GH2 Lilliput’s new 9.7″ Flagship HDMI IPS LCD Field Monitor

That's pretty big.
I'm not sure how important resolution is in this type of monitor. What are people MOST looking to get out of them? It seems that color accuracy, focus assist, and framing are what folks usually use external monitors of this type for.
Or are there reasons why higher resolution is a PRIMARY concern?
Thanks.
 
Two drawbacks - no SDI input. For a 'professional' monitor, that's a big miss. I'd consider it if it had SDI.

It is surprising that it is only 1024, 600 @ 9". Considering an Ipad is about the same size and has 2048 x 1536.
 
Two drawbacks - no SDI input. For a 'professional' monitor, that's a big miss. I'd consider it if it had SDI.

It is surprising that it is only 1024, 600 @ 9". Considering an Ipad is about the same size and has 2048 x 1536.

First of all, if this is for the GH2 (and that's the section I posted it to), why is the SDI input missing anymore relevant, than for example, the SDI input missing from the Marshall VLCD51 5" for about the same money? Is the Marshall not considered 'professional'? And note, that yes, the Lilliput is low res, but the Marshall is 300 cd/m² brightness and 600:1 contrast, versus 420 cd/m² and 900:1 for the Lilliput... I'd rather take the Lilliput any day, just looking at the specs (of course, I have not tested either in the real world out there, so who knows)... it's the same money.
 
I'm just mentioning that I think it should have SDI as the next step in their line of monitors. I have a Lillitput. It serves my needs. But if this is their flagship product, I'm a bit disappointed that they didn't add SDI. That's all.

SDI seems to add a lot of cost, so that is the likely reason. To have it would likely price the monitor higher than the market they are going after. The same is probably true about the resolution.
 
Resolution is a big draw back here I can agree with. As for the SDI, they usually do have that model. It is up to buyer to include or not just like their other models. The addition of SDI can be included at extra charge that could cost another USD 100 based on my experience with their other models.

Have anyone tried the NEXUS 7 with the DSLR app with GH2? Like this guy :
http://youtu.be/N6QlT-e_hlE?hd=1

Interested in jumping into Tablet PC for monitor and seems to find a lot of options from the Chinese knock off. However, not really sure whether GH2 android/ mobile apps is up to the challenge yet.
 
I agree about resolution. Just does not make sense to me how so many screens are around in the marketplace and the "pro" video screens have the lowest resolution. This monitor might be a good choice but only if the image is very good. A lot of these monitors have less than accurate color and poor viewing angles. But seriously, in this day and age and we can not even get 720p?

This model does not show up on Lilliput's website either.
 
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As far as needing SDI, many of us would like a monitor purchase to last past the current camera we are using, or use multiple cameras, and are looking for an affordable high res SDI monitoring solution. I also question the low resolution which is unacceptable in this day and age.
 
I think it's more a directors monitor, so resolution doesn't matter.
Directors are used to super crappy SD out from film cameras for years, they don't give a flying rats a... about resolution.
They just want to see the action, performance and framing.

Frank
 
I think it's more a directors monitor, so resolution doesn't matter.
Directors are used to super crappy SD out from film cameras for years, they don't give a flying rats a... about resolution.
They just want to see the action, performance and framing.

Frank

We were used to super crappy SD output from our video taps because that's all there was back then. Times have changed!
 
For what it's worth... I decided to roll the dice on this monitor for a 5D2 and t2i. It just arrived today, so I can't comment other then giving my initial impression, but I still think that could be helpful for anybody else tempted to give this monitor a shot. The res is 1024 x 768... or if you do the math on it... it's the 4:3 aspect version of a 1024 x 600.

My rational in giving it a shot was based on other monitors in the budget price range. Total cost with shipping and international fees was $388... (make an offer of $380 and they'll accept... maybe try $350(?)

Anyway... the displayed image from a 5D2 will not look like it does on the ebay page unless you switch it to pixel to pixel... and of course then you're cutting off a lot of image, which negates it's big screen value for composition.

The manual in the box says it's a TFT panel... this doesn't mean it's not an IPS, as these Chinese companies are often careless about English translations. I'm wanting to see if I can figure out how to tell if it is in fact TFT and not IPS. On that note, I will say the colors are very rich... noticeably so... and the viewing angle is really wide... the colors wash out slightly at extreme angles, but not significantly. I'd compare it to the image from my Panasonic plasma (st series)... which is actually a pretty good compliment.

