GH4 Best 5-7" monitor for under $300?

Anyone used Feelworld? They're cheap and they list great specs. This monitor, for example, is $160, weighs less than a pound, 1280x800 IPS LCD, with 800:1 contrast ratio. Also comes with a sunshade and battery plate, and says it accepts 1080p24 through 1080p60. http://www.amazon.com/Tocas-Fw-759-Design-Camera-Monitor/dp/B00T2AVX28/

I'm sure it's not going to compare with a SmallHD or TV Logic, but hopefully it's good enough to last until I can get something more substantial.
 
Thomas Smet said:
One last thing about the 5.6" version. It only has 6 bit color compared to the 7" version which is 8 bit. This means the 7" is a lot more accurate at displaying color.
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I have the 5.6" version and I can't get the colour close at all to the GH4 display; I rely on it only for judging framing and focus really.
 
jrhagan33 said:
I have the 5.6" version and I can't get the colour close at all to the GH4 display; I rely on it only for judging framing and focus really.
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That is likely due to not only the 6 bit color but the fact that the 5.6" is not as good of a display as the 7" version. The 500 contrast vs 800 hurts it as well. Now knowing the 5.6" version does use an inferior display I would only recommend the 7" version which my friend has.
 
refocusedmedia said:
Anyone used Feelworld? They're cheap and they list great specs. This monitor, for example, is $160, weighs less than a pound, 1280x800 IPS LCD, with 800:1 contrast ratio. Also comes with a sunshade and battery plate, and says it accepts 1080p24 through 1080p60. http://www.amazon.com/Tocas-Fw-759-Design-Camera-Monitor/dp/B00T2AVX28/

I'm sure it's not going to compare with a SmallHD or TV Logic, but hopefully it's good enough to last until I can get something more substantial.
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Looks promising on paper but I would be careful. The saying "you get what you pay for" tends to be true in this industry. I have hopes that it would be very good but based on the price I have my doubts. This thing is less than 1/2 the price of other China monitors which many consider to already be questionable.

If you do take a chance with it please share with us how well it does. I have not found a single written or video review of this monitor online so you really are buying at you own risk.
 
refocusedmedia said:
Anyone used Feelworld? They're cheap and they list great specs. This monitor, for example, is $160, weighs less than a pound, 1280x800 IPS LCD, with 800:1 contrast ratio. Also comes with a sunshade and battery plate, and says it accepts 1080p24 through 1080p60. http://www.amazon.com/Tocas-Fw-759-Design-Camera-Monitor/dp/B00T2AVX28/

I'm sure it's not going to compare with a SmallHD or TV Logic, but hopefully it's good enough to last until I can get something more substantial.
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http://www.feelworld.cn/English/Product/1268391345.html

Finally found their website which has easy to find information compared to Amazon. They have many other models as well. Again the price kind of freaks me out but they do look interesting. I especially like that they mention support for Blackmagic cameras. This leads me to believe that actually make an attempt to strive for quality. I don't know for sure but at least they were smart enough to think of supporting all the professionalo cameras out there.
 
FWIW, I've got the 664 O/P package for the 24p for one of our BMs.
It turned out to be one of the better little $/performance things in a while.
It's not a Small OLED, but for little money, I was really surprised to get it in a fitted metal case, very nice hood system, ball head mount and battery options.
Function wise, it's got a nice image for focus and exposure 1280x800, false color, peaking, zoom, a smart menu/custom button setup and it's really light w/ a small NP on it.
Again, it doesn't have the kind of black level of our other monitors, but really for 300 bucks it's light, solid, pretty complete and does most of what most people need.
 
Ya, the Lilliput 664 is definitely what I would get if I wanted to spend the top end of my budget. The MustHD 5.6" would probably be second after that.

As it is though, I've stretched my budget pretty far. I think I'm going to get the Feelworld FW759 and try it out. Worst case scenario I have to return it and wait a bit longer to get the Lilliput.
 
refocusedmedia said:
Ya, the Lilliput 664 is definitely what I would get if I wanted to spend the top end of my budget. The MustHD 5.6" would probably be second after that.

As it is though, I've stretched my budget pretty far. I think I'm going to get the Feelworld FW759 and try it out. Worst case scenario I have to return it and wait a bit longer to get the Lilliput.
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Still having a hard time finding any reviews of the monitor. FeelWorld has been around for awhile however making broadcast gear in China. Not sure why haven't really had a market outside of China or their products have little to no reviews out there. I can typically find a review on the most obscure stuff but these seem to be a huge unknown in the world.

