Oct 2012. Your real-world recommendation for a suitable HD field monitor for AF100

B

bengiles

Well-known member
Hi All.

I'm looking at buying a TV Logic VFM 056 as a director's monitor. As it's getting towards the pricier end of things, I just wanted to check with those of you who have found a monitor that's really working for you and the AF100. Do I need to spend as much as £1000?

I'm UK based, so I haven't put the SmallHD DP6 on my shopping list, because of the additional customs duty. Bad call?

Any thoughts welcome, including whether to go for HDMI/HSDI and if it has caused anyone issues running HSDI and not being able to run both the EVF and LCD simultaneously.

Another reason for getting a monitor is to have 1:1 punch in when checking focus - am I worrying unduly about that? We did an interview shoot recently and the DOP accidentally got some soft shots. Luckily we were also running a GH2 as a B cam and that saved our bacon. Are you guys finding the standard focus aid good enough? I love the fact that our GH2 will automatically punch in when you twist the focus ring - really miss that on the AF 100.

Thanks in advance,

Ben.
www.matobo.co.uk
 
I have the TV Logic VFM 056. It's a little small for a director's monitor but I let the director look at it to check frame. It works OK for that. ;) I use it more as an AC monitor as it has 1:1 zoom focus which you don't have on the AF100. I find it invaluable for that. It also has a waveform monitor window which is good sometimes. It's pretty nice. Lots of guys on here use the SmallHD also and it sounds like they like it. Having a monitor like that is mandatory for me with the AF100

I use a 24 inch TV as a sort of Producer's monitor using the SDI for the TVLogic and the HDMI out for that.
 
its kind of strange that u mentioned custom duty for just small hd , its like with tv logic - u think there is no custom duty? if u found local dealer for tv logic it does not mean there were no custom duties.... it was added to your price...... there are also small hd dealers in EU.....

but anyway i think the Marshalls are best for the price!
http://www.marshallmonitors.com/products/monitors/V-LCD56MD/index.html
http://www.marshallmonitors.com/products/monitors/V-LCD70MD/index.html
http://www.marshallmonitors.com/products/monitors/V-LCD90MD/index.html

and its what i ll get as soon i ll decide what new cam i ll go with ....
 
I can't find details of any SmallHD dealers beyond their own online shop. Do you know otherwise? TVLogic have a UK dealer network and I guess they're importing larger volumes, so the price is comparable $ to £.

Ben.
 
I had a Small HD Dp4 and got rid of it very quickly - no focus peaking or zebras meant that it didn't work for me at all. I may be wrong, but I think the DP6 is the same. Don't bother with a cheap one, they just don't work for focus (I've tried). The TV Logic is good, and the Marshalls are OK, but power is an issue with them I think. Prokit in Chiswick have them, it's worth going along to check them out.
 
Thanks for the answers so far. Looks like discussion about import duty may have killed this thread.

Let me add a bit more context to the question. My main expertise is in post production and my credentials as an editor are pretty sound. I've got a good idea of what I can do with a video signal and how far it can be stretched in the grade etc.

So, I'm trying to get my head around the AF101. The last time I was regularly using a video camera was 1991 - a Sony M7 with a BVU150 Hiband SP recorder. Back then, we ran it through a 9" Sony 9020 monitor, set up on the bars, wysiwyg.

I spoke with a UK dealer for Ikan and TV Logic yesterday. Unfortunately, the prosumer revolution seems to be killing off good AV dealers. It always feels like I'm talking to a spotty 12 year old who hasn't a clue. They also don't keep stock, so there's no point me jumping in the car and driving 350 miles from Cornwall to have a look and work it out for myself.

Hence this thread. The 101/100 is a cheap camera, I'm shooting low budget stuff on it, so £1000 for a monitor is a nice to have.

Ultimately, I want to be able to just get a reasonable idea of what's being recorded to what seems to me to be a relatively fragile codec/dynamic range combination. I'm not concerned about absolute colour faithfulness, just the confidence that what's being recorded is easily within a sweetspot where minor colour-correction will sort it out, prior to proper grading. And the ability to punch in 1:1 for focus checking.

I know the TV Logic 5.6 or 7 is a viable (expensive for us) fall back option, but is there anyone out there in a similar situation to us, using a cheaper Lilliput (or similar) monitor and working confidently with their AF100/101 with a good idea of what they'll get in the edit?

Ben.
 
groveChuck said:
Marshall V-LCD56MD, $799 US:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...ssible&p=1986225967&viewfull=1#post1986225967
Click to expand...
The marshall is nice as Gchuck states. I have the Ikan D7 and just LOVE IT. Has all the tools I need, and great res. HDMI and SDI inputs/outputs. The thing with monitors is that they tend to outlast the camera. So a good one is a buy once thing. I've said it before, "buy cheap, buy twice". Monitors defiantly fall in that category. If you spend $400-500 on some less featured monitor, you will end up buying a more featured one sooner than you think. And you just wasted that money on the cheap version that you could have put into one that will last you years. A good monitor with packed features will also improve your images. My Ikan already has shooting on my AF100, xf105, and 5dmk3 just by using the exposure tools built into the monitor.
 
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groveChuck said:
Marshall V-LCD56MD, $799 US:
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthrea...ssible&p=1986225967&viewfull=1#post1986225967
Click to expand...

I have the 9" version of this and love it in every respect but one. As someone already mentioned, it is a POWER HOG. In my experience, if your battery indicates 2 hours + left when on-camera it will be unusable on the 9" Marshall. There's no battery level indicator on the Marshall. It just starts blinking progressively faster as the battery gets lower. I thought the monitor was malfunctioning and called Marshall support. They said that's what the monitor does when running out of power and it's perfectly normal.

