Camera 2025

[Rhood]

2 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Viltrox DC-X3

Thanks for the recommendation.
I was considering it as well, but it didn't show up on used websites in my country.

Now it is indeed the same price as a used Focus 5 or cheaper than a Portkeys BM5 III.
So actually no need to find it used.
Have you used this monitor yourself?

[Benjamin Hilton]

19 hours ago, Rhood said:

I read a somewhere on a forum that the quality of the screen was really bad. Like looking at an old monitor.
Or is that what you mean with quality control? 
How would you rate the Desview against the Focus 5?

The screen is sharp with good color, every bit as good as the Focus 5. What I mean by quality control is I've had the touch control get finicky on me before, and the build is a little cheap. 

[IronFilm]

11 hours ago, Rhood said:

I was considering it as well, but it didn't show up on used websites in my country.

Yeah it's too new to show up secondhand just yet in any sort of quantities. 

But you can find the Viltrox DC-X3 on Aliexpress and B&H:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1842381-REG/viltrox_dc_x3_6_touchscreen_hd_monitor.html

11 hours ago, Rhood said:

Now it is indeed the same price as a used Focus 5 or cheaper than a Portkeys BM5 III.
So actually no need to find it used.

Yup, sometimes there are moments in time when there are leaps forward in tech / affordability, such that it no longer makes sense to buy secondhand.

For instance when the OG BMPCC went on sale for $500 it killed any reason whatsoever to buy a secondhand BMCC EF (in my personal opinion). 

11 hours ago, Rhood said:

Have you used this monitor yourself?

Nope, but I've got a very old OG SmallHD 702 that's given up the ghost, and I would like to replace it.

And from the research I've done recently, then the Viltrox DC-X3 seems like the best option right now. The only reasons I haven't pulled the trigger just yet is because:

1) only just recently came to this conclusion from doing the research into it, so still thinking over it, and I'm trying to spend less on gear in 2025. And I don't need need it just yet. Because I can just kinda get away with peeking at the other monitors at video village on a small budget shoot. Plus I have an old SmallHD Focus monitor, but it lacks loop through and lacks SDI 😕 However I have an HDMI to SDI converter. Clunky, but "works".

2) I quite like the 7" size of the 702, and if anything I'd rather go bigger than smaller with the 6" Viltrox DC-X3. However as a smaller level Production Sound Mixer I'm not sure I can truly justify the costs of a 10" SDI monitor. The leap up in price from 6" or 7" to 10" is quite significant, seems my only cheap option would be the Lilliput A11? So I dunno, haven't really decided yet if I'd rather go for the cheaper Viltrox DC-X3 (and better features/quality) vs the bigger and more expensive Lilliput A11.

3) spending money for a new monitor then opens the door to spending even more money... as I go down the slippery slope of "well, now I should upgrade / get more SDI cables?" then "but what about getting an SDI wireless transmitter? Some of these new ones look very tempting..." And before I know it I'm a few thousand dollars into monitors/cables/wireless/batteries/mounting/accessories/etc

4) with how common just casting video over WiFi is these days, maybe I could simply just live with dedicating one of my tablets to only this task and getting a cage for it? (to protect / mount it with) Am not focus pulling with it! So I can "live with" a small delay.

 

[Rhood]

Ordered the Viltrox.
The price for what you get was too hard to pass.
I'll let you guys know how it compares to the SmallHD 501.

Does anybody by any chance know if the threaded holes on the Viltrox DC-X3 are regular arri locating? Or different spacing? The SmallHD's have a different spacing.

 

On 2/14/2025 at 4:29 AM, IronFilm said:

with how common just casting video over WiFi is these days, maybe I could simply just live with dedicating one of my tablets to only this task and getting a cage for it

I'd just do that if I were you!

 

Has anybody used the Smallrig 4415 VND 4x5.6 Filter tray?
Looking at VND's currently. Was going to DIY hack a VND to matte box. But maybe the Smallrig 4415 can be easily adapted? On the B&H website at the Q&A section is stated that it works with a Tilta MB-T12.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1852163-REG/smallrig_4415_multifunctional_vnd_filter_tray.html/qa

Apart from if it would work.
Is it a decent filter?
Before was looking at K&F(budget, popular on YouTube) Vaxis or Haida (Also popular on YouTube) VND filters. Or are the B+W XS-PRO Vario ND MRC-Nano still the best around?