The PortKeys LH5P does have a built-in fan. In the menu, you can set it to low, medium, or high. I left the fan at a “low” setting during all my testing, and the monitor did not get super hot.
First is to put a Canon LP-E6 or Sony NP-F battery at the back of the monitor. Indeed, the built-in battery bracket supports both type of batteries natively, which is very smart and reminds me of the SmallHD 700 series of monitors.
For a while now I have been following the development of micro four thirds cameras. To be specific, I bought my first one exactly 10 years ago, the Panasonic LUMIX GH1.
There are quite a few 5”/5.2” on-camera monitors available on the market, at various price-point. It doesn’t make sense to compare the LH5P to some of the big boys like the SmallHD 503 Ultra bright that retails for eight times the price of the PortKeys.
You probably got it; I’m not a huge fan of the monitor mount, it works ok, but it could be improved to make it perfect.
I loved how lightweight the PT5 is; it weighs nothing with a Canon LP-E6 at the back, so your camera rig stays easy to operate handheld.
Portkeys is a Chinese company that released a full lineup of affordable on-camera monitors and viewfinders with an impressive price/feature ratio in a couple of years only. If you’ve never heard of them before, you can take a look at my in-depth review of the Portkeys LH5P here.
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.
SDI, HDMI and USB inputs are all available on the OEYE-3G as well as both SDI and HDMI outputs. You can send 4K DCI signals at 24 frames per second through the HDMI or 4K UHD at 24/25/30 fps, but the SDI input port is only able to accept 1080P signals at up to 60 fps. The HDMI and SDI ports allow for cross conversion as well.
Any Smart 7 Monitor + Bolt 4K Monitor Module 750 TX connected to the camera with any necessary camera control cables.
The D-Tap output port of the Volta Cinema Top Handle can give you 7.2V with a maximum load of 5A. The company has a full compatibility list on its website.
Also, I had build quality issues with the battery charger, which is entirely made out of plastic. I’m cautious with gear, but after two days, I grabbed the charger by its casing, and it literally opened in two.
Plus it offers Canon’s excellent Dual-pixel AF system. You can take a look at our 1DX Mark III review to know more about it. This set also includes the Canon 24-70mm f/2.8L II EF-Mount lens and Sandisk 512GB 1700MB/s CFexpress card.
We first reported about their Portkeys BM5 monitor in 2019, a 5-inch field monitor with SDI/HDMI input and output ports capable of controlling your camera. The company released an upgraded version, the PortKeys BM5 III WR, that boasts a bigger screen and a couple of new features.
Make sure to check our hands-on and footage article as well as Philip Bloom’s two hour in-depth review of the camera. This bundle will get you the camcorder body with Sony 120GB XQD G-Series memory card and a spare Sony BP-U60 56Wh battery (another battery ships with the camera already).
Finally, there are four functions buttons at the top of the monitor and a menu button plus scroll wheel to navigate in the menus.
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.
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.
Also, there is a 7/24V power input port on the left side of the monitor that you can use to power the Black Mini externally.
The features a 5″ LCD display with a FullHD 1080p / 1920 x 1080 resolution. The display is a touchscreen that you can turn on and off via a long press on the power button.
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.
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.
Edit: the Z Cam E2C offers a gigabyte ethernet connection for control and live streaming, but no multicam synchronization as written earlier in this post and mentioned in the video above – sorry for this mistake – I have deleted the respective passages in the text below.
I got away with around 3 hours of battery life at the maximum backlight setting. To me, this is a decent battery life for an on-camera monitor powered by a small battery. However, if you do the maths, a big Sony NP-F970 battery could theoretically run the PT5 for more than 12 hours!.
Let’s be honest, this plastic sun hood will not get you very far, especially as one of the sides is open. It is hard to put inside the bracket, it barely fits, there are light leaks from all sides… So you have it, it’s not the best design in the world, but at least they give you something that can help a bit.
CVP Buy link: Canon EOS 800D Camera with 18-55mm lens Was: €682.12 Now: €555.26 (Savings: €126.86 – Cashback).
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.
Back on the Function page, you’ll find a little “+” icon on the left. Press it, and you can assign any of the monitoring tools as a shortcut in the toolbar.
