GH4 Cheapest 5" to 7" external HDMI monitor for focusing on the GH4?

Jaime Valles

Jaime Valles

Veteran
Hello, all.

I'm looking to get an inexpensive external monitor for my GH4. The main purpose is to make it easier to focus. I'm not interested in color accuracy, or in it having waveforms or vectorscopes built in. I don't need SDI or LUTs or peaking or blue gun or anything like that. All I want is for it to make it easier to see what's in focus. The tiny swivel monitor that comes with the GH4 is a bit too small for my aging eyes.

What's the least expensive, battery powered (preferably Sony NP-F550 batteries) HDMI monitor that one can purchase? Maybe in the 5" to 7" size range, but I'm open to pretty much any size. I'm looking for something below the $400 price range, or less if at all possible.

Thanks! :bath:
 
This is not an external monitor however at only $99.95 it is an excellent solution for using "aging eyes" (I'm 76) and the GH4 LCD has enough definition to make this work. Coupled with MF ASSIST you really cannot miss focus.

I've used the Hoodman version with previous cameras and this is much better and much more solid. Large eyepiece and adjusts for individual diopter needs. I have one.

Be sure to watch the video.

http://www.photographyandcinema.com/collections/lcd-viewfinders/products/qv-1-m-lcd-view-finder

There are two versions, the QV-1 M for m4/3 cameras and the QV-1 for others. We want the QV-1 M.
 
I have a Liliiput 7'' LCD monitor that was fairly cheap - no good for critical exposure or color balance, but fine as an additional focussing tool.
 
Finding a low cost monitor that works well with the GH4 can be a crap shoot, as not all HDMI monitors play well with the GH4 depending on the frame rate.
 
I also use a Liliiput 7" LCD monitor. I don't use it very much due to its size and weight but I did recently use it to produce a video of some of our products at work. I mostly do product shots these days in a controlled environment so I made use of the Liliiput and my pocket dolly to get some nice push in shots of our products on a work bench and was able to keep focus manually by using the Liliiput. Not perfect but did help.

I also use the QV-1 M mentioned above for more run & gun work and it helps a lot with native m4/3 lenses. Because those lenses are so sharp I can sometimes see the edge contrast with the small pixels when the camera LCD is magnified by 3x. Doesn't always work but it does help a lot. Adapted lenses don't seem to work as well for me. This is likely due to the slightly softer look so the pixel edges don't go as crazy contrasty on the lower resolution camera LCD.

I should note my Liliiput is the 1024x600 pixel version and not the newer 1280x800 versions which may be a bit better. Be sure to play with the sharpness on the monitor as the results can vary. I also tend to set the Liliiput to b/w which helps a lot. This allows me to focus on the raw details in the shot and not get distracted by color. Now if I could only figure out a way to mount that darn thing for run & gun work. The monitor itself is bad enough but once you add the giant battery brick it gets to be too much for many mount systems. At least with the ones I have tried. I can get it to stay put for awhile but it always comes loose at the worse time.
 
One thing I forgot to mention about the Liliiput. On my product shoot recently I did use the 1:1 pixel mode. Since I had the camera LCD to frame the shot I kept the Liliiput at 1:1 pixels to help focusing even more. This way I was able to get pretty good focus moving my eye back and forth between the two monitors. Yes the GH cameras have this type of mode as well but with the Liliiput I can keep the monitor at 1:1 pixel mode while recording. Not optimal for run & gun but worked very well for my controlled product shoot at work.
 
Be certain to confirm the monitor you buy will work at the frame rates and codecs you intend to shoot with. My Zacuto ZFinder EVF does not work at 30fps, for example. Also, some devices won't receive the HDMI signal in MOV mode. I do live broadcasts with the GH4, and the HDMI signal sent to a BlackMagic broadcast box will only accept HDMI signal if my camera is set to AVCHD. These two restrictions are BIG problems for me.
 
I'm also looking for a nice, small and lightweight monitor but everything I see is too big (size and weight) or have a low resolution.

