I've been looking for a cheap monitoring solution for focusing and framing.
The viewfinder and small LCD of the HD101 have been enough for me but now
I've purchased a crane and need some other way to view what I'm shooting.

I found this JVC GD-17L1GU monitor for $299 and would like to know if
anyone has tried this and if it would work for my purpose using batteries.

What other options do I have ?
I'm looking for HD monitor that is more a less cheap, that can be seen in sunlight,
can be battery powered and has the necessary inputs. I've been reading posts
here and many of the other options I've seen are around 7" with low resolution
then there are the color accurate CRT monitors for field which are too expensive.

I've done a similar thing - but with a widescreen LCD monitor (the JVC looks like it's 4:3). My monitor (actually a Viewsonic TV which also has the usual TV aerial inputs) has component in (from the Canon XH-A1) and is HD-capable and I bought an invertor to run it from a portable 12v battery pack. The whole lot is in a flight-case (one for DJ turntables is the right size and the lid can come completely off). It works really well.

Thanks for the reply,
I decided to try out one of those 7" Delvcam monitors that are for sale on
Kessler crane site which is the crane I have. I know Varizoom and Delvcam aren't
top quality based on what I've read on this forum but using the JVC 17" will not
be visible in daylight... and all the extra weight with batteries and converters is
not practical.
Nebtek monitors would be more expensive and better quality but I'm trying to
save a few dollars, if it gives me just slightly better quality than the onboard
LCD then I'll be fine.

I looked at the Delvcam monitors at NAB and the price is attractive. They also have a package deal with carrying case, batteries, etc. But I really wasn't impressed by the image quality unfortunately. The ones I saw only accepted composite video and the LCD panels have pretty low pixel counts. I think you need to get into the $800+ range before the quality is noticeably better than the built-in LCD screen on my Z1.

Have you seen this thread? http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=91877

Here's my photo of a couple Delvcam screens from NAB: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/attachment.php?attachmentid=2823&d=1177002852

It's package I'm about to order. Yes I read your post a few days ago and it was
very informative, I checked out all the other options and reasons I decided on
this one was that it comes with everything I need, cheap, and I'll be using it
mostly with the crane when I'm not able to use the onboard LCD or viewfinder.
It should be sufficient as a guide at what I'm framing, later on I'll get something
a lot better hopefully :)

IMHO, If you are shooting HD, purchasing a standard Def field monitor is a waste of money.
I have a Delvcam, and while it works OK as a Standard Def field monitor,
It is totally unacceptable for High Def field work. That is unless you don't care if your shots are in focus.

I ended up buying a Marshall V-R70P-HDA for HD field work.
No it's not perfect, but it's a hell of a lot less expensive than an Astro.

I ended up buying a Marshall V-R70P-HDA for HD field work.
No it's not perfect, but it's a hell of a lot less expensive than an Astro.

Interesting, David. Wondering why 'it's not perfect' and also why you went for this rather than the HDSI (next model up).

I'm using a Z1, in case you're wondering.

Is there a neck sling and sunshade anywhere for this unit?

My shoe mounts are already gummed up with mics and receivers...

Best

John

Interesting, David. Wondering why 'it's not perfect' and also why you went for this rather than the HDSI (next model up).

I'm using a Z1, in case you're wondering.

Is there a neck sling and sunshade anywhere for this unit?

My shoe mounts are already gummed up with mics and receivers...

Best

John

To get a HD field monitor that approaches perfect also approaches $6k.

The reason for choosing the V-R70P-HDA rather than the model with HD-SDI ?
The Canon XH-A1 I shoot with has Component out.
And when I shoot with the Canon XL-H1, I monitor from the component out while feeding the HD-SDI directly into a Kona card for capture.

As far as mounting goes, I use an articulating arm mounted to the 15mm rail support, or fluid head, depending on the camera.

If you are shooting HD, save your money and get a monitor that supports HD.

If the lens is at full wide I agree that It's very hard to focus unless you have HD
monitor so what I usually do is focus the object at tele and if I need to pull
focus I'll measure the distances and make markings, this for me works perfectly in
95% of the cases.