The sweeping images we see on movie screen are first visualized by looking through a camera, but the second step before anything rolls is to view them through a larger monitor.
The PortKeys KeyGrip has been shipping for a couple of months now, and filmmakers have been complaining about the lack of a power switch button. Indeed, there was no battery switch, which means the KeyGrip was draining power if you didn’t remove the batteries from the handle.
Panasonic Lumix G9 Camera Body – $500/€159 Discount, Free Accessories, Free LUMIX 25mm f/1.7 Lens, Free 3-Year Warranty.
The LH5P display is color calibrated by Portkeys out of the factory. The monitor is in-factory calibrated using an X-Rite i1 Display Pro colorimeter. In short, it should be pretty color accurate out of the box.
Portkeys recently released a lightweight and very affordable 5″ on-camera monitor: the PT5. With a maximum brightness of 500 nits only, I was curious to see how this HDMI-only monitor performs. Here are my findings.
A good monitor is nothing without great monitoring tools. These tools allow you to judge your exposure, focus, white balance, and so on. This is useful so you can make creative decisions and adjust your camera settings.
If you want to use this camera for live streaming, in a locked-down scenario which is not demanding in terms of dynamic range, it will work very well.
However, Volta Cinema is a small team with only Tudor and his friend Oskar Woinski doing everything with love and passion. In that sense, you can’t judge and compare the product from a startup like a product from the big players of the filmmaking industry.
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.
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.
Temperatures in the Indian jungle would be as high as 45°C, the climate is very dry hence exposing the gear to the bumpy, dusty roads in an open jeep got me a bit nervous. Would the cam and the monitor survive?.
The new Z CAM E2’s will be available in October 2019. To me, pricing is impressive, for cameras with that many features:.
The functions you can control are pretty basic at the moment: start/stop the recording, change your ISO settings, adjust the focus settings…etc. I think this is just the beginning.
Internally, it can record to CFAST 2.0 cards in C4K and 4K UHD at up to 160 fps in H.265. In HD resolution, you can go at up to 240 fps in H.265. In Apple ProRes 4:2:2 10-bit, you can go at up to 60 fps. Finally, in ZRAW (partial-debayer), it supports C4K at up to 30 fps internally.
The batteries have two power connectors (plus and minus) used to charge them and connect to the handle’s pins. Also, there are small coded pins, so you can’t insert the battery inside the handle or charger in the wrong direction.
Pretty much every tool you need is here to judge your image, except Zebras and a Vectorscope, but that’s already decent for an entry-level on-camera monitor.
Key features: 7-inch IPS display, 1920×1200, 16:10 aspect ratio, 500 nits, 1200:1 contrast ratio, 160° viewing angle, 4K 60fps HDMI input and output, Touchscreen , Sony NP-F battery plate on the back to host and power accessories, Support for 50 custom 3D LUTs, Camera power supply , 5V USB-C Power Supply, 4x 1/4”-20 threaded holes, 330g, 175x105x22mm.
The Manfrotto PRO Light Flexloader L is available now for $329.99/€227.35. It can seem like a fairly high price tag, but the price/feature ratio is incredible and you’ll probably have a hard time finding a more affordable solution that offers you better build quality, versatility, and reliability.
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.
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.
Waveform plot of the Xyla 21 stepchart: about 10 stops of dynamic range can be identified. Strangely, the noise floor is cut off by the way how Z-Log2 is implemented – not good.
The promoter reserves the right to amend these terms and conditions at any time and to amend or withdraw this promotion at any time. Not to be used in conjunction with any other offer. Pricing accurate as of 7th August 2020, CVP is using live exchange rate pricing converted from GBP currency. Currency exchange might affect amount payable.
Inside the handle, you’ll find a 0.9-inch OLED display, a built-in LANC splitter (compatible with their BM5 monitor), a remote port, and a motor port to attach to your camera/accessories. The handle is powered via two 18650 batteries located at the bottom, and the display shows you the battery level.
The top flap features three meshed pockets: two small ones (12.5 x 11cm/4,92 x 4,33in) at the top and a large one at the bottom (23 x 17cm/9 x 6,7in).
