At the back of the Black Mini, there is a built-in Sony NP-F and Canon LP-E6 battery bracket, similar to the one found on the Portkeys PT5 that I already reviewed. To use a Canon LP-E6 battery, simply slide it to the left.
The FEELWORLD F7 PRO offers several input and output power options. The monitor can be powered using either a Sony NP-F battery or via a 12V DC power input. Moreover, a 5V USB-C port offers an extra power supply option, while an 8V DC output can provide power to your camera.
The PortKeys P6 will start shipping at the end of December, and it retails for $169.00. You can pre-order it on PortKeys’ website, we will update this article with links to B&H and CVP as soon as it becomes available.
CVP Buy link: Panasonic LUMIX GH5 Camera Body with 12-60mm f/2.8-4 Lens Was: €1,616.67 Now: €1,319.83 (Savings: €296.84, Free accessories, Free 25mm f/1.7 lens, and Free 3-year warranty).
As you can see, you need a cable to connect the handle to some cameras. Otherwise, if you are a Blackmagic Design Pocket Cinema Camera 4k/6K user, you can wirelessly control/adjust:.
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.
As I mentioned previously, you can navigate inside the UI via the touchscreen or the physical buttons. But, you can also turn off the touchscreen by long-pressing the power button. It’s nice to have that option if you want to avoid fingerprints on your display!.
Lenswise, I opted for two lenses only: the Olympus 12-100mm f4 for the documentary part (it has great image stabilization), and a Canon EF 100-400mm f4.5 – 5.6 version 1 using a Metabones speed booster for the wildlife part.
Let’s be clear, this new Portkeys BM5 III WR is not a massive upgrade over its predecessor, and most of the main features are the same, including:.
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 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.
If you power your monitor with a Sony NP-F or Canon LP-E6 battery, the 8V DC out port on the right side of the monitor can be used to power other small camera accessories or a smartphone, I suppose. Unfortunately, a D-Tap or any other powering cable isn’t included in the kit, but you can easily find one at affordable prices.
It’s time to talk about my favorite part of the Flexloader L: the straps and back padding. The back padding is out of this world, and even with a fully-loaded bag that is close to 20kg, you’ll not feel it on your back, especially your lower back. It has a firm – yet so comfortable – padding with a mesh design and air tunnels, so you don’t sweat.
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.
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).
The PortKeys LH5P is mostly made out of aluminum with tempered glass in front of the screen. It doesn’t feel like it will break if you drop it, even if I don’t advise you to do so. The buttons’ are plastic, and they feel a bit “clicky,” it’s not incredible, but they’re ok.
If you are tempted by the price to use it as a cinema camera be aware that the rolling shutter means that you cannot shoot handheld footage without a stabilized lens. It’s an absolute must in that scenario.
I’ve used bags, cases, rolling bags, and fly cases from various types and many different brands. The quest to find the perfect storage/carrying solution that combines build quality, storage capacity, total package weight, and functionality is endless.
In short, at least on paper, it seems like the LH5H comes with all the tools you need to correctly judge the exposure of your image and frame your shots correctly.
you’re getting your name out there to thousands of eyeballs, and we can link to your personal site from your name in the news and review posts.
I like that you can still put the TSA lock in its pocket even when your bag is secured. You probably don’t want to catch unnecessary attention by walking around the city with a lock hanging on the outside of your bag.
The Black Mini has a claimed maximum brightness of 400nit, which is not daylight-viewable like every monitor with a brightness under 1500nit. It does not mean that you can’t use it outside with the included sun hood, but you’ll have a hard time in direct sunlight. The glossy display doesn’t help with that, but we’ll talk more about that later in this review.
However, and this is something to keep in mind while you’re reading this entire review, the is only $89, and it’s an entry-level on-camera monitor. At this price point in the filmmaking world, you usually can’t buy many products, especially monitors or products with any electronics inside.
This HDMI-only display features a brightness of 1700 nits, a resolution of 1920 x 1080 that can take 4K signals, basically all the monitoring tools you need, and the cherry on the cake: the LH5H can even power cameras that use Sony NPF-style batteries. Let’s take a closer look at this on-camera monitor on a budget!.
