput has the A5: http://www.lilliputuk.com/monitors/lilliput-4k-monitors/A5/ , as seen on: https://www.eoshd.com/comments/topic/27350-liliput-a5-or-any-other-cheap-5-or-smaller-competitors/ ).

 

'Timecodes [..] Audio Level Meters', but if you're more comfortable with a bigger size field monitor, you know, you gotta do you.

[KnightsFan]

1 hour ago, Dan Sherman said:

What I'm doing, is documenting woodworking, machining, and welding projects in my workshop. I'm usually dealing with something sharp, abrasive, spinning,  hot, or combinations of the prior. Thus, I try and avoid tripping hazards at all costs., I've seen the aftermath of someone falling into a saw blade before, and it's not something i want to ever personally experience.

I see, makes sense! Yeah, don't leave any long HDMI cords dangling about. I think if you're in a shop and don't need to move the monitor about very much, 7" won't be too large. I personally might even favor the suggestion of a PC monitor, or an HDTV that you can see from across the room. Is there any chance you can get audio meters and peaking out from your GH5?

 

Speaking to the monitors you've noted, my experience with cheaper monitors is that pixel-to-pixel never works with 4k. The Bestview pretty clearly states that it DOES, but I assume that both Feelworld monitors do NOT, despite what any YouTubers say. The Feelworld monitors I've used will zoom in, but they zoom in on the downscaled image, not the original 4k one. So it's really pretty useless.

So it seems that the Bestview is the best for viewing focus, though pricey. I wonder if you could ask a seller whether UHD 23.976 and 29.97 are supported? It does seem very odd if not.

Out of the Feelworlds, it seems the main difference is the number of custom buttons, which really doesn't make an $80 difference to me. I usually leave focus peaking on. I switch false color on and off regularly, but tbh I don't regularly toggle any other features.

[Dan Sherman]

1 hour ago, KnightsFan said:

 Is there any chance you can get audio meters and peaking out from your GH5?

You can get everything or nothing, by that i mean you get everything the rear lcd is displaying or none of it. Audio levels are nothing to right home about though.
 

So it seems that the Bestview is the best for viewing focus, though pricey. I wonder if you could ask a seller whether UHD 23.976 and 29.97 are supported? It does seem very odd if not.

I have emails out to a few places, but I expect this would be a buy it and then return it if it doesn't work type of deal in the end.