Which monitor for Canon 7D: Marshall V-LCD50? Ikan VX9? Redrock Micro EVF?

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Nicholas Natteau

Veteran
I am still using my Canon WFT Utility which gives me good monitoring and allows me to control most of my camera functions.

But I feel I will definitely need an external monitor. And I'm just unsure which one to go with.

I'm so far down to three choices:
• Marshall V-LCD50,
• Ikan VX9
• future Redrock Micro EVF eye piece

Which one would you choose and why?

Thanks in advance,

- Nick
 
the 7 kicks out 720p

the two monitors are 480p so you are seeing at half the res you could be

HDMI out of the camera - the lead is dodgy

To rely on a monitor that you cant use the AV out too is nuts

SMALLHD DP6

S
 
Nicholas Natteau said:
OK. What about Marshal's new 5" monitor. Isn't it 720p?
Click to expand...
I believe it isn't, but at that size A) you wouldn't be able to tell the difference without really good eyes, and B) It would make it a LOT more expensive. I believe the new Marshal 5 inch comes with focus assist, peaking, and exposure functions, so even if it doesn't show you the full resolution, it has some good tools to help with getting a proper image. Philip Bloom just wrote about it:

http://philipbloom.net/2010/10/14/trying-out-the-new-marshall-5-lcd-monitor/
 
I concur with the SmallHD option. Very sharp monitor - built like a tank - great support from the company.

I believe the 7D kicks out a 1080i stream vie HDMI. When I connect my SmallHD DP1 it tells me it's getting a 1080i signal.
 
I use the Marshall 7" but would buy the Ikan now because it has higher resolution and weights a bit less, if you use a handheld rig, weight is important.

Does the SmallHD have focus assist (peaking filter)?
 
Thanks everybody. Just read the Phillip Bloom article. For the price, the Marshall 5" sounds ideal. Or does anyone think its better to wait for Redrock Micro's EVF??? Redrock claims its as good as the Red Bomb EVF. I don't know what the Red Bomb EVF's resolution is though. I think I'll go with the 5" monitor.
 
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I don't believe the new firmware is out just yet on the smallHD, for the DP6, as I am demoing one from them right now that does have it, but they told me it is beta. I actually own the DP1x, which as stated, is built like a freaking tank.

I have two shoots coming up that are challenging, so I wanted to put the DP6 through its paces. It has 2 different types of focus assist. Both of them are very different and they both work GREAT! I spent a good hour playing with them with a very fast lens and I was amazed at how fast I could focus perfectly every time. One mode uses over sharpening which is the mode I like best. The other mode darkens the whole image except where the contrast difference is the greatest, this was also awesome as you could watch EXACTLY which edges are in focus much easier. I was totally amazed.

There is a false color mode as well, but I forgot to ask them what the colors indicate, will have to give them a call on Monday.

The monitor is substantially lighter than the DP1x which is what I wanted, and built REALLY REALLY well. The display looks better, and the interface is just plain better, was never a fan of the DP1x setup. They redesigned this from the ground up.

The turn on time is AWESOME and the auto adjust for different outputs from the camera is great. What I am saying is I already know I am going to upgrade to the DP6 with just two hours of use.

Also, they have many different battery plates which is nice.

From all the people I know who've used the Marshall and the smallHD, in every case they've liked the smallHD better, and that was with the DP1x. Granted, this is just people I know, and I still know plenty of people with Marshalls that have never used the smallHD.

Personally, I think the DP6 is just awesome.

I do like the Redrock EVF, but to me, that's a different boat. I like using an external display with/without sun hood because there is more than one person looking at the screen many times. While I am shooting, the director likes to see as well and it's much easier with a nice LCD we both can see.

Here's a perfect example, I'm doing a crazy shot over a doorway with a monopod and the DP1x hanging down. I have it angled so the director can watch as well. (I should say creative director and I am the technical director on this project).

http://www.beatdownboogie.com/blog/2010/10/05/mwgs-part-3-status-report-1/
 
Go with the SmallHD DP6, you won't be sorry. You don't need anything larger than a 5.6" in my opinion. I have compared a lot of different monitors over the last few months.

Marshall = Good quality and reputation, but expensive and not so future-proof. Marshall has been around for quite a while and because of this I feel you pay for more of the name than anything.

Ikan = Less expensive than Marshall, good resolution monitors, newer company. I think the Ikan line of monitors holds an average position in the marketplace when compared with the other offerings, but cost less than most. You won't find any shocking specs with their monitors in terms of features and resolution. Unfortunately my demo failed to power on after only 2 hours of use.

SmallHD = Not expensive, but not cheap. About the most I would spend on an LCD monitor for camera reference. I have used the DP6 and was amazed at the quality of the image. The perceived resolution is much greater than most others because of the native pixel resolution, but also because of the physical size of the monitor. I am also very impressed that unlike the majority of monitor vendors, SmallHD continues to evolve their existing monitors through firmware updates. Not just fixing bugs, but actually adding features. The monitor also has about every type of connection needed, so even if you don't have a DSLR with HDMI, you can still connect it to practically any source. Because of all this, I feel I will have this monitor long after I sell my 7D.
 
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