Small HD Finally is here

John Saunders · June 2nd, 2009, 03:38 PM

Oh and by the way I tried it outside in direct sunlight and it was still surprisingly viewable. I was expecting it to be pretty much useless without the shade but it does really well. The sunshade is nice though.

Trevor Meeks · June 2nd, 2009, 03:50 PM

ah, i totally hear ya about that tripod mount for still shooting - although I never mount my 70-200 (or any of my still cameras for that matter) to a tripod, i still really prefer that collar for handheld shooting. it just makes the lens feel so much better.

i'm happy to hear your report re: DP1 use in direct sunlight. I'm always surprised at how well my EX1's stock screen does in direct sunlight, so it'll be cool to see how the DP1 does. I'll be ordering a sun hood this week though, since I forgot to get that and a U bracket with my order.

Trevor Meeks · June 2nd, 2009, 04:24 PM

unboxing photos coming soon!

Garrett Low · June 2nd, 2009, 05:17 PM

My monitor was delivered but is waiting at home while I'm 30 miles away at work. I won't be able to go play with it until later tonight. :(

John, your set up looks great. My friend has a 5D that he uses for stills (he's got a photog business) but he's been playing a little with the video. Once I get my monitor I'll let him try it to see how things turn out.

Garrett

Anthony Lovell · June 2nd, 2009, 06:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Saunders

Oh and by the way I tried it outside in direct sunlight and it was still surprisingly viewable. I was expecting it to be pretty much useless without the shade but it does really well. The sunshade is nice though.

My own sunshade barely fits. Ok, it doesn't really fit: one of the receiver slots is not cut well into the aluminum (I know it is the cut and not the plastic tab meant to go into it, as reversing the shade doesn't alleviate the problem at the same corner). I think I am going to wind up filing down the plastic and marking it with some paint so I can recall the orientation that works. Not impressed with this one aspect at all.

tone

John Saunders · June 2nd, 2009, 07:51 PM

I have the same problem with one of my sunshade posts. And like you said it's not the bracket it's the monitor. I wonder if their cnc model was a little off for that hole.

I do like that it is one piece though and no velcro.

Trevor Meeks · June 2nd, 2009, 09:12 PM

D1 Unboxing photos posted to my flickr stream at http://www.flickr.com/meeksdigital

They were uploaded from my iPhone so sorry about the typos etc, but when I get home I'll correct those and post the actual photos to the thread directly. I'm super excited to go back home and hook the thing up to my ex1!! More photos coming soon. Enjoy!

Leo Versola · June 2nd, 2009, 09:14 PM

Been testing the monitor on a number of sources, including my HPX-170/SGBlade and HV-20, and I must say that so far, this monitor rocks! The HD resolution is far superior to the 800x480 that I had been using previously.

Agree that the sunshade is a little tenacious but works beautifully. I think the stiffness will diminish after some use.

Kudos to Dale and SmallHD for a fine product and TOP-notch customer service...

Leo Versola · June 2nd, 2009, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Trevor Meeks

D1 Unboxing photos posted to my flickr stream at http://www.flick.com/meeksdigital

They were uploaded from my iPhone so sorry about the typos etc, but when I get home I'll correct those and post the actual photos to the thread directly. I'm super excited to go back home and hook the thing up to my ex1!! More photos coming soon. Enjoy!

Trevor, you're missing an 'r' in your URL... Here it is fixed:

Flickr: meeksdig's Photostream

Trevor Meeks · June 2nd, 2009, 10:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Leo Versola

Trevor, you're missing an 'r' in your URL... Here it is fixed:

Flickr: meeksdig's Photostream

Thanks Leo! I fixed it as well in my original post. I was typing on an almost dead iPhone trying to finish before my battery died haha. Had too much fun playing flight control after the new update today.

But I digress... I'm back home now and ready to do some testing with my SmallHD DP1 and Sony EX1 yay!

For those of you who are like me and are somewhat lazy about clicking photo links, here are my unboxing photos. I'll post the rest in my next post. Also, there are descriptions in my flickr stream - I can't put descriptions on my attached images here unfortunately.

Trevor Meeks · June 2nd, 2009, 10:56 PM

More unboxing pix!

Miklos Konczol · June 3rd, 2009, 05:44 AM

Thanks for share!

Is the front frame plastic? it looks like so ugly :(

Miklos Konczol · June 3rd, 2009, 12:20 PM

I mean like this:

Anthony Lovell · June 3rd, 2009, 12:46 PM

I believe it is aluminum all around. It is not as pretty as you'd think, but looks nicer than the ones with sharp corners with connectors sprouting out the edges. Mine arrived with a few very minor blemishes, but all in all the packaging and presentation was superb for a small new outlet such as SmallHD.

Overall, I think this will be a great first monitor for me, but it is most helpful and ... well... easiest to focus on where it can be improved.

My gripe list, from fairly serious to just suggestions now stands as:

1. button arrangement is very poor. Most strikingly, power button needs to be far from others.
2. sun visor does not fit -- the cases seem to have one mounting hole cut too small. This will be VERY NICE once fixed.
3. a few pixels are still lost at the top edge of the screen, behind the casing.
4. the battery has an LED shining when the connector to feed its juice to the monitor is plugged in. This suggests drainage (how bad? no idae) if you leave the battery connected. My solution for now is to leave the battery in place, but to remove the cable from it until ready to rock.
5. battery clips seem prone to breakage and do not release the battery easily.
6. no manual is supplied... just that one card. One that outlines the calibration process would be nice.
7. AC supply adapter is not the same gadget as the one that charges the battery. It would be nice to seek commonality here. To complete this into the realm of truly nitty: put the SmallHD name on it so I need not worry about confusing it with other devices.

