Advice for XL2 LCD Mount at DVinfo.net

Marlon Torres · December 28th, 2005, 11:46 PM

I've been looking for a on camera lcd for my xl2 and im thinking of getting this

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation

does anyone know anything about this kit and is it any good? and is there any alternatives that might be better? i'd like to have the whole kit so i can just plug and play without buying other parts. thanks :)

Michael Salzlechner · December 29th, 2005, 07:55 AM

i have the non wide varizoom and it is ok. The display is not really to judge colors and such but it is good to use as a large viewfinder when on tripod

The mount is not that great. you need a screwdriver to make it tight and it opens up easily but it works.

The screen itself and the battery work fine.

Steve Smith · December 29th, 2005, 09:29 AM

I have the wide vari zoom and it is ok, but not great. I ditto everything Michael said. I also bought mine at B&H and this wasrecommended by them. I never tested it until I got back to Germany.

Marlon Torres · December 29th, 2005, 12:31 PM

well, clarity and colors is my top priority...is there anything better? my budget is about $700 bucks

Kevin Brumfield · December 29th, 2005, 02:57 PM

Don't own one, but I have read good things about this Panasonic model from Nebtek...

http://www.nebtek.com/proddetail.php?prod=101-NEB70LI

Especially because you can get it with different battery mounts to match your current camera batteries. Best of luck.

Kevin

Marlon Torres · December 30th, 2005, 11:24 PM

is the $350 difference worth it?

Kevin Brumfield · December 31st, 2005, 09:27 AM

Since I don't own one, I can't say with any authority if the price difference would be worth it to you. However, I would urge you to do a search of the forum for "Nebtek" and read the posts. They've got some good information and may address your concerns about clarity and color in an external LCD.

Let us know what you decide. Best of luck.

Kevin

Evan Fisher · December 31st, 2005, 09:20 PM

IMHO If clarity and color are your top priorities, you may want to consider a small production monitor. Most of the on camera monitors (including the expensive ones) cannot be calibrated. Pretty much, they're good for framing.

Sprague Theobald · January 1st, 2006, 12:21 AM

Any thoughts on this one:

http://www.amamax.com/ikv77i16asra.html

Thanks,

S

Josh Dahlberg · January 1st, 2006, 08:13 PM

The monitors listed in previous posts are all 480x234 pixels (sometimes listed as 1440x234 dots).

I had one of these and did not find the resolution satisfactory. I just bought a cheap 7" monitor with genuine 1024x768 resolution and it performs much better. Can't help you with the brand, it's a generic monitor made in China and I bought it here in New Zealand on Trademe (Kiwi version of Ebay). Cost me about US$300 and I can power it off 12v sealed lead acid batteries no problem. I've seen the same monitor with a different badge in a car gadgets shop.

Anyway, from a lot of previous discussions on this topic (believe me, there are a few on this site, do a search for Lilliput LCD) the general gist of things is that brand and price don't make a big difference (even the Chinese models are using rebadged LG or Japanese panels). None of the 7" monitors have very good colour reproduction in my experience (except maybe the Datavideo model - it has DV in and BNC connectors - but it costs way more and still has the low pixel count).

At least with the higher res models you can achieve pretty accurate focus. Mine also has s-video input which is a plus.

So look for a 7" TFT with 1024x768 or 800x480 resolution, and avoid the 480x234 models.

By the way, with the XL2 you can velcro a TFT onto the accessory mount (you know, the one used for batteries/wireless receivers).

December 28th, 2005, 11:46 PM	#1
Marlon Torres Major Player Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 230	Advice for XL2 LCD Mount I've been looking for a on camera lcd for my xl2 and im thinking of getting this http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...goryNavigation does anyone know anything about this kit and is it any good? and is there any alternatives that might be better? i'd like to have the whole kit so i can just plug and play without buying other parts. thanks :)

December 29th, 2005, 07:55 AM	#2
Michael Salzlechner Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Royal Palm Beach, FL, US Posts: 228	i have the non wide varizoom and it is ok. The display is not really to judge colors and such but it is good to use as a large viewfinder when on tripod The mount is not that great. you need a screwdriver to make it tight and it opens up easily but it works. The screen itself and the battery work fine. __________________ Michael Salzlechner

December 29th, 2005, 09:29 AM	#3
Steve Smith Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2004 Location: Munich Germany Posts: 31	I have the wide vari zoom and it is ok, but not great. I ditto everything Michael said. I also bought mine at B&H and this wasrecommended by them. I never tested it until I got back to Germany. __________________ Gone Fishing. If you need me, please wait! If it is important, please wait longer.

December 29th, 2005, 02:57 PM	#5
Kevin Brumfield Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 43	Don't own one, but I have read good things about this Panasonic model from Nebtek... http://www.nebtek.com/proddetail.php?prod=101-NEB70LI Especially because you can get it with different battery mounts to match your current camera batteries. Best of luck. Kevin __________________ Kevin Brumfield Canon XL2 & GL2, Sony DSR-11, FCP Studio http://www.firststarproductions.com

December 31st, 2005, 09:27 AM	#7
Kevin Brumfield Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Lexington, KY Posts: 43	Since I don't own one, I can't say with any authority if the price difference would be worth it to you. However, I would urge you to do a search of the forum for "Nebtek" and read the posts. They've got some good information and may address your concerns about clarity and color in an external LCD. Let us know what you decide. Best of luck. Kevin __________________ Kevin Brumfield Canon XL2 & GL2, Sony DSR-11, FCP Studio http://www.firststarproductions.com

December 29th, 2005, 12:31 PM	#4
Marlon Torres Major Player Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 230	well, clarity and colors is my top priority...is there anything better? my budget is about $700 bucks

December 30th, 2005, 11:24 PM	#6
Marlon Torres Major Player Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 230	is the $350 difference worth it?

December 31st, 2005, 09:20 PM	#8
Evan Fisher Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Los Angeles, Ca. Posts: 137	IMHO If clarity and color are your top priorities, you may want to consider a small production monitor. Most of the on camera monitors (including the expensive ones) cannot be calibrated. Pretty much, they're good for framing. __________________ Fisher Media Productions

January 1st, 2006, 12:21 AM	#9
Sprague Theobald Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Newport, RI Posts: 42	Any thoughts on this one: http://www.amamax.com/ikv77i16asra.html Thanks, S

January 1st, 2006, 08:13 PM	#10
Josh Dahlberg Major Player Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Wellington, New Zealand Posts: 513	The monitors listed in previous posts are all 480x234 pixels (sometimes listed as 1440x234 dots). I had one of these and did not find the resolution satisfactory. I just bought a cheap 7" monitor with genuine 1024x768 resolution and it performs much better. Can't help you with the brand, it's a generic monitor made in China and I bought it here in New Zealand on Trademe (Kiwi version of Ebay). Cost me about US$300 and I can power it off 12v sealed lead acid batteries no problem. I've seen the same monitor with a different badge in a car gadgets shop. Anyway, from a lot of previous discussions on this topic (believe me, there are a few on this site, do a search for Lilliput LCD) the general gist of things is that brand and price don't make a big difference (even the Chinese models are using rebadged LG or Japanese panels). None of the 7" monitors have very good colour reproduction in my experience (except maybe the Datavideo model - it has DV in and BNC connectors - but it costs way more and still has the low pixel count). At least with the higher res models you can achieve pretty accurate focus. Mine also has s-video input which is a plus. So look for a 7" TFT with 1024x768 or 800x480 resolution, and avoid the 480x234 models. By the way, with the XL2 you can velcro a TFT onto the accessory mount (you know, the one used for batteries/wireless receivers).