With the 9" I'm getting only 15-20 minutes of use out of a fully charged OEM battery before it starts blinking. Of course, once that starts the battery needs changed immediately to be of much use. Which brings me to another battery-related issue. Once you manage to mount a battery, good luck on getting it off. It's not easy. I've found it impossible to do without first removing the monitor from however it's mounted (even on a large Manfrotto Magic Arm) and putting it on a firm surface and then sliding a flat blade under the battery to release a tab and then forcibly pop it out. I use the flat blade instead of my thumb because I got tired of having my knuckles bashed up when that sucker finally came out. I'm not exaggerating. My assistant refuses to even do it again.

Any suggestions for an alternate power source would be welcomed. Looked at some Anton Bauer stuff, but would really like to avoid spending that much money, if possible ($500 + from what I've seen).

Prior to having actual experience with the batteries, I was thinking it was great that I'd be able to use the same batteries for both my cams and the monitor. Unfortunately, changing batteries every 20 minutes or so - especially with the unmounting hassles involved - is just not realistic.
 
Maybe a battery with a P-tap output which you could connect to the monitor through the power input? The battery would not be connected to the monitor but it would be a lot cheaper and have more power.

As a side note, I am very disappointed in the video monitor product selection at the present time. It seems this space does not enjoy the product growth that the computer or tablet arena enjoys. I see resolution and gamut increases for desktop, laptop and tablets with prices falling but having a look through B&H one would think we are still in an SD world with HD on the fringe. Most if not all sub-$1,000 monitors barely have 720p resolution if that. I use a SmallHD DP1X which has 720p resolution and is fine for focus but the color gamut is limited. Purples are blue. One would think with all of these tablet screens being made somebody would make a more affordable pro video monitor with good resolution and color. End soapbox...
 
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I'll say this about the TV Logic, it is rugged. I had it mounted to my Varicam for 12 episodes of a Travel Channel series shooting 90 percent handheld in all kinds of situations and it came through in flying colors.
Buy the protective screen for it, it's money well spent.
 
tflak said:
I have the 9" version of this and love it in every respect but one. As someone already mentioned, it is a POWER HOG. In my experience, if your battery indicates 2 hours + left when on-camera it will be unusable on the 9" Marshall. There's no battery level indicator on the Marshall. It just starts blinking progressively faster as the battery gets lower. I thought the monitor was malfunctioning and called Marshall support. They said that's what the monitor does when running out of power and it's perfectly normal.

With the 9" I'm getting only 15-20 minutes of use out of a fully charged OEM battery before it starts blinking. Of course, once that starts the battery needs changed immediately to be of much use. Which brings me to another battery-related issue. Once you manage to mount a battery, good luck on getting it off. It's not easy. I've found it impossible to do without first removing the monitor from however it's mounted (even on a large Manfrotto Magic Arm) and putting it on a firm surface and then sliding a flat blade under the battery to release a tab and then forcibly pop it out. I use the flat blade instead of my thumb because I got tired of having my knuckles bashed up when that sucker finally came out. I'm not exaggerating. My assistant refuses to even do it again.

Any suggestions for an alternate power source would be welcomed. Looked at some Anton Bauer stuff, but would really like to avoid spending that much money, if possible ($500 + from what I've seen).

Prior to having actual experience with the batteries, I was thinking it was great that I'd be able to use the same batteries for both my cams and the monitor. Unfortunately, changing batteries every 20 minutes or so - especially with the unmounting hassles involved - is just not realistic.
Click to expand...

what u are saying is kind of strange...... what exactly is the battery that u r talking about? the one that gives u 20 mins? what is the capacity? - as i just cant belive it

in spec of your monitor its says it eats - 14.4 Watts , so i expect from my pany VW-VBG6 battery that is 34.6Wh to work more then 2 hours, if its not so - i would return the unit, as its not working properly!

the 5.6 monitor eats 9.6w - so my battery should work more then 3 hours
 
Sorry, anatusa, thought stating it was the OEM battery would suffice. It's the Panny CGA-E/625 which I believe is virtually the same as the VW-VBG6 and is included with both the AF100 and AC160A. And I can only tell you what my experience has been with 3 different fully-charged CGA-E/625s.

Going strictly by specs and power consumption, you may be right about how long that battery should theoretically last in that monitor. To be honest, I've never let it go until the monitor just completely loses power. What would be the point? When it starts to blink it's pretty much useless. And that starts happening after about 15-20 minutes. The fact that Marshall support told me that's what to expect (they may have said to expect 25 minutes) leads me to believe it's not a faulty monitor (from their viewpoint). Whether they're misrepresenting power consumption in their specs may be another matter.

I only spent $22 for Marshall's Panny battery plate so was figuring I'd probably keep the monitor if I could come up with a reasonably priced alternative power supply. If not, I'll be returning it as you suggested. Frankly, I'd be more interested in finding a workable solution (assuming it doesn't cost me a lot) than going through the hassle of returning the unit and being without it. I use it a lot in the studio and performance is flawless using AC.
 
so let me get it straight your battery is not Original Panasonic Battery!?!? right? your battery is some kind of cheap china replacement? and u say it does not work properly? not a surprise at all! probably thats why u have problems with attachment and detachment battery ...... as attachment is never perfect on cheap china batteries! my 2nd China battery has same issues - i have to insert and take it out of camcorder 3-5 times before it starts working..... and if i touch it - it just jumps out!

have you tried your monitor with original battery?

it concerns me as i am going to buy the monitor my self....
 
Wrong...read again. I said the batteries are original equipment (OEM) and "included with both the AF100 and AC160A." They are not cheap Chinese replacements.
 
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