Monitor or Samurai

W

WestView Digital

Active member
I have a medium sized jib arm and usually I can operate from underneath the camera or at least move to the front and back of the arm. I have a shoot coming up where I'll be stuck on a scissor lift platform and also putting the jib out a window so it's time to add some remote monitoring.

Do I go with a small monitor like a Marshall (I would probably go with a 7") or spend a little extra and get a Samurai and get the recording capabilities but at the trade-off of size and monitor quality? How long can the cable run be with the Samurai and is the quality good enough to keep an eye on exposure and focus?

I would get the Samurai over the Ninja or it could be used with my EX-1 as well.

I would also welcome recommendations on the monitor but would need SDI so I can use it with my EX-1 as well as my F3.
 
Buy the monitor. As an owner of a Samurai, they are a great tool and great to shoot with but the monitor on it is pitiful. Yes there is an image on it but it is worthless for anything but confirming a solid signal.
 
rmsarver said:
Buy the monitor. As an owner of a Samurai, they are a great tool and great to shoot with but the monitor on it is pitiful. Yes there is an image on it but it is worthless for anything but confirming a solid signal.
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100% agree. I would never use it to judge exposure or focus. I tell clients the second they get near the camera that the Samurai monitor is just for composition and the image will look nothing like it.
 
oh don't worry, they're both on my list... and a matte box and a follow focus and s-log and a nice PL zoom..... not necessarily in that order.
 
With the new 3.0 FW the Samurai is much improved and it seems they even have done something with how the screen looks. Seems punchier somehow and the new functions might make it work as a monitor. I'll try it the next shoot.
 
Get a good monitor and you won't ever regret it. It only hurts once. It's kinda important to actually see what you are recording I think. : )
 
It's still way too inaccurate to measure the picture correctly editmanm, you have to get a good monitor. I am so happy with my set up and the F3 with S-LOG is just produced amazing images..almost laughing there are so good..x
 
editman said:
With the new 3.0 FW the Samurai is much improved and it seems they even have done something with how the screen looks. Seems punchier somehow and the new functions might make it work as a monitor. I'll try it the next shoot.
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Oh.. they released the 3.0 firmware? Glad to see I didnt get a email notification from them since Im a registered Samurai owner. Fortunate for me there is DVXUSER. Here is the link if anyone needs it: http://www.atomos.com/samurai/firmware/

**UPDATE -Spoke to soon, just got a email from Atomos about the firmware update.
 
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