PortKeys is a Chinese company specialized in creating monitors and viewfinders. We first reported about their PortKeys BM5 monitor, a 5-inch field monitor with SDI/HDMI input and output ports capable of controlling your camera. Then, the company released the OEYE-3G and LEYE EVFs, a Universal Handle that can control nearly every camera, and more recently, the PortKeys LH5P that we’re reviewing here.
The PortKeys LH5P features a 5.5″ WLED display with a FullHD 1080p / 1920 x 1080 resolution. The display is a touchscreen that you can use to navigate through the menus (more on that later).
CVP offers free LUMIX 25mm f/1.7 lens (!), free 3-year Panasonic LUMIX warranty, and free accessories with a GH5 purchase.
In late March we first announced that PortKeys, based in China, was taking the leap into the EVF world with their new OEYE-3G. cinema5D caught up with PortKeys team at NAB 2019 for an inside look into the new 0.7″ 1080P OLED display Electronic Viewfinder. All the details are below including pricing and availability.
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 screen has a viewing angle of 180°, a contrast ratio of 1200:1, and a peak brightness of 500 nits. This level of brightness is a little disappointing since it’s way too low to make the monitor usable under bright sunlight. Moreover, it only represents a 50-nits increase over the original F7.
All the other features and specifications, including the display/monitoring tools/mounting points – and so on – will be identical.
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.
However, the resolution of the LH5H is FullHD 1920 x 1080, and it can take 4K HDMI signals. In front of the screen, they use tempered glass to protect the monitor from scratches and the harshness of set life.
Disclaimer: As usual, let me first say that I am not a Portkeys Ambassador. Like every other article on CineD, Portkeys, or any other brand, did not pay us to write this article. However, the company sent us the product to review for free. This review is my unbiased opinion as Portkeys did not modify, influence, or give input about the article before its publication.
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.
The Z CAM E2 follows the “brick” look – like the RED ecosystem – and you will need some accessories to make it work properly. Some third-party manufacturers have started to implement it in their development, like PortKeys with their BM5 that can control the camera.
The currently retails at Amazon for $89 with by using this discount code at checkout: Y2DWYGBM. The special offer ends on October 5th,2021, at 23:59 PDT.
With these upcoming firmware updates, the Ninja V will be capable of recording ProRes RAW HQ/ProRes RAW at up to 4K60P from the HDMI port of the E2. According to Atomos, “additional frame rates will be added in the future.” Your footage will be recorded onto affordable AtomX SSD mini SATA drives in the Ninja V.
Anyone who has ever set foot on a film set likely saw a half-dozen actors and crew members standing over a camera operator’s shoulder, watching the shot through a screen attached to the camera.
The new monitor has a 7-inch touchscreen IPS display with a maximum resolution of 1920×1200. The 16:10 aspect ratio provides some extra vertical space for monitoring tools.
It is powered via a single Sony NP-F style battery, and you can use the power output of the BM5 to feed your camera via a dummy battery. Also, you can power it with an external battery by using the Lemo port on the monitor.
The new Z CAM E2’s will be available in October 2019. To me, pricing is impressive, for cameras with that many features:.
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.
As a filmmaker, I usually stand by the saying, “you get what you pay for.” So I was pretty surprised with the number of included accessories. Inside the case, you’ll find:.
The PortKeys LH5P retails for $399.00/€449.00, and it is available now. Compared to other options in the market, I’ve been really impressed, and it’s a solid daylight-viewable on-camera monitors for under $400 if you don’t need SDI input/output ports.
The LH5P has a built-in camera control module and can control various camera via a cable or wirelessly for BMPCC 4K/6K users. The LH5P can connect to your camera via a cable, and Z CAM, Canon, Sony, Panasonic, Blackmagic cameras are supported at the moment. In short, with the LH5P you can adjust your camera settings, trigger recording, and even pull focus without even touching your camera!.
I think that the can unleash its full potential if you’re shooting indoor. Also, if you’re usually doing live streamings or even professional-looking online meetings, it could be the perfect tool for you at a very reasonable price.
The fact that the Black Mini is a lightweight on-camera monitor makes it a lovely experience if you’re operating handheld or on a tripod/gimbal. It doesn’t add too much weight nor bulk to your setup, which is nice.
Second is to use the dedicated 7-24V power input port, which is ideal if you want to power it of a V-Lock/Gold Mount battery.
