Best On-Camera LCD Monitor for HVX200 ?

A

andynick

Well-known member
I'm in a "run-and-gun" situation here and desperately need a really good LCD Monitor to mount on the HVX200.

Shooting mainly action shots onto 8GB P2s - 720p but 1080i as well.

Does anyone have any hands-on recommendations please?

Having bought a 7" VariZoom when I got my Prolite, I never want to fall into that trap again. It's not worth the box it was packed in.

Any info you can give me will be appreciated - including power supply for the monitor and connection from the HVX to the monitor - how do I go about that?

Any links to further info also gratefully accepted.

Andy
 
How about the varizoom
VZS1080 BP/BC/BJ/BS ?
I just thought about buying it! Because its able to show 1080 and has the good powersupply with batteries of your choice.
Is someone using it or are there any experiences?
Benn
 
ozduc said:
how can you do "run & gun" with a monitor on the camera?
Click to expand...
That was my next question!

Seriosly though - that looks great - but obviously I'd prefer 16:9 if possible.
Anyone actually used this BT-LH900AE ?

Andy
 
Would a cheap 9" LCD work alright with this camera? I know it wouldn't show the full resolution, but I'm more concerned with focus...would it work alright?
 
Hey brandon,
careful when buying a cheap LCD. I did and what I got was a monitor that kind of works. the problem with cheap LCDs is that they don't have component inputs. then you have to buy a converter. most converters are expensive $150+. and who knows what they are doing to the image. Then you have to worry about power. most are 12v and you cannot power with your camera battery.
What I've done is, got a Noga arm, got an 8"LCD 800x600 w/ vga input, found a cheap converter from RGB to VGA, mounted it all on my noga and I'm working out how to power them as we speak.
The cheap lcd also has a small viewing angle, so if I'm not right in front of the monitor and its tilted properly, i don't see the image well. (kind of when you get in an airplane and you view their monitors from the side. crap)
For those interested, I'm talking to a mnf. to try to put together an 8.4" screen with component in for alot cheaper than the competition. if I can make one for me, then I might sell it to others.
 
BrandonC said:
Would a cheap 9" LCD work alright with this camera? I know it wouldn't show the full resolution, but I'm more concerned with focus...would it work alright?
Click to expand...
No - you need to be very careful, that's why I made this post.
The monitor needs to have a similar number of pixels to the codec you're shooting.
As I mentioned in my opening post, I have a cheap VariZoom 7" "monitor" that came with my VariZoom Prolite - it's a waste of space.

Everyone's talkiing about Marshall - but there's Marshalls and Marshalls.
480 pixels is no good - you need at least 720 (vertical).

Or am I wrong, guys?

Thanks for all the posts so far - I'm following up on the links. Some very interesting stuff coming through.

And I just sent off for a quote on a Marshall V-R841P-AFHD. Can't find a stockist in the UK though.

More input appreciated if you have any . . .

Andy
 
Andy,
I don't believe the marshall that most people are using is 720 vertical. and that is one of the complaints about it. it downrezes the image. I believe its 800x600. but it looks like marshal has a new one that is 1024x768 but its not for $1300 it costs $3900. The monitor I got that was cheap was 800x600. same resolution as marshal. though I've seen the marshals up close. (I saw dc's setup at the 2nd hvx user metting) I haven't seen it next to my cheap lcd. I believe as far as resolution, both monitors are probably good. so they would be similar for focusing, but the marshal is probably brighter than mine, and definitely has a wider viewing angle which is the real drawback on the cheap lcd. That's why I'm contacting a mfg. to get a much better screen with an on board component input. rather than my mcguyver setup.
 
soarprod point this out in another thread, but not available until June, or there after:

http://studiodaily.com/main/news/feed.rss/7711.html

"And the BT-LH80W is a nifty hybrid — a standalone 7.9-inch HD/SD LCD monitor that’s also Padesigned to work as a camera viewfinder (for Panasonic cams and others). It boasts focus-assist capabilities, including a pixel-to-pixel matching function that lets you zoom in to see a portion of your HD image mapped precisely to the screen’s 800x450 resolution. It’s slated to ship in July for less than $3,000."

800x450 with pixel to pixel, now we are talking.:thumbsup: Marshall folks, this is what I have wanted for a while.
 
Ok Brandon,
The monitor doesn't tell you what inputs it has. I'm assuming it will have a VGA input.
Also the resolution is 1440x234. So the vertical resolution is not as good. I haven't heard how these monitors work as far as focusing, being that their vertical resolution is so low.
Also the contrast ration is only 150:1 not very high.
The brightness seems ok at 400cd/m2
It doesn't give vertical viewing angles. so Right 65 and Left 65 I'm assuming the viewing angle is 130. for sideways, but up and down also matter.
I'd probably hold off on getting this thing unless you can test it first or if they have a good return policy. In the end it is still pricey at $539. remember you still need to get power to it, a component to vga converter and power for that converter also.
 
When an LCD says 1440x234, don't believe it. It means it's really 480 x 234. They count red, green, and blue separately, so they count 480 x 3 = 1440. But that's obviously bogus, it's really a 480x234 display.
 
Christopher Barry said:
lets you zoom in to see a portion of your HD image mapped precisely to the screen’s 800x450 resolution.
Click to expand...
Thanks Chris - but that one's not for me, I have too much going on already, without having to zoom in and out on my monitor! And 450 res is only double that of the dreadful VariZoom gathering dust behind my chair - no thanks (sorry).

(It may be good for studio applications though).

Andy
 
Barry_Green said:
When an LCD says 1440x234, don't believe it. It means it's really 480 x 234. They count red, green, and blue separately, so they count 480 x 3 = 1440. But that's obviously bogus, it's really a 480x234 display.
Click to expand...
Thanks Barry and siniarch - really useful advice as usual.

So basically are we saying 600 vertical won't be of much help?
It MUST be 720 vertical to be of any use (for focus, I mean)?

And am I right in thinking it should have Component or Firewire input?

I'm very cloudy on this stuff - is S-Video any use here?
(Or anything else for that matter).

If someone could give us a benchmark, it would be SO useful. I know it's only a matter of opinion but some idea of what's acceptable and what to avoid would be really useful.

Could I even suggest we have a Sticky on the subject of On-Camera Monitors, after all, it's so important to get the focus right - more so when most posters here are doing everything they can to LIMIT DOF.

I spend a lot of my time trying to INCREASE DOF - but then my subject (mostly dogs running around in all directions at the moment) is so unpredictable.

And the amount of mud flying (not to mention the occasional dog knocking the camera flying into the undergrowth) suggests maybe the 720 Marshall would be a bad investment. I'd really like something that won't make me cry if it gets crunched - but I realise that's not realistic.

Andy
 
andynick, over on the Brevis/Cinevate forum, Dennis Wood of Cinevate has put up a very good summary of his study comparing a Marshall 7" to a monitor of low cost with similar screen resolution. Dennis also put up picks to show the comparative results, like composite, component, etc.

Cinevate Forum Link
 
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