With my A1 my goal is to adjust color in the field as needed and to double as a monitor while using a crane. I would like to have about an 8" light weight. Now my true question would be. Do I need a monitor that is 16:9 HD resolution to do color adjustments or can that be done on a 16:9 say 800X420 resolution type monitor and will this double as a crane monitor? I hope this doesnt confuse any one. Any name brands leaning on the less expensive side will help.

Most low-cost SD-resolution LCD monitors will *not* be sufficient for accurate color correction on set. You'll definitely need an HD monitor preferably connected through component (or better yet, through SDI which is available on the XH G1). Be prepared to spend as much as you can. You get what you pay for; an inexpensive monitor is useful only for framing and focus.

Where can I find inexpensive monitors for focus and frameing for my a1?

At our sponsor iKan: www.ikancorp.com

Has anyone used the SONY GV-HD700 as a monitor? If so could it be used as a color adjusting monitor as well as to frame and focus. Or take my laptop with a [1394] I-Link port. buy some interfacing software and use my laptop as a field monitor? I'm trying to get as much BanG! for my BucK!. This is part of being a newby. Making costly mistakes and buying something I dont need. The sony GV-HD700 would be great for the reason of having a tape deck as well.

Any thought's.

Don't buy the ikan. Its junk. I had one and the battery wouldn't fit, the aspect looked odd and the auto-off glitch sucks. I returned it and bought the Marshall V-R70P-HDA and have been so happy that I did ever since. Don't buy the ikan.

...or you could rent one - top of the line @ a two day weekly rate. Shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred dollars and it would let you use an 8k rig for your shoot on the cheap.