Two ways to mount the EVF on your camera/rig: a built-in NATO rail and three 1/4″-20 mounting points with ARRI locking pins. All the mounting options are at the bottom of the LEYE II.
If you ever been in the market for a 3rd-party electronic viewfinder, you probably know that there is not a lot of options out there.
B&H Buy link: Canon EOS Rebel T7i Camera with 18-55mm Lens and Accessories Kit Was: $899.00 Now: $649.00 (Savings: $250.00).
CVP Buy link: FUJIFILM X-T30 Camera Body Was: €827.09 Now: €680.96 (Savings: €146.13 including Cashback).
Overall, the PortKeys HS7T Metal Edition seems to be designed to meet both focus pullers’ and director’s needs, even though it would have been great to see an even brighter 7” option from this company. We’ll probably have to wait a little longer for that. Meanwhile, the PortKeys HS7T Metal Edition is available for purchase on the PortKeys website. Retail price is $399.
As I already mentioned, the screen is hard to see if you’re shooting outdoor. But, on a cloudy day, it can get the job done with the included sun hood.
The two included straps are made from nylon and metal and are high-quality; you can easily trust them to hold a bit of weight.
At the back of the monitor, there is a Sony NPF-style battery slot to power the monitor. As I mentioned, you can use the USB port to feed the monitor from a V-Mount/AB external battery as well as a battery bank.
Last but not least, there is one user-assignable Function button to turn On/Off your favorite tool quickly; that’s great. But, to activate/deactivate all the other non-assigned built-in tools, you always have to go inside the menu, do your thing, let the menu disappear, and so on. It is a bit of a letdown if you’re often switching between different tools, which is a bit of a disappointment and can slow you down.
On the left side, there is a standard ARRI Rosette, the USB port, and the On/Off switch. At the bottom, you’ll find two 1/4″ holes for mounting purposes, and the diopter adjustment dial.
Also, Manfrotto put two thick rubber reinforcements/locking holes on the front and one on each side to create a tuck-away strap system.
The Volta Cinema Top Handle design is pretty “simple,” minimalistic, and I like its elegance. It consist of two main parts: the handle that doubles as the battery compartment, and a mount with the NATO rail and D-Tap port.
Now, this was a major deciding factor for me to take the Z CAM E2 cinema camera on my trip – 4k DCI ProRes HQ in a small but durable package – despite the risk of taking a new, unknown camera with me I just couldn’t say no.
As a bonus within this accessory kit you will also get a SanDisk 32GB SDHC memory card, and Lowepro shoulder bag.
Buy link: Canon EOS R6 Bundle Was: €4.061,14 Now: €3.916,32 (Savings: €144,82).
On the left side, you’ll notice the USB input/output port. You can use this port to load your own LUTs to the monitor’s memory. Also, this USB port doubles as a “streaming out,” which means you can connect the monitor to your computer that will recognize it as a webcam.
However, the sun hood blocks the sunlight pretty effectively, there are minor light leaks on the edges, and it’s quick to set up. It’s definitely nice to have it in the package!.
The stickers were a bit of an afterthought when we realized not many of the clients were actually watching the video guide before using the handle. It has resulted in a couple of instances where the battery was forced in the wrong way, and it broke the pins (which is also why we provide the supplementary set).
I think the Black Mini has a tiny little fan on the inside that you can only hear if you put your ear at the back of the monitor. In short, you won’t hear it, and the monitor is 100% silent.
The Volta36 batteries can’t be charged through the top handle, so it comes with a specific battery charger. As I mentioned earlier, the charger has a micro-USB port so that you can charge the cells via a USB wall adapter or even a power bank.
B&H offers additional free accessories (SanDisk 32GB Extreme PRO SDHC UHS-I memory card, Corel PaintShop Pro 2020 ultimate license, and Ruggard Journey 24 DSLR shoulder bag).
In terms of direct comparison, the Soonwell PH70 battery handle retails for $279.00; it has double the Volta Cinema Top Handle’s capacity, but you can’t change batteries, and it is a lot bigger. Plus the Soonwell handle we have at our CineD headquarters can’t be turned on or charged anymore after it wasn’t used for about three months. For the price, it’ll be hard to beat the Volta Cinema option.
B&H Buy link: Sony a7R II Camera Body with Free Accessories Kit Was: $1,798.00 Now: $1,398.00 (Savings: $400.00).
An external camera screen or on-camera monitor takes the video and audio signal from a camera and displays it on a separate monitor. The two most common systems to send those signals from your camera to the monitor are HDMI and SDI.
RED Komodo is the new Super 35 6K cinema camera that features a very small form factor. RED shipped out the first batch of custom-colored pre-release cameras in Grossman Gold color. The first hands-on tests and sample footage from Komodo users as well as first accessories are appearing.
