All the significant equipment in your bag won’t move. There are no issues with lenses, cameras, LED lights, and so on. But be careful with the tiny bits.
Finally, there’s an HDMI input port on the right side, above the power inputs, that can take video signals of up to 4K30p. There is no video output port.
CVP Buy link: Panasonic LUMIX G9 Camera Body Was: €1,100.86 Now: €941.78 (Savings: €159.09, Free accessories, Free 25mm f/1.7 lens, and Free 3-year warranty).
And now comes the fun part! Like its big brother the BM5 II, the PortKeys LH5H is capable of controlling your camera. Above is a list of all compatible cameras, and the features you can control via the LH5H.
Another company that announced some Komodo Accessories is KipperTie. They offer a PL to RF mount adapter with a mounting foot. Additionally, the company offers a mounting bracket called Chinstrap for extra PL mount lens support even without a baseplate.
The PortKeys LH5H features a 5.2″ touch screen display with a maximum brightness of 1700nit. Usually, an on-camera monitor with more than 1500nit is daylight-viewable.
From what I saw, it looks like the system is very responsive and not laggy at all. This is good news for all RED Komodo users, who now have another affordable option for wireless camera control via an onboard camera monitor.
Last but not least, the bag comes with a 5-year warranty. You’ll need to register and activate your warranty on Manfrotto’s website. The company’s customer service is incredible, and you can trust their warranty.
I love the fact that it allows high frame rates, ProRes recording, and many more things. Z CAM is definitely a company to watch out for – also, I am curious to see their new APS-C and full frame cameras (S6, F6, and F8) that are scheduled to arrive later this year.
Finding more information about PortKeys as a company is a little tricky as we haven’t been able to locate much information on the web about them, but the EVF does look promising at first glance.
To modify a tool’s settings, you have to hold the icon of the tool you want to adjust in the sidebar and slide to the right at the same time. I’ve been able to make it work, but even with the user manual, it’s not straightforward, and it took me a dozen tries to get to the tool adjustments settings.
The EOS R is the first full-frame mirrorless camera from Canon. It features the new RF lens mount, and 30.3MP CMOS sensor along with a DIGIC 8 image processor. It tops at UHD 4K30 for video recording and the sensor also facilitates Canon’s great Dual Pixel AF system – probably the best autofocus system for video right now. The camera can shoot in Canon Log gamma for higher dynamic range and it can output 4K 10-bit 4:2:2 over HDMI.
Who is this monitor for? I think it can be a fantastic addition to your kit if you don’t need a daylight-viewable monitor nor the built quality of a product you can rent. For owner-operators that are shooting inside most of the time, or people that are making live streams, you can’t go wrong with the Portkeys PT5.
When it comes to storing, transporting, or flying with film equipment, I think the creative world is divided into two categories: those who don’t care and those who are obsessively looking for an even better solution. Needless to say, I fall in the second category.
The PortKeys LH5H is available now for $299.00. At this price-point, and with so many features, this is one of the most affordable daylight-viewable monitor that I can think of.
On the exterior side, there are various buttons/controls to control your camera or adjust your settings. These controls include one customizable three-band switch, one focus wheel, one rec switch, and one nine-way joystick.
If you’re a regular CineD reader, you’ve heard us talk and write about Portkeys – a Chinese company specialized in creating monitors and viewfinders. Indeed, we’ve reported numerous times about their products that feature an incredible price/feature ratio, including their latest Portkeys BM5 III WR that can control the RED Komodo or the Portkeys LH5P that I reviewed earlier this year.
Optimize the camera control interface and functions: improve the aperture display accuracy of BMPCC4K/6K. Fixes an issue where the BMPCC 4K resolution cannot be switched to 4K 2.4:1 4096×1720.
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.
In terms of construction, the PortKeys BM5 is entirely made out of aluminum. In front of the screen, there is a toughened glass in to protect it against shocks. It weighs only 350g, which is relatively light for a rugged field monitor. The BM5 is daylight viewable with an impressive brightness of 2000 nits and a viewing angle of 178°.
Finally, when grading the footage of the Z Cam E2C in DaVinci Resolve using the official Z CAM LUT’s from their webpage (I used the zlog2_LC709A_64_noGain_normal LUT) I noticed very yellowish skin tones – see the image below.
The monitor mount came in two parts. The round piece’s screws had threadlocker which makes removing them really hard, but you have to do it to assemble the monitor mount together.
The team at PortKeys is moving fast, and two weeks after the announcement of their latest P6 monitor, they just released a new product. However, this time they are not back with a display, but with a camera handle. This handle is a new kind of product for PortKeys, but it features the same leitmotiv as their monitors: affordable, innovative, and high-quality.
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.
With a very affordable price of $399, this entry-level electronic viewfinder filled a hole in the market. And, if you have a camera without a built-in EVF – like the Canon EOS C70 or Sony FX3 – it could have been the perfect solution.
Back then it was hampered by a weak codec (Full HD, AVCHD in 17Mbps) and the max. usable ISO value was 400, but the Voigtlaender lenses gave it the full frame look (e.g. the 25mm f0.95), and the hack of V. Kiselev at a later stage improved the bitrate to a stable 25Mbps. All in all, I loved the images – so much that I never sold it….
