Manufacturers and Customer Support in Decline

Paul F said:
Atomos voluntarily suspended trading their stock as of late February ...
Click to expand...

They had an executive Harlem shuffle too. Jeromy Young was fired for not being PC enough and then they went woke and now you're seeing the result.
 
CharlesPapert said:
I definitely have my issues with Atomos--like many companies these days they tend to not fulfill all of the promised upgrade path and just EOL them when they bring out a new model. The panels are inconsistent and their calibration interface doesn't work all that well, depending on model. I don't really care for the direction they've gone with the add-on SDI modules in the newer units. I did require customer service about 4 years ago when an HDMI connector was trashed on my Inferno, and I had no trouble reaching them and getting it done. But, that was then and not all that surprised to hear things have changed.
Click to expand...

They just got back to me after three days requesting to capture a video of the problem. Just sent it and crossing my fingers for a solution that doesn't involve shipping the item.

Few months ago, I ran into a problem with the 7" inferno's AC adaptor connector as it keeps getting loose and the monitor gets disconnected. I could no longer use it to loop a signal out as it was not dependable. They where fast to reply and ship a connector replacement which was nice. However, the problem continues to persist and I have to use gaffers tape to make sure it does not get loose. I never liked that design from day one.
 
DLD said:
Convergent Design wants a word with you.

Only if someone could help them locate a time machine.
Click to expand...

Atomos was white hot in those years and they offered really good products for much less money (same with BM, and both had tremendously better marketing than CD, IMO)...just not sure how CD could have survived that even as good as their hardware was.
 
NorBro said:
Atomos was white hot in those years and they offered really good products for much less money (same with BM, and both had tremendously better marketing than CD, IMO)...just not sure how CD could have survived that even as good as their hardware was.
Click to expand...

I think CD went after the mid-to-high end of the pro market, while Atmos went for mid-to-high end of the consumer market. And moved tons of units. But the trend has been fairly obvious - as the removable media got faster and faster and its costs lower and lower, the consumer went for the internal recording. Hypothetically, one could have tried an old JVC solution of recording to four cards simultaneously and then stitching everything in post. But even that isn't needed with the arrival of the CFexpress cards, which suit even the 8K Raw Light on Canon R5.

And most people probably record an oversampled compressed 4K off R5 anyway. Which leaves the aftermarket recorder manufacturers with nothing.

And that's not even counting H265/HEVC and the incoming (already being distributed) H266/VVC.
 
I use an Atomos Shinobi all the time and it's great but I'd easily pay 50% more for something better - slightly bigger (but still runs on one NP-F), more responsive touch screen, faster startup, better colour and consistency, a few programmable buttons. It seems like there is a huge gap between the low end and companies like SmallHD that Atomos could have slipped right into. Instead, they don't seem to have improved anything in the last few years while the even lower-end competition has got better and better.

Edited to add: Does somebody already make what I've just described above? I know there are plenty of 5.5 inch screens (Shinobi is 5.2), so that's the 'slightly bigger' covered - does anything in this category feel like a step up?
 
7in is bigger than 5.5in so im told. Many 7in options.

I consider atomos and smallHD to be rebranded feelword (which is rebranded pong-ho-fuk) maybe with US/OZ writen firmware.

Transvideo do higher level monitors but often are off the tech curve and cost the same as a Mini. They work though.
 
morgan_moore said:
Small and atomos are not upmarket, some may be over priced but neither is upmarket. Everything is a chuck away after 18 months or you are lucky. Small you just chuck away more money.

unparket? https://cvp.com/product/transvideo-9...argate-monitor
Click to expand...

Is there anything you ever bought that you actually liked? Seems like everything you use is a piece of **** for one reason or another. All gear has limitations, but will last for many years if taken care of. Either accept the limitations and get to work, or buy something else. Or invent your own. Those are really the only three choices and it accomplishes nothing to continually piss on almost every peice of gear there is.

Personally, I think we live in amazing times with some pretty powerful and affordable gear. It's never been better.
 
Last edited:
morgan_moore said:
7in is bigger than 5.5in so im told. Many 7in options.

I consider atomos and smallHD to be rebranded feelword (which is rebranded pong-ho-fuk) maybe with US/OZ writen firmware.

