GH2 Help me pick a small HDMI monitor to mount on my GH2

G

Gerson

Active member
I shot an interview last night for a doc and found that, once again, it was frustrating not to have an external monitor to better judge color, exposure, focus. I realize I could be doing better work if I had a little 4 or 5" monitor, like so many DSLR shooters. Ideally one with peaking.

The problem is that there seem to be so many options! What do you use? What do you recommend? My budget is somewhat flexible, but I'd like to spend $500 or less if possible. Though it's more important to have a reliable, high-quality option, so if I have to spend $800 or so, that's fine.

So, what do you think? What are the best options and why?
 
Interesting stuff! What resolution do you need--realistically--to check focus? I'm surprised that none of these monitors seems to be 1920x1080. The 5.6" monitor is 1280x800, while the 7" is 1024x600. So the 7" has a lower pixel density--but does that matter in practice?

Also, a friend (who's a filmmaker) says SmallHD monitors are the best. I'm looking up the specs now for the DP6 and DP4 models.
 
The DP6 is a great monitor, though the colors skew a little warmer than reality. Great for pulling focus and framing, and just the right size for an on-camera monitor. I have the DP4 as well, but am not a huge fan. It's just a little too small for my taste, and with the EVF attachment is too large and awkward.

1280x800 seems to be where most of the good panels in that size/price range fall, and is definitely enough for focus. I think 5.6" is the sweet spot for size, 7" is just a little too big for my liking.
 
stefancolson, can you compensate for the DP6's color skew by calibrating in any way? I would really like to have a monitor that's color-accurate.
 
Gerson said:
So the 7" has a lower pixel density--but does that matter in practice?
Click to expand...

...But the 7 inch model is very bright, much brighter than most monitors under $1K, which should make it easier to use outside. ( even the SmallHD is only 300 nits versus the Marshall's 800 nits )
 
I just received the Marshall LCD-51 with the Sony FP970 compatible battery plate on the back. For under $400 new with a monitor hood, AC adapter, hotshoe-to-ball head stand, included, and features like false color exposure mode, focus peaking, and a nice sharp picture, I can honestly say I'm happy with it so far. More resolution than 800x480 would be nice in a larger monitor size like a 7"+ (like the Panasonic monitor and Flanders Scientific monitors I use at work), but for a 5" screen, 800x480 is plenty, even when using my 50mm f/1.4 or 85mm f/1.4 on my GH2.

I've also rented the DP6 a few times and like it a lot... I went with a cheaper option b/c I didn't see the difference in quality vs difference in price for MY needs. Hope this helps! Happy shooting.
 
Thanks all for the suggestions! After reading this and talking to some local filmmakers, I've decided on the DP6. I just bought it on eBay for $650 with battery plate and batteries included. Should get it early next week. Hoping for the best!
 
You'll love the DP6, but you need to learn the color shift to accurately judge color on it. In my experience, nothing can be done to completely get rid of the warm, slightly muted color cast the monitor has. That being said, once you work with it a few times and learn how what you're looking at correlates to reality it won't be an issue.
 
I see--and that's even after updating firmware? (I read online that last year's firmware was much worse in this regard.)

Well, if I can get used to it as you said, then I can predict what the finished product will look like reliably. That's all I care about. Just don't want to repeat the other night: I was choosing between two slightly different lighting arrangements for an interview. And I recorded a few seconds of each and played them back on the GH2, choosing the one that looked the best. And when I got into Premiere, I found that I chose wrong. Thankfully it's still OK. But it was so frustrating!
 
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