The user interface of the PortKeys LH5P is not its most significant strength, to say the least. When I purchase or review a product, I never read instructions (like most filmmakers, I am assuming), which means a product must be intuitive. I think you should be able to give a monitor to any camera assistant and everybody must be able to make it work without reading a book. That is not the case with the LH5P.
Unfortunately, we were told that this information which the manufacturer gave at the show initially, is unfortunately incorrect. The EVF cannot cross convert between HDMI and SDI, it can only output the signal via SDI if it receives an SDI signal, and the same is true for HDMI.
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.
All in all, I was amazed by this aggressively priced 5″ monitor from Portkeys, which is the company’s “entry-level” monitor. The image coming out of the PT5 is great for the price, and it offers all the tools you need to monitor your signal properly.
Another feature is a gigabyte ethernet connection for control of the camera and live streaming. The WIFI (with the included antenna) of the cam allows the use of the Z CAM app that features a full-screen image view – essentially, if you accept some lag (see the video above) you can use your smartphone as a monitor.
Panasonic Lumix G9 Camera Body – $500/€159 Discount, Free Accessories, Free LUMIX 25mm f/1.7 Lens, Free 3-Year Warranty.
A few days ago, we covered the release of the PortKeys HS7T Metal Edition monitor, with its most exciting feature being a plate on the backside of the device to host a wireless video transmission system.
Phil also tested the Sensor Calibration (Black Shading) with the Komodo. Black Shading is basically a sensor and pixel check while generating a calibration map to counteract a sensor’s inherent fixed pattern noise. For RED DSMC2 cameras it was roughly 1 minute per “K” for calibration (8 minutes on RED Monstro 8K). RED Komodo 6K is faster in this regard – Sensor Calibration was done in less than 1.5 minutes.
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.
Apparently, this design is becoming quite popular. In fact, the new FEELWORLD F7 PRO has a very similar feature, which makes it a good director or 1st AC monitor on a budget. Let’s take a closer look.
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.
Z CAM E2 is a very capable small cinema camera with the Micro four thirds camera mount. It can record in ProRes HQ 10-bit or 4K up to 120fps in H.265 internally. Take a look at our Z CAM E2 review. This bundle with the free PortKeys BM5 monitor and control cable (so the camera can be controlled from the monitor) looks really tempting. Additionaly, the CVP price even without discount is better when compared to other european distributors.
However, if we do some maths: the LEYE II draws around 3W max, a Canon LP-E6N battery has an 1800 mAh capacity and a 7.2V voltage, so you should get a little over 4 hours of runtime (V x Capacity / P = 7.2 x 1.8 / 3) with one battery, which is fantastic.
But, the real advantage of the BM5 over its competitors – other than the incredible $499 price – is the control port at the back of the monitor. By connecting the monitor to your camera, you can control various functions like start/stop the recording, change your ISO settings, adjust the focus settings… etc.
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.
The currently retails at Amazon for $89 with the following Y2DWYGBM code. This special offer ends on October 5th,2021, at 23:59 PDT.
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).
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.
I like the new dividers that don’t make you lose a ton of space inside the bag. When you’re packing your camera equipment for a trip, you want to pack as much stuff as possible inside your carry-on backpack.
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.
PortKeys, the company specialized in HDMI and SDI camera monitoring solutions has just released its latest 5.2″ monitor that is capable of controlling your camera: the PortKeys LH5H.
Top: there are four customizable function keys, a power switch, and four buttons to access and navigate inside the menu.
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.
Education is an important part of self-development. MZed offers all kinds of usefull online courses. You can check our rewievs of their courses – Cinematic filmmaking masterclass by Philip Bloom and Directing color with Ollie Kenchington. They have interesting Black Friday offers which will be live from Wednesday 27th (PST) until the end of Monday, December 2nd (PST). Available offers:.
The monitor comes with a wipe cloth and a USB disk. More accessories are available to purchase separately, including a safety box, an anti-fall rubber protection bracket, a sunshade, and a handy pan/tilt arm to mount it on top of your camera.
This new OEYE-3G EVF is entirely made of aluminum and is pretty small, at just 180x 69.7 x 72.4 mm for a total weight of 400 grams.