Sony: A9, A7 II, A7 III, A7 IV (from their website – yes, this camera doesn’t exist yet!), A6000, A6300, A6400, A6500, RX100, RX02.
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.
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%.
The Portkeys PT5 is passively cooled, so it does not have a built-in fan. Also, it means that the monitor doesn’t make any noise when it is on.
DJI Osmo Action is still a relatively new product and it is the most serious contender to the GoPro. It is a very capable action camera with 4K 60fps video recording and brilliant stabilization. Even better then Hero7 Black’s HyperSmooth – here is our comparison of these two cameras. Make sure to also watch our Osmo Action review.
The PortKeys BM5 camera remote functions are compatible with the Z Cam E2, Sony/Canon/Panasonic cameras. Full list below.
payment is based on the amount of articles written and on success and reach (not a full time employment, it’s supplemental income but has the potential to become a considerable sum that you can profit from long-term).
The display has a resolution of 1920 x 1080. It is a touchscreen with a maximum brightness of 2200nits and a contrast ratio of 1000:1.
The buttons on top of the monitor are a bit rigid and clicky too. The battery fit at the back of the monitor is smooth, tolerances are good, and both Sony/Canon batteries go in and out smoothly; no issues here.
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.
Other than the sensor upgrade, all the features are the same as can be found in the original Z CAM E2, including the same 10bit ProRes recording to CFast cards. Z CAM only published the spec sheet for the 6k S-35 version that you can check out below. On the recording format front, the company will support internal RAW recording via a firmware update soon. More details will be revealed at the end of April.
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.
Optimize the ratio options in the guide function, automatically adapt the deformation function, and add three ratio modes of 1:1, 16:9, 6:19.
CVP Buy link: Panasonic LUMIX G80 Camera with 12-60mm Lens Was: €609.02 Now: €525.88 (Savings: €83.14, Free 25mm f/1.7 lens, and Free 3-year warranty).
The LH5P is powered via a Sony NP-F battery, but you can use the USB port to feed the monitor from a V-Mount/AB external battery as well as a battery bank.
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.
Also, it gets very very hot and is quite power hungry. I used the “low” setting for the internal fan to avoid picking up the sound on video.
Moreover, a NATO-type clamp has been added to the bottom, which provides better flexibility when rigging the monitor. The NATO clamp also allows the screen to be attached to a handheld bracket: a great option for a run and gun director’s monitor setup. Four 1/4”-20 threaded holes on the body provide even more mounting options.
Not all monitors are created equally, and the quality of the display behind them may vary significantly. A great on-camera monitor must be as color accurate as possible and as close to “what you see is what you get” as possible.
Like most on-camera monitors (the ones that are not OLED), especially daylight-viewable ones, if you crank up the brightness, the display tends to lift the image’s black parts. In short, blacks are not black anymore, but more on the grey side and the picture starts to be a little washed out.
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. On the PortKeys LH5P, here are the built-in tools:.
The comes in a compact cardboard box. Nothing exciting so far. Once you open it, everything is neatly packed, with no space wasted. It’s the kind of box that is impossible to re-pack once you’ve opened it and taken the products out. Interestingly enough, the monitor doesn’t come with a case to store it in.
The first bundle includes the full-frame mirrorless camera from Panasonic – the LUMIX S1 (our Review, our Lab Test). With its 24.2MP sensor, the camera can record up to 4K 60P cropped or 4K 30P uncropped video. It offers nice ergonomics, good IBIS, and relatively clean images with high ISO. It even became our camera of the year in 2019. The bundle further includes the Sigma MC-21 adapter and Sony 120GB XQD G-Series memory card.
Chinese manufacturer Portkeys is well-known for creating innovative on-camera monitors and viewfinders with very aggressive price/feature ratios. For example, they recently released the Portkeys BM5 III WR that can control the RED Komodo and is now RED Approved. Also, I reviewed their Portkeys LH5P monitor earlier this year, a monitor under $400 can control your camera.
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.
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.
The Volta Kit is available now and includes the top handle, two batteries, a battery charger, and a NATO rail for €140.00. The monitor mount will cost you an additional €40.00. You can purchase an extra pack of Volta36 batteries for €50.00.
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.
Out of the box, the colors and images coming out of the PT5 are extremely good, and I would say close to being 100% color accurate. I only lowered the saturation by 3-4, and that’s it. I was delighted by what I saw, and I would not be that surprised if Portkeys calibrate each monitor out of the factory. The image is crisp and clear, which is impressive for an entry-level product.
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.
However, I was a bit worried about a possible short inside my camera bag between the batteries and whatever metal object they could hit. Volta Cinema told me that:.
This update makes the Z CAM E2/Atomos a very capable lightweight combo capable of shooting 4K60P ProRes RAW for just under $2500.00, which is incredible. (Our friend and colleague Philip Bloom shot a short piece with this new setup. You can view it by clicking here).
It has been more than two weeks since our last RED Komodo Update article. I have to say things are getting much faster around Komodo now since the first customers got their cameras and there are first hands-on tests with sample footage emerging. The best places to follow the latest news about Komodo right now are Jarred’s Instagram account, Komodo Section on REDuser, and RED Komodo Facebook group.
The biggest improvement over the original F7 is on the back of the monitor: a Sony NP-F style battery plate can now host and power a wireless video transmission system compatible with this type of batteries.
If your monitor colors are incorrect, you won’t see your footage how it really is. 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.
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.
In the photo above, you can see that the PT5’s case is bigger than the one included with the Portkeys BM5 III WR (pictured) or the LH5P. That was one of the main complaints I had with these previous small cases. Indeed, you could only store the monitor inside, which is a bummer, as you’ll always want to carry at least video cables or some accessories along with your monitor.
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.
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.
And that’s it. It is not an overly-complicated bag with tons of zippers and pockets all over the place. Instead, Manfrotto decided to keep things simple, and it just works perfectly.
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.
To charge batteries, all you have to do is slide them into the battery charger. The pins inside the charger will align with the battery connectors, and it’ll start charging. However, the batteries are not locked into place in the charger.
The fan is quiet; you can hear it when you start the monitor because it’ll kick in at maximum fan speed for a second. But, once the monitor is on, you’ll have to put your hear next to the exhaust vent to notice it at low speed, and even an on-camera microphone would have a hard time catching it.
First, there are two small expendable pouches, one on each side. I have issues with this kind of tripod pockets most of the time, as they are small. To give you an idea, they barely fit a Peak Design Travel Tripod, one of the most compact camera tripods you can get.
The PortKeys LEYE is not the company’s first try at making an EVF. Indeed, last year, they released the OEYE-3G EVF with SDI/HDMI input ports and a very high 1080P resolution.
To give you an idea, one of my Manfrotto Reloader Air-55 Pro zippers died two years ago. I sent it back, and they quickly sent me a brand new roller bag free of charge to replace it. That kind of service what professionals are looking for.
This PortKeys BM5WR professional-grade monitor is the gold standard for outdoor shoots, with an insanely bright 2200-nit screen and a 1000:1 contrast rating. Those specs ensure flawless colors, and it comes equipped with a multitude of monitoring tools used for setting exposure.
Z Cam E2C cinema camera rigged up with a monitor (Portkeys BM5) and a ZOOM H2 (not visible, behind the monitor) for audio capture via the 3.5mm input.
If you remove the pouch that comes with the bag, you can put a monitor – in this picture, the PortKeys PT5 that I reviewed here – and some SSD hard drives.
Then, you can clip the sun hood in the brackets, and you’re ready to go. The quality of this sun hood is okay, but I’m not sure it will last very long, and you’ll have to be careful with it.
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