All in all, I’ve not been overly impressed by this monitor as I’m used to much higher-end monitoring options. However, every time I had complaints about the Black Mini, I always came back thinking, “well, it’s $89, so it has some caveats, but it’s usable.”.
Material Possession ltd, the company behind Volta Cinema, is a relatively new film industry player. The British company is run by Tudor Chirila, which first launched a non-successful crowdfunding campaign for the version of its Top Handle back in November 2019.
Most of the time, you can’t use a probe or spectrophotometer to adjust your on-camera monitor. It means that you’ll have a hard time trying to calibrate it correctly by hand with only a few built-in picture adjustment tools at your disposal in the menu system. In short, on-camera monitors must be as good as possible out of the box with minimal color adjustments needed by the end-user.
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.
One of the only things that could be improved on the BM5 II that I have is the overall UI, which feels a bit outdated. The new PortKeys LH5H features a new UI that looks much better and more intuitive. On the left and right sides of the monitor, you’ll find various customizable shortcuts to your favorite monitoring tools. The display itself is tactile, so you can activate/disable functions quickly without having to go inside the menu.
But Tudor didn’t stop here. He worked hard on its product and idea to refine the design, improve features, and launch it on its own a couple of months later, in August 2020.
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For the camera part, all the exposure tools (zebra, false color), as well as focus peaking, work very well, although the focus peaking is very strong – I would prefer an option to adjust this in the menu (not available currently).
Codec wise there are H264 and H265 10bit internal recording options to SD cards, but as a big differentiator to other cams in this price bracket, it offers to record ProRes via USB-C to an external SSD drive.
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.
These monitoring tools were also available in the previous version, but Portkeys improved its peaking mode, which looks easier to view now. A new “freeze-frame” tool is now available to capture a frame and use it as a reference/guide.
The PortKeys LH5P is available now for $399.00, and the package includes a straight to elbow DC power cable, one camera control cable, a safety box, and a USB stick with the instructions. The LH5H currently retails for $100.00 less at $299.00 and can be a nice option if you don’t need the extra aluminum toughness. For more information, please visit PortKeys’ website here.
The Volta Cinema Top Handle design is pretty “simple,” minimalistic, and I like its elegance. It consist of two main parts: the handle that doubles as the battery compartment, and a mount with the NATO rail and D-Tap port.
The great thing about the BM5 and HS7T is that they are equipped with both HDMI and SDI inputs and outputs. 4K video signals up to 30fps and FullHD up to 60fps are supported over the HDMI, while the SDI connections only support 1080p signals up to 60fps.
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!.
Disclaimer: As usual, let me first say that I am not representing Volta Cinema in any way. Like with all our unbiased CineD reviews, Volta Cinema, 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 Volta Cinema did not modify, influence, or gave input about the article before its publication.
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Retail price is $1199, and the shipping date is set for May 1st. You can take a look at the PortKeys OEYE-3G EVF during NAB 2019, booth #C12030. We will add B&H buy links when it becomes available.
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.
Therefore, think twice how you want to use this camera. Considering it’s low price, small footprint and the varsatility that comes with it, it will still find its market though.
Also, another thing that surprised me is that the NATO locking mechanism doesn’t have a spring inside. It means that when you unscrew it, the part that moves doesn’t follow the locking screw, and you might have to move it by hand. This is something minor and not a dealbreaker, but a small improvement that could be made in the next versions.
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.
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.
B&H Buy link: Panasonic LUMIX G85 Camera with 12-60mm Lens and accessories set Was: $997.99 Now: $697.99 (Savings: $300.00).
The EVF is built with all aluminum construction and the OEYE-3G EVF weighs in at a very manageable 400 grams. Three custom user buttons are available and you can mount the EVF using the ARRI Rosette or two provided 1/4″ holes. There is also a headphone port on the back for monitoring audio.
Indeed, the Flexloader L comes with a built-in TSA lock that allows you to securely close your bag when you’re commuting, for example.
To install a battery inside the handle, all you have to do is unscrew the front cap with a coin. The battery door threads on the inside are pretty short, and it only takes you half a turn to loosen it fully.
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.
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.
PortKeys was kind enough to send us this new LH5P model with very similar features: in short, it is the same display but 0.3″ bigger, it is made out of aluminum instead of plastic, and it has an antenna for wireless control. We updated this review accordingly and took some time to test every feature again. Enjoy!.
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 LH5H, which works fine.
I’m currently finishing our review of the PortKeys LH5H that will be released very soon, so keep an eye on CineD if you want to learn more about these affordable on-camera monitors.
Last but not least, you can power the PT5 via the 5V1A USB input/output port. You can use this port to power the monitor with a power bank, for example, but also to charge your camera/power your accessories if you power the PT5 of a Sony NP-F/Canon LP-E6 battery.
Have you worked with the Z CAM E2? What are your experiences with this camera? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
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.
possibility of taking you to major trade shows like NAB in Las Vegas, IBC in Amsterdam, … if we are really happy with your work and if you work well under time pressure (we always take some selected team members to shows around the world).
The Chinese camera manufacturer Z CAM has made quite an impression on us when we reviewed their flagship model Z CAM E2. Now we have the much more affordable sister cam Z Cam E2C cinema camera in our hands – has it inherited some of the strong features? Read on ….
Since May this year, I have been using the micro four thirds (MFT) Z CAM E2 and more recently now the Z Cam E2C cinema camera. The more expensive Z CAM E2 flagship model has very pleasing colors out of the box, a flat Z-Log2 profile and high frame rates (up to 4K 160fps) in combination with strong internal recording options (H265, ProRes) as well as anamorphic modes – a very well rounded offering.
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.
The Z Cam E2C uses an MFT sensor (slightly smaller than the one used in the Z CAM E2) which allows DCI 4K capturing of up to 4K 29.98 fps in combination with the Z-Log2 flat picture profile.
Panasonic LUMIX G80/G85 Camera with 12-60mm Lens and Accessories Set – $300/€83 Discount Plus Free LUMIX 25mm f/1.7 Lens, Free 3-Year Warranty.
The screen itself is a WLED panel, which is a marketing term to say LED panel, so blacks should be nowhere near an OLED panel.
The R5 is the other one of Canon’s two newly introduced mirrorless cameras. With its 45 MP full-frame sensor, it offers 8K30p RAW internal video recording as well as 4K60p in 10-bit – both with no crop and with AF.
I would say that it’s a nice and beautiful product that works as advertised, but there is a lot of room for improvements to make the user experience more “reassuring” and enjoyable.
The PT5 has a claimed maximum brightness of 500nit, which is not daylight-viewable like monitors 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.
As far as specs go, the 4K Monitor Module 750 TX is no slouch. It features zero-delay 4K30p video, 10-bit 4:2:2 HDR video, and of course the titular 750ft of transmission.
Also, the (now discontinued) Manfrotto PRO Light 3N1-36 PL has been part of my kit for some years now. It’s been a joy to travel with, but I now retired it as my “wireless video system bag,” which is a bit overkill, as this backpack can carry a ton of equipment.
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.
One of the things I love the most about my PortKeys BM5 is its build quality. The aluminum alloy makes the monitor sturdy and reliable. Moreover, it is packed with professional features that come at an astonishing, affordable price.
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