Ugh, enough of the HVX's LCD!

F

filmguy123

Veteran
Alright I can't take the LCD anymore... I really want a good, accurate picture of what my final image will look like. It is hard to judge the black levels, focus, colors, etc. etc. in the LCD and it's getting annoying.

I also don't want to use a monitor as I do a lot of run-and-gun shooting... What do you recommend for an excellent and light camera-mounted LCD monitor that will give me very good and accurate image reproduction. I'd like to still be able to use the camera handheld when I need to (often) but have the image look like the final image will look on my computer/tv monitor (or as close to it as possible).
 
I've been really impressed with the Marshall monitors. I've used them on run and gun. You can use them as a pretty accurate reference.
 
I just bought and installed a Marshall VR70P. THe package was 1899 and included the monitor, a battery, noga arm, carrying case, etc. The picture is very, very good. It is heavy though. I think it's worth every penny. I bought it from B&H.
 
I learned after my first shoot that the LCD will mislead you into thinking your footage is properly exposed, when in reality it is much too dark. I have learned how to visually compensate when I don't have the luxury of a reference monitor.
 
filmguy123 said:
Also I found this on bhphoto, but I'm not sure if it is what I am looking for, high enough resolution, camera mountable, or the best buy....

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?O=Search&A=details&Q=&sku=459576&is=REG&addedTroughType=search

???
Click to expand...


That one is pretty low-res; I don't think you'd find it much of an improvement. You want something with component HD inputs. Don't be fooled by numbers - 1200x234 is very likely 400 x 234 - some manufacturers count each R,G,B element separately, and this seems to be the case here.
 
Arson said:
I learned after my first shoot that the LCD will mislead you into thinking your footage is properly exposed, when in reality it is much too dark. I have learned how to visually compensate when I don't have the luxury of a reference monitor.
Click to expand...

Thats what I use the zebras are for. If you set them at around 85-90% and keep the highlights at just starting to show up in the zebras you will know the footage is exposed enough.
 
Which brings up a good point.....how do you sync the color in the monitor with the color on the LCD?

I mainly use mine for focus- but color would be nice.
 
Not picking on anyone here, but I gotta chuckle every time I hear people complain about the LCD.
I've spent 30 years focusing and exposing with a 1" B&W viewfinder! :beer:

The LCD performs nicely between a 1" viewfinder and taking the time to use an outboard monitor.
I agree that it would be cool to have a better monitor but at what price increase? If you have to rely on a monitor, (which I almost always do), plug one in.
Just be careful, there are some lousy ones out there.
 
Well it's pretty hard sometimes to tell what you want for proper exposure when you are lighting outdoor night scenes, or shooting concert stuff with lights and fog. Footage looks totally different then it does on the LCD. Focusing is a pain. etc.

But a LOT of what I do is handheld, so I need a LIGHT monitor that CAMERA-MOUNTS that can run off a battery on camera or the camera battery itself.

I would need something that is a big jump up in improvement from the onboard LCD. Are there any specific product/models that fit this need?
 
I use the Marshall V-R70P-HDA, it does add a couple pounds to the camera, but is much better than the onboard LCD.
 
I have to agree there. The Marshall provides a pretty good picture for focusing - especially with a 35mm adapter. Only issue is that it's not too bright. For work outside on a sunny day you'd have to shade it well in order to use it.
 
filmguy123 said:
.... I need to (often) but have the image look like the final image will look on my computer/tv monitor (or as close to it as possible).
Click to expand...

Just out of curiosity. What sort of computer/TV monitor are you viewing the footage on for comparison?
 
To get a better degree of calibration I feed a calibration chart via DV to check the LCD and EVF for black level, and in terms of each other.

You can do this from any editor that supplies bars/pluge.

While not absolute it does help put the black level (brightness) in a better position than the defaults.
 
To get a better degree of calibration I feed a calibration chart via DV to check the LCD and EVF for black level, and in terms of each other.

You can do this from any editor that supplies bars/pluge.

While not absolute it does help put the black level (brightness) in a better position than the defaults.
 
i just bought the new 8" HD widescreen monitor from IKAN. its not on the market yet but will be at NAB and should be on the streets within a few weeks. the pre-production model i saw in store last week was about as "critical focus" quality ive seen in an LCD for under a grand.
 
wgzn said:
i just bought the new 8" HD widescreen monitor from IKAN. its not on the market yet but will be at NAB and should be on the streets within a few weeks. the pre-production model i saw in store last week was about as "critical focus" quality ive seen in an LCD for under a grand.
Click to expand...
Any link?
Considering all the LCD options out there I really hope that LCD with component-in drop in price, maybe NAB will bring sth...
 
filmguy123 said:
Is the viewfinder a lot more accurate?
Click to expand...

bump on this questions... is the viewfinder more trustworthy than the LCD in regards to both focusing and accurate lighting/color reproduction?
 
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