When you look at smartphones or phablets/tablets, they have a very high resolution, are super lightweight and mostly not too expensive.
So, ideal for me would be a 5-7" smartphone display, only for viewing, nothing else. Something like the StarliteHD (http://www.transvideo.eu/StarliteHD) but without recording facilities
 
I have a 7" Neway monitor I got a year ago from Personal-View. 720p resolution and the colours are decent but I wouldn't use a cheap monitor for anything other than False colour, frame & focus. Works great with the GH4 I just make sure that HDMi is clamped on that camera.

It was the best bang for the buck when I got it.
 
i got the cheap lilliput 7inch monitor and since the footage isnt great quality I get just as good focus looking at the nice LCD screen. Focus peaking isnt exact so I cant use that unless everything is far away and can be slightly off.

I would recommend something in HD quality hopefully 1080p. The 7inch screen not even at 720p isnt sharp enough to help any better than the lcd screen imo
 
PegLeg Media said:
i got the cheap lilliput 7inch monitor and since the footage isnt great quality I get just as good focus looking at the nice LCD screen. Focus peaking isnt exact so I cant use that unless everything is far away and can be slightly off.

I would recommend something in HD quality hopefully 1080p. The 7inch screen not even at 720p isnt sharp enough to help any better than the lcd screen imo
Click to expand...

Unless you use the 1:1 pixel mode. Then you are seeing the full detail of the middle portion of the video. The advantage here is you can use both screens together. Camera LCD for framing and Liliiput for focus. I have also found setting the Liliiput to black and white helps a lot. Allows one to really just look at contrast and not be distracted by color.
 
I also have a Neway 7" 1280x800 monitor and it works just fine with the GH4 and because of the higher resolution it definitely helps with focussing way better than my old Lilliput which now sits in a box, and may soon need to find a new owner...
 
From looking at the PersonalView site the Neway seems to be the same as the Ikan, another Ikan rebranding with price hike. Anyone know who makes their new DW7 or DW5 monitor with the full screen scopes?
 
plegilink said:
I also have a Neway 7" 1280x800 monitor and it works just fine with the GH4 and because of the higher resolution it definitely helps with focussing way better than my old Lilliput which now sits in a box, and may soon need to find a new owner...
Click to expand...

Yeah I really want to get one of those. Mainly for the smaller size and weight. For run and gun I find the 7" to be just a bit too big.
 
Ikan D5w monitor is only available from Ikan in this country, the manufacture signed an agreement with them. The original manufacturer appears to sell the same monitor under another brand name in the UK, but here you can only get the D5w.

I would highly recommend the Cineroid EVF4vw for flexible small monitor. There have been unadvertised improvements to the monitor/evf since it first started shipping and it is now a highly reliable piece of kit. Perfect for DSLRs and gimbals, it's superior to the Alphatron in all ways including price.

FWIW, I know there is 1x D5w (with waveform) open box available at Hot Rod Cameras, and it will go on extra discount during our first come-first served Black Friday event.
 
Best deal on a good quality screen that can be calibrated to bars - get a used Marshall VLCD50 - they can be found for $200 or less used.

I've tried some of the asian stuff, but had issues with poor viewing angles and very off colors. You can connect the Marhsall to a camera or NLE with color bars and dial it in using blue only. Mine holds its calibration for weeks at a time.

Has peaking and 1:1, assignable to function buttons. There's a model that takes 4 AAs, a model with canon plates, and Marshall sells about 8 different battery plates for it.

No HDMI out, and only one 1/4-20 mount point... but if you can get one for $250 or less and you want the 5" size, it's a good screen for the $$.
 
I have a monitor that is extremely cheap, and was kind of free for me.

It has 1080p resolution, a 7" touchscreen, and can control the camera's functions and settings.

It's of course my tablet with accommodating app. It may not be the most professional item (and so has issues, such as precise color display, lack of graphs/scopes [depending on the app], higher latency [lag], not very professional aesthetics, and is fragile [compared to a brick monitor]), but you seem to want only the basics anyway. As long as you feel the clientele will not notice/care, you are good to go.

Also, it doesn't work with some cameras.
 
Thanks for the response Illya regarding the Ikan monitor. I am not in the USA but in Canada so not affected by Ikan's rebranding and over pricing policies. I will take your tip and do some research as I do like the features included.
Thanks
Brian
 
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