However, I found the small dividers not high enough. When you have small items (batteries or memory cards, for example) in a tiny space separated by a partition, they tend to move around in your bag, get out of their dedicated space, and end up hitting other items inside the bag.
This is not that bad on the LH5P, and even at maximum brightness, the image remains viewable and usable. Keep in mind that this is a budget-friendly monitor, so comparing it to the big boys doesn’t make sense.
you have the time to write regularly – people with full-time jobs should check if they can find the time to write regularly.
As Jarred said, RED shipped the first batch of pre-stormtrooper Komodos in custom colors to few lucky customers. The first color seems orange to me, but RED calls it “Grossman Gold”. Every batch of these pre-release cameras that get shipped out will have a different color. It seems like the next one will be yellow.
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.
This interesting bundle includes the newest APS-C mirrorless camera FUJIFILM X-T4 (our review). With its 26.1MP sensor, the camera can record up to 4K 60P uncropped video in 10-bit in F-Log. It offers nice ergonomics, good IBIS, and flip-out screen. The bundle further includes the 5″ 1000nit monitor/recorder Atomos Ninja V and SanDisk 128GB 300MB/s SDXC memory card.
In essence, you could use your smartphone instead of a monitor if you accept some lag between the recorded and image view.
proficiency in filmmaking – you know your stuff in one or more areas of filmmaking (producing, editing, directing, cinematography, post-production …).
Indeed, the Volta36 batteries are 36Wh/5A batteries; that’s a lot of juice in such a small package. In the graph above, you can see the capacity to weight ratio compared to other battery solutions.
A few iterations later, after much trial and error, testing, and sleepless nights, my vision came full circle and the handle was launched in August. Since then, the product has seen some solid improvements, including the custom pins (found inside the handle) which can now ensure 5A output, and the custom cabling for the batteries which reduced the internal resistance resulting in minimal heat output and longer recording times.
The BM5 III WR is now a little bit bigger than its predecessor, with a 5.5″ display compared to the previous 5.2″ one. Also, the monitor features built-in monitoring tools, including:.
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.
According to the company, they had to use “an off the shelf 0.8A x1 or 0.6A x 2 PCB for the charger to sit within the Micro USB specification (2.1A x 5V = ~10W total, minus the loss in efficiency).” This results in long charging times. To fully charge two batteries, it took me close to eight hours.
Unfortunately, after the rolling shutter, the next disappointing fact was revealed: by the way how the stops are distributed in the Z-Log2 profile (which is the obvious choice for highest dynamic range readings), the noise floor is completely cut off.
We are looking for technical and non-technical writers with expertise in camera technology and film and video post production, as well as “soft” filmmaking topics of where filmmaking techniques are applied.
As I mentioned earlier, the Portkeys PT5 casing is made out of ABS plastic. It feels like good quality plastic, but I wouldn’t want to drop the monitor just to check if it survives.
What I always liked about the micro four thirds format is the possibility to adapt almost any lens, including the option to use a speed booster (0.71x). The speed booster allows the use of Canon EF glass for example, while at the same time increasing the light sensitivity by one stop.
Only the large pocket is closed by a zipper. The two small ones feature soft fabric wings to kind of close them, but tiny items could eventually fall out of the pockets as they are not physically closed.
Also, there is a 3.5mm headphone jack if your camera doesn’t have one or if you want to monitor your audio signal directly from the PT5, which works fine.
The biggest benefit for me is that the Volta Cinema Top Handle removes weight from your rig and keeps it well balanced. Indeed, Sony NP-F batteries at the back of a monitor tend to be clumsy and not heavily enjoyable to shoot with. With this top handle, you feel lighter and gain freedom.
Great monitoring tools, including 3D LUT monitoring, waveform, false color, zebra, peaking, zooming, audio meters, crosshair, framing guides, grids, aspects.
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).
Let’s be clear: the PT5 is not a rental product; it is designed for owner-operators or filmmakers starting out, and at this price point, you can’t complain that it’s not built like a tank that you can throw at walls.
Talking about the bottom of the Flexloader L, there are two rugged bumpers under the dense nylon cover. These bumpers will help reduce impacts when you put your bag on the ground.
So when the new Z Cam E2C arrived I was curious to see if some of the strengths have trickled down to this very affordable model – the Z Cam E2C is currently listed at just 799 USD.
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