The peaking feature is very accurate. I was happy to see this, because if you look at any of the videos for Marshall... even the videos Marshall posts... their peaking looks very inaccurate... you'll see things that are completely out of focus still washed with red. CLICK HERE to see a video comparing the SmallHD Dp4 vs. Marshall V-LCD50 vs. Zacuto EVF vs. Sony CLM-V55.

Here's what I notice in that video... yes, I'd say the Dp4 is the leader in all the comparisons... but for peaking... the Sony looks to be just as accurate, however switching to monochrome + red... like the Marshall... and notice the Marshall's lack of precision for what peaks red. You can see this exact same thing with the Marshall's on their own videos. Objects that are 100' away from focus still peak red. Realize this is only one aspect of a budget monitor... and some people don't see the value in this feature. I've been with a cam op that's been in the business for decades... and while he was getting used to the C300 I noticed he checked false color and peaking for each set-up... with a high-end Panasonic monitor. Something clicked for me and I wanted those features (in my own monitor) to be dependable.

I could type a book here... but if SmallHD had the B-Stock deal going when I ordered this monitor... I would have bought a SmallHD. The one thing I'll say about that is one guy I talked to said his Dp4 overheated fairly frequently. I hadn't heard this from many people... but I didn't ask many people. I just read everything I could online (like you probably are right now).

The risk in trying a higher end version of a lower end monitor is obvious... but a B-Stock DP6 has no warranty on the panel... so? How much else about a monitor do you need a warranty on if not the panel? (yes I know there's more to it, but the panel is the most fragile part of the whole thing).

Would I rather roll the dice on a SmallHD with no warranty or a Lilliput IPS(?) with no warranty?(they say 1 year, but I wonder what kind of service you get... doubtful). Like I said... SmallHD threw that offer out 2 days after I ordered this one... but, in fairness to this monitor... it looks really nice. The image is nice with really rich colors... and the viewing angle is very wide.

That aside... the screen is very shiny (bad)... and of course the overall build quality is no where near the full-metal construction of a SmallHD... or I'm sure many other monitors. The round dials you see on the side look like they're lit, but they aren't... those yellow circles are screened on... and the knobs look like they're the pop-up and push-down kind... but they aren't... they stick out like that all the time.

The four function keys are pre-programmed for all the normal functions... peaking, false color, etc.

If you're comfortable with a potentially risky brand... and are already shopping for monitors in this resolution class... I don't know... on day one it looks okay, but unless you turn on pixel to pixel... you're not getting the real estate that you're paying for. With a wide-screen setting it's equal to an 8" monitor... with 4:3 and "full image" you get 9.7". I knew that going in... and that was a factor for me, because I thought the 4:3 aspect would give me an 8" monitor view with space for camera info to go into the black bars... but it scales it all down within the 4:3 aspect proportionately... unless you set it to fill the screen and accept that some of your frame is cut off. Keep in mind I'm talking about 5D2 and t2i which output 4:3... and if it compares favorably to a similar cost 8" 16x9 monitor... then it's a potential advantage to anybody shooting one of these same cams. Was it a good risk? Time will tell.

I still have a GH13... and I'll run some checks on that in the coming weeks. I hate to type a book about using a monitor with Canon cams in a GH forum... but I didn't feel this warranted a new topic... maybe it does.

One thing's for sure... whether I like it or not... I'll let you know.
 
Hey, thanks for the writeup so far, Matt. Very valuable... as you know many of us are in the same boat, trying to figure out what monitor makes sense - in this case with the GH2, but let's face it, down the road with GH3 and whatever other cams one may have occasion to work with. I know it's only $400 or so, but that's a third of the possible cost of a GH3, so I'd rather not waste that dough.

The question becomes, should one just bite the bullet on a DP6 or go with something else... one thing that troubles me about Chinese gear is sample variation - you may accurately describe your experience, but it doesn't mean I'd get the same experience from buying the same piece of gear... more than once I've seen how you buy the ostensibly same piece and there are massive unannounced changes and substitutions which completely obliterate the whole point of the purchase.
 
If the question is between this or a DP6 then it's a no-brainer... get the DP6. That's what I would have done if I hadn't already ordered this. The DP6 B-stock is $600... 50% more than this... the A-stock is $800... 100% more.

I considered this a budget option... and again, I thought that with the 5D2 output the 4:3 would be an advantage, but like you say... it's not just for one camera. A decent monitor should be good for anything.

EDIT:

At this point I would not recommend buying one of these Lilliput IPS monitors. I'm testing it and it's got some good things going on... but the more I use the unit's "soft" menus the more I'm questioning it's long-term reliability... or possibly even it's short-term reliability. I've had to turn the unit off-on to get some functions to work... and one of the functions... the "safe box"... is stuck at 93%.
 
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