Totevision 703HD first impressions

B

benn

Well-known member
Yesterday I got finally my totevision 730 HD Monitor. I bought it at Spytown for 650 incl tax and transport. My first impression: Its a very good relationship between price and quality. The body makes a robust impression and the weight is OK. ( I cant imagine to work with a more heavy monitor on the camera, because it must became very instable with more weight) Inside rooms the brightness is absolute enough and for outside I have the Hoodman sunshade 700, which is OK. The colour is a little bit to much magenta, but I have to make a fine adjustment, probably I can improve that. For focussing it works very good.
A drawback is that the buttons are very tight and have a very bad contact , at first I thought they are jiggered (maybe they are). But than I used the remote control and everything works fine.
The input connector are fine, but I used only the Y,Pb,Pr connectors.
I power it with the tekkeon 3400 battery, but til now I can say how long it works.
More experiences I will collect in the next weeks
Benn
 
Hallo Benn

Ich bin sehr interessiert an Deinen weiteren Ausführungen über diesen Monitor. Halte uns auf dem Laufenden. Danke
_____________________________

And for the rest of the world:

Hi Benn
I'm very interested in your further remarks on that monitor.
Keep us updated. Thanks

Peter
 
Hello Pierre
I have no "setup" yet. I fiddle about the best way to work with. I need for three conditions: Out of the hand, means monitor simple on the camera
2. with DVtec HD rig, I must find out, and on tripod. Therefor I have to buy something for to fix it at the tripod. Suggestions are welcome
Benn
 
OK, after a few shoots with my ToteVision 703HD, I can give some thoughts. Here is a link to some pics of the set up.
http://homepage.mac.com/sunstreamvideo/ToteVision/PhotoAlbum7.html
I purchased the Kit which includes the ToteBag, the long life battery and the shoe for attaching the monitor. Im not certain if the shoe comes standard, but if you get the monitor alone make sure that you request it! First of all let me start by saying that I have used a variety of monitors, including the Marshall. This monitor is not quite the Marshall, but it is not that far off, and for the price I am very very impressed. I looked at the Marshall but I just could not justify the price. For me this is a temporary solution until I get the Panasonic Monitor which I have been fortunate enough to see and it blows the Marshall away.
A couple of things about the ToteVision. It DOES have Blue gun, and it DOES have underscan (just NOT in HD mode) It is plenty sharp enough for focusing, and the color can be tweaked to your liking (although the menu is a bit cumbersome) It comes with a remote which is handy. The ToteBag is just OK, not offering much in the way of protection, but I like the fact that the battery has a fitted pocket. The Battery has been awesome. It lasts 6 hours. I also have the VidLED and its accessories work so very well with the ToteVision. I use HVX Batteries via the VidLED adapter to power the monitor, and I attach the battery to my tripod to keep weight off the camera.
The metal housing is strong and quite light. Unfortunately the BNC connectors are not attached to the housing, but to the board. That makes me a bit nervous, so I use L BNC connectors which I suggest. As far as mounting, there is a plate that you can get to attach to the 4 holes on the back that can then attach to anything, but the shoe works fine for me. You can easily drill two small holes in the top to attach the shoe in order to FLIP. NO, it does not signal flip internally. It is a bargain monitor.
Overall I am quite pleased with this monitor and you just cant beat it for VALUE! Of course, Im still planning on getting the real deal, the Panasonic, but for now this performs well.
 
Thanks for the pics Sunstream. Im also thinking about the panasonic.

Benn, to attach the monitor to the tripod maybe a clamp
and an arm would do the trick. I once did that to mount my macbook to my tripod. It works pretty well. Maybe a bit expensive tought.
 
There are a lot of great monitors on the horizon, thats the main reason I went with the best Value. I didnt spend so much that I'll wish I had waited. The Marshall is way overdue for an upgrade to compete against new monitors like the Panasonic, and the price of the current model will then be tumbling (soon). I went with the safe temporary fix.
 
Good choice. I'm still hesitating. The panasonic is way over budget for me but so tempting.
Btw, were did you get those angled bnc connectors? I'v been looking for those online without luck.
 
Pierre, thats where I thoughjt about, clamps. Did you used the Manfrotto? Or are they only available in europe?
BTW I can agree with my young Totevision experience with everything sunstream wrote.
Benn
 
Yes i use the manfrotto. Also the arm i use is a cheaper version but i could not find the part number. Manfrotto sells all over the world somit should not be a problem. Its a bit bulky tough.
 
That arm is sturdy enough? You feel confident. Im not much for arms, I dont generally like things on my camera unless necessary. Sometimes though it is.
 
I ordered a Manfrotto clamp plus the manfrotto adjustable arm. It will arrive next week, than I can report if its sturdy enough together. The principle seems to be good, because you can attach the clamp as well to the tripod as to a Monopod. I know the clamps, they are really sturdy. Arm cost 125 Euro, clamp 30 Euro
Benn
 
Please help with my Totevision 703

Please help with my Totevision 703

So I tried out my Totevision 703 monitor. Right now I'm not all that impressed and I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong. I feel like the images might look better on my HVX's lcd. I don't find it THAT much easier to focus with the Totevision than using the HVX with Focus Assist, but I had a very hard time getting the color and contrast to be acceptable on the Totevision. I have many questions:
(1) I was using the Y, Pb, Pr connectors that came with the HVX. Is there a better way to connect it? I've noticed that when I select component with the buttons it says 480/60i; I can't get that to change to anything else, and I've noticed that when I press the "mode" button on the front of the monitor nothing ever happens/changes. (2) I tried for a while to get the color right with the RGB balance and tried the PC/Game/Movie modes but I'm confused. The images look washed out to me. What settings are you using? (3) I also noticed that the image is slightly squeezed and I can't change that....
Please help.
Thanks!
 
Yes, I think soarprod gave the right suggestion. I dont have the probs with the 703 like you described. At most I see that the colours are actually a little bit washed out. But I dont think its a monitor for colour correction, its a monitor for focussing and that works very well.
Benn
 
Sunstream said:
There are a lot of great monitors on the horizon, thats the main reason I went with the best Value. I didnt spend so much that I'll wish I had waited. The Marshall is way overdue for an upgrade to compete against new monitors like the Panasonic, and the price of the current model will then be tumbling (soon). I went with the safe temporary fix.
Click to expand...


Sunstream, where did you buy your package, with camera shoe and battery mount?
 
thanks benn and soarprod, that very well might be the problem. I never thought of that. When I'm back to my camera/monitor I'll check that out and post my findings (hopefully, after I kick myself!).
 
I just set up my Totevision and so far it's pretty cool.

I just find it hard to get the best colors out of it as everything looks kinda flat. I was trying to get the image as close to that of the camera monitor, but can't seem to do it. So I may have to use the camera monitor fr color and contrast accuracy and the Totevision for focus and overall viewing.

If anyone has been able to get a kick ass image on the screen, please share your settings.
 
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