Transvideo do higher level monitors but often are off the tech curve and cost the same as a Mini. They work though.
Click to expand...

In the US, smallHD is pretty much THE on-cam monitor of choice everywhere you look. Their monitors are sitting on top of cameras of nobodies like me to Alexa LF’s shooting multi-million dollar movies with A-list actors. Nothing is perfect and even high end pieces of gear can have issues, but you’re about the only person I see constantly bashing smallHD. Your dealer must be giving you the ones that literally fell off the truck. Maybe I have a different perspective, as they are literally(or started as) a local “home-town” company(2.5 hrs away) and I’ve been buying smallHD monitors since the days that you could only buy them directly from them, and service and support are usually pretty quick(I was worried when Vitec bought them, but I can still call and get someone on the phone here in NC). Would I like to see them cost a little less? Hell yeah. But no one else has the combo of image, features and industry acceptance & integration that they do. Also, every smallHD monitor that I own, going back to the first one I bought, a DP-6, well over a decade ago, still works. The only two that have broken, were pretty much my fault, due to improper storage/protection and the screens got cracked. But they repaired them and I put them back to work.

I haven’t seen a Transvideo monitor in the field in a looong time.
 
Doug Jensen said:
Personally, I think we live in amazing times with some pretty powerful and affordable gear. It's never been better.
Click to expand...

Yep. I started out in the Beta days. SD analog everything from tape to CRT monitors. We have an “embarrassment of riches” when it comes to gear today. A kid can grab a DSLR or mirrorless camera for a few hundred dollars at Best Buy, an electronic gimbal and a laptop with free or dirt cheap software and do what we couldn’t do even with $100k’s worth of equipment then. I’m so spoiled now, that it’s almost mind boggling to sit and really think about what we used to work with just two decades ago, It almost doesn’t seem real.
 
Run&Gun said:
In the US, smallHD is pretty much THE on-cam monitor of choice everywhere you look. .
Click to expand...

There's a really good and very in-depth cover story about SmallHD in the March 2023 issue of Film and Digital Times. https://www.fdtimes.com/
Not sure if someone can read it without being a subscriber, but I think any pro who doesn't subscribe to F&DT is missing out on the best source of information there is on pro gear.

I don't own any SmallHD stuff because none of it fits my needs, but they are quite an impressive company with great products. If you're gonna piss on SmallHD then you might as well piss on the whole industry.
 
Last edited:
Doug Jensen said:
Is there anything you ever bought that you actually liked? Seems like everything you use is a piece of **** for one reason or another. All gear has limitations, but will last for many years if taken care of. Either accept the limitations and get to work, or buy something else. Or invent your own. Those are really the only three choices and it accomplishes nothing to continually piss on almost every peice of gear there is.

Personally, I think we live in amazing times with some pretty powerful and affordable gear. It's never been better.
Click to expand...

Good point... Im not against buying stuff with maybe amazing spec and poor after sales service.. you are buying something disposable but if that works it works..

I like proper production tools that will last and have spares and service available for decades .. or cheap and cheerful solutions that may go in the bin. I feel that the mid ground is an extreme dump of cash.

I like..
feelworld monitor (20220- $150, if it breaks after five jobs it was worth it (I do own one)
transvideo monitor $2000 - bought in 2010, it is sd but the quality is that of a proper thing and it will work for ever
sound devices 702 $2000 bought in 2010 .. sound is still more ctrystal than any zoom or tascam
sony lav mics $1000 bought in 2010 perfect
sanken shotgun $1000 bought in 2010 perfect
sachler cine sticks - bought used in 2010 for $300 perfect.. feet rotting a little spares available and bought
arri fresnel - perfect redheads - are what they are.. they still work
canon 70-200
canon 50 1.8
canon 24-70
many nikkor primes
speedbooster
miller arrow head
miller solo sticks - somewhat of a struggle
cstands combo stands, knucles mathelinnis
sigma 18-35
12 vlock batteries 2 chargers
6 bpu batts
nikon stills cameras
70s sachtler head
apple boxes

I live with..
lupo light,s (wobbly dimmer)
apture lights OK so far
atomos shogun - ok so far
c200 - failed ND filter
zcam OK so far bad menu cant get the card out without pliers
r6 - rolling shutter, pico hdmi
Small HD DP1 x 2 - ok for 720 hdmi
canon 10-20
canon 15-85

movi pro.. batteries so bad that they just redesigned them and want $2k for the upgrade. Sketchy firmware updates leave you filming the sky (id give that boy a black eye if I meet him at nab ever)
I finally cracked my movi and got it going off vlock!