The lock buckles have a different design from the “traditional” ones you can find everywhere, which usually break quickly. These Manfrotto lock buckles are smooth, and it looks like you only need to get the center part inside for it to engage. It’s hard to describe, but a picture is worth a thousand words.
Chinese monitor manufacturer PortKeys just released a new budget-friendly monitoring solution to its lineup: the PortKeys LH5H. If you’re new to PortKeys products, we already reported about their BM5 5″ HDMI & SDI monitor, OEYE-3G EVF, or, more recently, the PortKeys KeyGrip handle. I’ve been using the extremely bright (2200 nits) PortKeys BM5 II for several months now, and it quickly became my go-to on-camera monitor.
The Z CAM E2 also offers an HDR mode, where it captures a second image with an 8 times higher shutter speed for the highlighted part and merges it into one video frame (to increase the dynamic range by additional 3 stops).
An 8+2 FRC panel is less expensive for manufacturers to produce, as it’s based on a “software trick” to simulate 10-bit on an 8-bit panel. I’m simplifying things here, but keep in mind that even some of the most expensive monitors from SmallHD or Atomos (except NEON) use the same technique.
Once you fully open the two main zippers, you access the 26.5L interior to store your camera equipment. The first thing you’ll notice is that the bag flap opens entirely. Some like it, while others prefer latches to prevent the flap from touching the ground; it’s a matter of taste.
The Chinese manufacturer PortKeys is starting to be well-known for making affordable monitoring solutions for filmmakers with a lot of built-in monitoring and camera control features. We first heard about the company with the fully-featured BM5 monitor that can control your camera, then more recently the LH5H that is HDMI-only which we are currently reviewing – stay tuned for more info about it.
DJI Osmo Pocket is the smallest Osmo yet. It combines camera with a 3-axis gimbal and fits literally in the palm. The camera still offers up to 4K 60fps video recording. Make sure to watch and read our DJI Osmo Pocket review for more information.
Also, one thing that I found annoying is that the display catches fingerprints quickly. It means that you need to clean your monitor very often, which can be annoying.
What do you think of the PortKeys BM5? Do you think the camera remote functions are useful? Let us know in the comments down below!.
In short, blacks are not black anymore, but more on the grey side, and the picture starts to be a little washed out. On the , even if it has a “low” maximum brightness of only 400nit, you can see that the image shifts quite a lot when the backlight is at 100%.
There is not a ton of competition in this price range, and the only product I can think of is the Zacuto ACT EVF Pro that retails for $499 and has far less features.
The display uses WLED backlight technology, and the panel itself has a contrast ratio of 1000:1. It is worth mentioning that the PT5 has a 10-bit (8+2 FRC) display, so not “true” 10-bit, even if very few monitors are real 10-bit.
The offers you three 1/4″-20 mounting points at the bottom, top, and right side of the monitor. I think that it is enough for an on-camera monitor, even if, as always, I would have preferred 3/8-16″ mounting points with ARRI locating pins, which are more versatile.
Edit: Phil Holland was kind enough to share with us a download link for footage taken with his new camera. You can obtain it by clicking here.
This feature is helpful for live streaming purposes, and according to VIDEOGEAR, there is “zero latency, and it supports video platforms like Skype, Facebook, YouTube, Twitch, Periscope, Zoom, and more.” Though I did not test that feature of the monitor.
To know more, you can check some of our previous articles – news post with specs, Johnnie’s review, or Philip’s 75-minute review. In this bundle, you will get the camera body, Atomos Ninja V (which can record 12-bit ProRes RAW with this camera), and SmallRig 3007 Cage.
In October 2021, Manfrotto introduced a new PRO Light camera bags lineup for photographers and filmmakers. So I was very eager to try the Manfrotto PRO Flexloader L backpack for various reasons. First, it is one of the biggest carry-on camera-specific luggage on the market. Also, it’s Manfrotto’s second generation of PRO Light backpacks. So did the company improve what was already an excellent lineup of products? Let’s find out!.
As you can see, the P6 is fully packed with all the essential tools. The only drawback of PortKeys’ monitors is the user interface, which is not the most intuitive near beautiful out there, but it gets the job done.
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.
CVP offers free LUMIX 25mm f/1.7 lens (!), free 3-year Panasonic LUMIX warranty, and free accessories with a GH5 purchase.
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