For what its worth their 789 model looks very nice. Histogram, audio levels and many other features that stand up against the top professional monitors. It is also the only model that mentions 8 bit 16 million colors which leads me to believe the 759 may be 6 bit even though they claim it is LED backlit IPS. The 789 is very expensive however since it also includes HD-SDI inputs and outputs and clearly way out of your budget.

I finally found somebody who has used one.

http://forum.blackmagicdesign.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=32388

Doesn't sound super promising but it doesn't sound like a piece of junk either. May at least be as good as Lilliput for half the price.

Found another review, sort of. Scroll down towards the bottom.

http://www.bmcuser.com/archive/index.php/t-9167.html
 
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Larry,
I'm very close to Cowboy Studio's showroom up here in Allen and they carry some of Feelworld's monitors and EVFs. A model they carry come in boxes that say they're 1280x800 but actually they are not according to the guy at the store. He really didn't recommend it to me. Though I'm not saying that its the same model you're after, it just didn't give me confidence in their product line.
I'd say, stick with the usual suspects. Lilliputs have been around a while and that Musthd is also something to consider there is actually someone here who has used it.
Also look at IKAN monitors. Though I think their price is a bit past your budget.
 
At the price of the Feelworld better one...what is it, like $129?
I have bar tabs bigger than that.
I'd get one just to test it and if it's not up to par then make an awesome video of yourself doing bike skids on it and I bet you'll get enough hits on a monetized YouTube page to make up the cost!
 
Just asked a question on the FeelWorld Facebook page to find out if the monitor is really IPS and if it supports 6 bit color or 8 bit color.
 
Just heard back from FeelWorld. The 759 is IPS but uses 6 bit color. 6 bit isn't the end of the world but a 8 bit monitor would be more accurate. Keep in mind the 5.6" version of the MustHD is also IPS and 6 bit. It is important to keep in mind this may not just be about 64 vs 256 shades of color but the overall quality of the panel itself. 8 bit panels may tend to be higher quality because it isn't as cheap to make 8 bit panels.

The FeelWorld 759 is still really darn cheap and honestly at that price even if it isn't great may be worth the money. Just keep in mind it will not be the best. How far off from the best is hard to say but it definitely will not be as good as a 8 bit monitor like the MustHD 7" or the SmallHD. If budget really is that much of an issue and you don't want to save up an extra $200.00 before you buy a monitor then I guess you don't really have much of a choice.
 
Feelworld responded my email to their sales address:

Dear Larry,
This is Lincy Wei, sales from Feelworld.
Thanks for your email to ask the price of our new FW759.
Please kindly check the answers to your questions as below.


1) Is the screen finish glossy or matte? Lincy(3/2): The monitor is finished glossy
2) Is the panel 6-bit or 8-bit? Who manufacturers it? Lincy(3/2): The panel is 6-bit, and we buy the panel from our supplier, Innolux.
3) Has this monitor been tested with the GH4 and all its modes (24p, 4K, VFR, etc)? Lincy(3/2): I am sorry that it is hard for us to try our monitors with every camera in the market. I check the specification of GH4, and FW759 supports to 1080p @ 59.94/ 50/ 24/ 24fps and so one. But it can't support 4K.
4) Do you have any US distributors? If not, who are your preferred Amazon or eBay resellers? Lincy(3/2): Oemag(http://www.omegabroadcast.com) is one of our distributors, and they have ordered our FW759. You can ask to purchase from them. Also you can order directly from us too.


She also mentioned that they have the FW759P model. From the info chart, it looks like a "pro" version that comes with histograms, waveforms, zebras, etc. All other specs looked identical.
 
Hey thanks for the extra info. I'm actually impressed with how responsive the company is to questions. Many manufacturers would never mention who their OEM supplier is.

The 6 bit is a bit of a deal breaker for me but still the price is very tempting to get one as a backup unit. Really wish they would make a cheaper version of the FW789 without HD-SDI. That panel is 8 bit.

I don't see a "p" version on their website. Is this a new thing they haven't released yet?
 
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Thomas Smet said:
I don't see a "p" version on their website. Is this a new thing they haven't released yet?
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Not sure, but here is the spec sheet she provided

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I have the musthd 5.6" monitor, but I got it at a special NAB price (something like 140). For that price I like it, however I don't think I would buy it otherwise. Hard to get the color right, focus assist is somewhat decent, and the over exposure is feature is nice but not always accurate. So I always use my camera lcd to double check when setting up and only use the MustHD when I'm outside in the sun. I agree the 7 inch one seemed a lot better.
 
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