I dislike
gh4, (sound delays laggy menu)
Small hd 702 - failed weak sdi, poor joystick**
fs7 - bad lut support, forgets preroll soft HFR terrible playback, crumbling cards soft evf** failed sdi
(in the past 5d2, 7d, fs100, pmw f3.. did not float my boat)

I rebought after they died..
sony headphones

I like but dont own
2/3 sony cameras
box lenses
4.3 zoom 2/3 lenses
cooke anamorphics


**the poor elements of the fs7 'forced' me to get the 702
 
Last edited:
My journey with small HD is notl happy.

I bought 2 DP1 monitors.. the garage made ones. Im using one today and the other works good too

I bought a DP6 for my fs100 and pmwf3.. today it works and has uses

Then the failings of the fs7 - pixelated punch in, minimal lut support 'forced me' to buy a DP702.*

The sdi failed (a well documented design fail, changed on later versions) on this monitor and the joystick is pretty random and was from month two of owning.

I tried to bring these up with Dale but he was in the middle of taking the vitec dollar and some british hilbilly (who pumped $5k into his startup) was not on his radar.

Leaving me $1000 down with a very sore spot.

The small HD 'pages' software is excellent (if your joystick works!) and will f..k you if your joystick is bust as I programmed my 'page one' to be all about sound (no vision)

Ive seen some Small monitors on set and they seem now to have a 'second tier' of monitors that do look well built.


*sony psf dint sing with the dp6
 
Last edited:
I have a Panasonic UX90 camcorder used for 5 years and treated very well, but the main dial is starting to not respond. You can scroll up but not down. It the only way to scroll through the menu and set the gain. I'm going to have to pay (300- $500+) to fix that dial otherwise I could lose control of the camera on an important job.
 
Last edited:
then there is the list of thinkgs that I neither like or own :)
c70 - no hole to look through in the sun
fx3 30 - no hole to look through in the sun
any xlr box on top of the cmaera
any hdmi lead that is micro
any hdmi lead that sticks out the side (all mirrorless)
any camera without two holes in the bottom (all mirrorless)
fx6, audio top handle
fx9 - oversized and overpriced, dated tech
all sony fx - evf lead too short and fixed
sony volts in plug - odd size
canon volts in plug - odd voltage
anything with a 1/4 thread and no pin locator
any handycam that starts tighter than 28 FOV equiv
any canon where manual focus is a menu dig
any auto iso easily engaged
the relationship beween hfr, ntsc pal and resolution in menu
any mirrorless that switches off the touchscreen when hdmi plugged in
XLR mess of f5, c100, c300ii, zoom recorders mirrorless cams
any videocamera without ND
all plastic top handles
any battery without a built in tester
wired headphones
wireless headphones with a frame delay
any monitor with a frame delay
any waiting for the menu
any monitor whose leads stick out the side
any 'set' of lenses that doesnt have 75degree fov as a wide
 
Last edited:
Page OS really makes a lot more sense and "sings" with touch screen monitors vs. the joystick only controlled versions.
 
Run&Gun said:
Yep. I started out in the Beta days. SD analog everything from tape to CRT monitors. We have an “embarrassment of riches” when it comes to gear today. A kid can grab a DSLR or mirrorless camera for a few hundred dollars at Best Buy, an electronic gimbal and a laptop with free or dirt cheap software and do what we couldn’t do even with $100k’s worth of equipment then. I’m so spoiled now, that it’s almost mind boggling to sit and really think about what we used to work with just two decades ago, It almost doesn’t seem real.
Click to expand...

And somehow it manages it keep getting cheaper.

I agree with Sam that there are a lot of design flaws to different pieces of gear that could probably have been improved without making the unit more expensive.

Nevertheless, you can do an awful lot for an awful little these days. And, considering the fact that Sam lists Canon photo lenses in his list of likes which some people (not me) absolutely avoid shooting video with, i feel like a lot of his quibbles come down to which workarounds he's not personally willing to work around.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top