At the rear of the monitor, you will find the battery plate to power the PortKeys P6. The design of the battery plate is similar to the SmallHD 701, and you can use Sony NP-F batteries on the left side, or Canon LP-E6 on the right side. Also, you can power it with an external battery via the DC barrel input port.
B&H Buy link: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV Camera Body with Accessories Kit Was: $3,105.24 Now: $2,499.00 (Savings: $606.24).
For more information about the LH5H, you can visit PortKeys’ website here.
In total, you can put up to twelve monitoring tools on the sidebars. Then, when you’re set, all you have to do is press an icon to enable/disable this tool. In addition, you can long-press on a shortcut to change it or remove it from the side.
The new 4K Monitor Module 750 TX, like its RX (receiver) brother, bolts cleanly onto the back of any SmallHD Smart 7 monitor. That means the whole unit then only requires one power source, one input, one mounting point. It functions much more like an extension of the monitor than a secondary unit. If you already favor SmallHD monitors this is great news, but unfortunately it boxes out other manufacturers.
However, the original PortKeys LEYE had one major drawback: you need to power it externally. For example, suppose you have a small DSLR/mirrorless/cinema camera. In that case, you probably don’t want to unnecessarily rig your camera with V-Mount batteries or a power bank only to feed an EVF.
In the end, you’ll probably end up not using the case, which is a bit of a shame. I think most filmmakers would have preferred spending a little extra money to get a larger case that can fit a couple of accessories. But, this is a budget-friendly monitor, so I understand that PortKeys have to save money somewhere, and this is already nice to include a case for the price.
Finally, of course, it’ll also be perfect for content creators on Twitch or other platforms that are doing video games live streams and don’t want/need all the bells and whistles from much higher-end on-camera monitors.
On the night shots, I had to ramp up the ISO to 16000 – I think the results are still OK and usable.
Sony: A9, A7 II, A7 III, A7 IV (from their website – yes, this camera doesn’t exist yet!), A6000, A6300, A6400, A6500, RX100, RX02.
To install it, you have to open the battery compartment and slide the monitor mount in place. Then, close the battery cap, and that’s pretty much it. The fit of the monitor mount on the handle is very snug, and there are no ways to lock it in place.
PortKeys Bluetooth Module for BM5 Monitors Announced – Wireless Control for BMPCC 4K/6K Cameras.
B&H Buy link: Canon EOS R Camera Body with Accessories Kit Was: $2,299.00 Now: $1,799.00 (Savings: $500.00).
The PortKeys LEYE features a 2.4″ LCD screen with an effective resolution of 1440 x 900. The display is 8-bit – which is enough for framing your shots -and has a maximum brightness of 300nit with a 1100:1 contrast ratio.
So, who is this monitor for? I guess the Black Mini is perfect for YouTubers or content creators who are mostly shooting inside. Also, if you’re doing many live streaming events and need a fast/affordable program monitor, it could get the job done.
The same type of battery can be used for the Portkeys BM5 monitor as well which is a big plus, and I needed all the spare batteries for the monitor, as its power consumption was quite high.
There is also a nice Z CAM smartphone app available for IOS (Android still in a beta release), which connects to the camera’s wifi and allows access / display / change all settings as well as providing a full screen image preview with little latency.
Also, the barrel connector should be replaced by a 4-pin power input at the back of the unit, next to the SDI input. Talking about the SDI input: the viewfinder should support resolutions up to 1080p60 via the SDI Input.
In a lot of ways, the Portkeys PT5 reminds me a lot of the SmallHD 501, which is still to this day my favorite 5″ on-camera monitor. It’s compact, lightweight, with good battery life, and it just feels like it’s part of your camera. The good thing is that the PT5 is a fraction of the SmallHD 501’s price, and it even has a way better battery life, but it doesn’t have SDI input/output ports. So you can’t have the cake and eat it too.
PortKeys has now released the LEYE II to solve that powering issue, offering a built-in battery plate.
The PortKeys BM5 top and bottom. The remote camera socket is located at the left of the USB port.
Finally, there is a 1/4-20″ mounting thread, and a USB Type-A port to update the firmware of the LH5H, load your LUTs, or power it.
There are several ways to attach tripods or light stands to the Flexloader.
Also, there is a USB Type-A port at the bottom of the monitor that you can use to power the LH5P via a power bank (5V/2A). If you power your monitor with a Sony NP-F battery, this USB port doubles up as a 5V/1A power output that could charge your smartphone at the same time just fine.
I tried the top handle with a PortKeys BM5 monitor and a SWIT CM-S75F; both are not on the compatibility list but worked just fine. Also, I tried it with my Canon EOS R and did not have any issues.
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