It is already compatible with the Z Cam E2, Sony/Canon/Panasonic cameras. But, PortKeys just introduced a new Bluetooth Module that pushes the capabilities of the BM5 a little further.
I think monitors like the Atomos Shinobi that retails for a $299 price tag ($100 cheaper), or even the AndyCine A6 Plus V2 do make a better comparison starting point. I worked on a table to compare all three models which you can find below.
During our cinema5D Virtual Show, we caught up with Dan Chung from Atomos to discuss the upcoming Atomos Ninja V and Z CAM E2 firmware updates that will allow ProRes RAW recording over HDMI. The Atomos Ninja V 5″ HDR monitor-recorder has been very popular for Z CAM E2 users because the camera doesn’t have a proper screen to monitor what you’re shooting.
The next bundle includes the newer flagship full-frame mirrorless camera from Panasonic – the LUMIX S1H (our Review, our Lab Test). The camera can record up to 6K 30P or a wide range of 4K modes. It offers nice ergonomics, good IBIS, and relatively clean images with high ISO.
A monitor of this size and weight makes a lot of sense to use with a small and lightweight battery, like a Canon LP-E6 pack (around 50g). With the battery mounted, the total weight of your setup is about 250g, which is not massive on top of your camera rig.
Disclaimer: Let me first say that I am not a Manfrotto Ambassador. Like every other article on CineD, Manfrotto, or any other brand, did not pay me to write this article. However, the company sent me the product to review for free. This review is my unbiased opinion, as Manfrotto did not modify, influence, or give input about the article or video before its publication.
I was also pleased to find a printed user manual (finally!) with everything you need to know to get started and navigate through the menus.
There is a little built-in screen on top of the camera but no “proper” display. You need to add your monitor via the HDMI/SDI ports.
Two little pins inside the handle make the connection between the battery and the D-Tap port. These pins slide back and forth inside the groove when you adjust the handle back and forth.
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!.
On the Portkeys PT5, there are one HDMI input port and one HDMI output port. The monitor supports a maximum input resolution of DCI 4K at 24p, 4K UHD at up to 30p, and FullHD at up to 60p. I tested all three with a Canon EOS R and a Canon EOS C70 and did not have any issues, may it be on the input or output side.
The Portkeys PT5 is available now for $169/€150. Very few other monitors will offer you this many features at this price point, and I can only think of the FeelWorld F5 and Desview S5 to maybe compete with it.
Finally, the Volta Cinema Top Handle has three 1/4″-20 mounting points at the handle’s back. The threading is really thin, and the metal is not thick here. While this is nice to have mounting points to store screws, I wouldn’t mount a camera accessory to it, even if I don’t see it breaking at all.
The next thing I’m a bit skeptical about is that each time you exit the menu and re-open it, you’ll always come back to the first page/first tool. That’s frustrating and I would like for it to stay – or at least have the option – on the same page/tool I just tweaked.
As Phil Holland wrote, aside from REDCODE RAW files, the camera can also shoot ProRes MOV files for quick turnaround. They are available in HQ and 422 for both 4K and 2K resolutions. According to Phil, the camera can’t record both at the same time.
News, reviews, tutorials, how-to’s, you name it – CineD.com is a leading force in the filmmaking tech world and we are forever and always in need of knowledgable team members who also enjoy to write about their passion.
Indeed, a great on-camera monitor must be as color accurate as possible and be as close to “what you see is what you get” as possible. If your monitor colors are not correct, you won’t see your footage the way it’s supposed to be. For example, when a monitor’s colors are wildly inaccurate, you can see orange when you’re supposed to see yellow or red. It can affect how you’ll set your camera’s white balance or exposure, for example.
Our European partner online shop CVP based in the UK decided to celebrate the site relaunch with us and they prepared some great special deals exclusively for our readers. We asked them to include current popular cameras in the bundle so that all the offers are relevant.
These are very good results for a micro four thirds sensor, almost exactly the same as for the Panasonic GH5s (10.7 stops) and coming in second behind the other four thirds cinema camera rival, the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema Camera 4K, BMPCC4k, which has 11.6 stops of dynamic range in ProRes HQ.
Panasonic sells the same camera as G85 in the USa and G80 in Europe, so don’t get confused. This set with the LUMIX 12-60mm f/3.5-5.6mm lens offers great value for the price. B&H offers free accessories (spare battery, memory card, and camera bag) with the purchase. CVP offers free LUMIX 25mm f/1.7 lens (!), and free 3-year Panasonic LUMIX warranty.
I had an enjoyable time using the LH5H in run-and-gun situations, especially with a mirrorless camera. The monitor is light, it has a decent battery life, so it’s perfect for compact camera setups. However, I had a couple of hard times with the UI while trying to adjust some features, but I already mentioned that.
If you click on each tool in the menu, you can turn it on/off and adjust its settings. For each tool, you have various settings, including color, strength, magnification ratio, and so on.
To know more about the video capabilities of this camera, you can take a look at our Canon EOS R review. If you would like to use the EOS R as a B-camera to the Canon C200, check our article on the topic.
The Portkeys PT5 LH5P features a 5″ WLED display with a FullHD 1080p / 1920 x 1080 resolution. The display is a touchscreen and the only way to navigate inside the menus.
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