I dont think most people realize that the HD they are shooting is not tack sharp. MOST the footage I see posted here and in other forums is footage that ranges from focused (not tack sharp) to very soft focus. It is very rare to see tack sharp footage and it is due in most part to poor monitors. I use the Panny 17" when possible and the Marshall is BARELY good enough for a stock HVX and NOT good enough for an HVX with a 35mm adapter. I tested the Nebtek at NAB and it was the only sub $2500 monitor I have felt you could get tack sharp focus with every time. The rez is not better than the Marshal but it is sharper and has more features but at $1750 is not really "cheap." Right now, a cheap HD field monitor just does not exist. You have 2 choices, spend $1500+ or accept soft focus on many shots.



ash =o)

I just got the nebtek with the canon battery pack..It is a lot easier to focus with than any sub 1000.00 monitor. You just have to bite the bullet when you get into HD. But at least for the canon A1 I feel I should get my moneys worth over the long haul having a decent monitor to focus with..especially if your using a 35mm adaptor.

I still haven't made up my mind... I've been looking at ways to use a normal PC display but the biggest problem is I can't find anything practical. I think I'm going to go for a Ikan 8000HD, but is there a big difference between the new v8000W and 8000HD, the only difference seems to be the component input, is it worth the extra $300.

I tested the Ikan and it is not very good. Decent but you cannot get tack sharp focus very easily.



ash =o)

I've done a similar thing - but with a widescreen LCD monitor (the JVC looks like it's 4:3). My monitor (actually a Viewsonic TV which also has the usual TV aerial inputs) has component in (from the Canon XH-A1) and is HD-capable and I bought an invertor to run it from a portable 12v battery pack. The whole lot is in a flight-case (one for DJ turntables is the right size and the lid can come completely off). It works really well.

mark,
What type of Viewsonic is it? I have the canon A1 and am looking for something to use a as a field monitor HD 16x9

I dont think most people realize that the HD they are shooting is not tack sharp. MOST the footage I see posted here and in other forums is footage that ranges from focused (not tack sharp) to very soft focus. It is very rare to see tack sharp footage and it is due in most part to poor monitors. I use the Panny 17" when possible and the Marshall is BARELY good enough for a stock HVX and NOT good enough for an HVX with a 35mm adapter. I tested the Nebtek at NAB and it was the only sub $2500 monitor I have felt you could get tack sharp focus with every time. The rez is not better than the Marshal but it is sharper and has more features but at $1750 is not really "cheap." Right now, a cheap HD field monitor just does not exist. You have 2 choices, spend $1500+ or accept soft focus on many shots.



ash =o)

Hey Ash,
You were most helpful with my newbie XL2 days, and now I'm moving to the A1. I went to the Nebtek site, and only found SD items for camera mount, or the Pany tc-7wms1 (which I own and was bullet proof with nebtek's inputs, AB D-tap, etc...), but I could not find a camera mounted HD monitor, or any monitor for $1750 even...

Do you recall the model so I may look into this...
Sincere thanks again,
Lonnie

http://lcdracks.com/monitors/vr70phda.html

http://lcdracks.com/monitors/vr70phda.html

The monitor you are linking to is not HD. Resolution is only 800x480.

Of course it will not be up to 1080i in that price range. If you want to spend 3x that amount..they are available..but in reality most people don't want to spend more on a monitor than their camera. This monitor has blue only, Component, and 16:9/4:3. But for clarity and bang for you buck this monitor has it...until Nebtek comes out with their new one this month. PS I've seen the Ikan v8000HD monitor... a softer image and found it to be too hard to get a good focus vs the Nebtek. Especially when using a 35mm adaptor and you can physically flip the monitor. In addition i found that with the correct color bar calibration, the footage seen on this monitor is depicted closer than what is on the LCD of the Canon. Very important aspect because you can catch yourself from under lighting the scene and causing viewable grain in the output, even when the gain is set at -3db. Most important thing when using a adaptor, lighting, framing and critical focusing on your subject.