Trevor Meeks · June 4th, 2009, 05:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Miklos Konczol

Thanks for share!

Is the front frame plastic? it looks like so ugly :(

Miklos, no, the monitor is most certainly not plastic, and it most definitely is not ugly. The front bezel is more of a matte finish than the rest of the housing, apparently to reduce unwanted glare around the screen. It looks beautiful as you can see in the first image (below.) There is also a nice corner detail image below (that I took just for you Miklos) showing the beautiful curved corners of the ALUMINUM housing :-)

You know, I tried all day, but I just can't help it anymore... I have to respond to a few of Anthony's gripes. I'm very impressed with this monitor and I strongly yet respectfully disagree with some [most] of his "negative" points on the monitor.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony Lovell

My gripe list, from fairly serious to just suggestions now stands as:

1. button arrangement is very poor. Most strikingly, power button needs to be far from others.
2. sun visor does not fit -- the cases seem to have one mounting hole cut too small. This will be VERY NICE once fixed.
3. a few pixels are still lost at the top edge of the screen, behind the casing.
4. the battery has an LED shining when the connector to feed its juice to the monitor is plugged in. This suggests drainage (how bad? no idae) if you leave the battery connected. My solution for now is to leave the battery in place, but to remove the cable from it until ready to rock.
5. battery clips seem prone to breakage and do not release the battery easily.
6. no manual is supplied... just that one card. One that outlines the calibration process would be nice.
7. AC supply adapter is not the same gadget as the one that charges the battery. It would be nice to seek commonality here. To complete this into the realm of truly nitty: put the SmallHD name on it so I need not worry about confusing it with other devices.

1.) The button arrangement is just fine. For how little one will use the buttons, they work very well, and are fairly easy to navigate (even blindly) after spending 10 minutes with the monitor. The card included depicts the buttons as you feel them while looking at the monitor from the front, so you can just reach around the back and click them. Each feels a bit different, and I've never once accidentally hit the power button or had a problem with where it is.

2.) No comment on the sun visor yet, mine is on the way sometime this week when I get around to ordering it. A few other people have mentioned this so I'm interested to see for myself. I have a feeling though, that the parts are just new and need to wear in a bit in order to fit what feels like properly.

3.) I spoke with Dale about this, and it is most certainly not an issue with the front bezel overhanging the screen - it's actually a firmware scaling issue, where the monitor appears to be underscanning the image or something to that effect. He's working on getting this resolved, but it really does not bother me one bit.

4.) How is this a bad thing? All you have to do to power the monitor (and battery) down is unplug the cable from the battery. Again, this does not require the use of the power button since the monitor turns on automatically once power is supplied. Furthermore, I can imagine that the battery (which is what, 26wh?) will power that one tiny LED for over a week, if not more. LEDs hardly drain any power at all. Again, I hardly see this as a negative.

5.) The battery clips are extremely sturdy, and although they are made of plastic, I have never once felt like they would break, even after much use. You do not want them to release the battery too easily, since um, that's the whole point of the battery clips in the first place. A slight pull on the raised tab of one battery clip will release pressure on the battery and allow it to be lifted out. Another thing to do would be to move the brackets as far left and right as possible to make the fit on the battery a bit looser if you wanted. That way you can simply slide the battery to one side (just a bit, there isn't much room for movement, but some!) and then lift it out with almost no effort.

6.) Simplicity is key. I do not see how the "lack" of a manual is a bad thing. The card is informative, just as it needs to be. I don't need a 25 page manual for a little monitor. "Calibration" is easy if you have a basic understanding of color or color correction. Save the environment, use less paper. I think they're on to something...

7. This one is honestly just ridiculous. The monitor uses a very different connector (much larger) than the one on the battery. The USB charge adapter for the battery seems logical, as it is very low profile and is an obvious difference from the voltage out port, which is small enough so as not to wreck the outer casing of the battery (which, I must add, is quite beautiful.)

Please see my other photos below... they are also posted on flickr at Flickr: meeksdig's Photostream under the SmallHD DP1 set.

June 2nd, 2009, 09:12 PM	#112
Trevor Meeks Major Player Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sonoma, CA Posts: 336	D1 Unboxing photos posted to my flickr stream at http://www.flickr.com/meeksdigital They were uploaded from my iPhone so sorry about the typos etc, but when I get home I'll correct those and post the actual photos to the thread directly. I'm super excited to go back home and hook the thing up to my ex1!! More photos coming soon. Enjoy! Last edited by Trevor Meeks; June 2nd, 2009 at 10:26 PM.

June 2nd, 2009, 10:56 PM	#116
Trevor Meeks Major Player Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sonoma, CA Posts: 336	More unboxing pix! Attached Thumbnails

June 3rd, 2009, 12:20 PM	#118
Miklos Konczol Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 27	I mean like this: Attached Thumbnails

June 2nd, 2009, 03:38 PM	#106
John Saunders Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Frederick MD Posts: 69	Oh and by the way I tried it outside in direct sunlight and it was still surprisingly viewable. I was expecting it to be pretty much useless without the shade but it does really well. The sunshade is nice though.

June 2nd, 2009, 03:50 PM	#107
Trevor Meeks Major Player Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sonoma, CA Posts: 336	ah, i totally hear ya about that tripod mount for still shooting - although I never mount my 70-200 (or any of my still cameras for that matter) to a tripod, i still really prefer that collar for handheld shooting. it just makes the lens feel so much better. i'm happy to hear your report re: DP1 use in direct sunlight. I'm always surprised at how well my EX1's stock screen does in direct sunlight, so it'll be cool to see how the DP1 does. I'll be ordering a sun hood this week though, since I forgot to get that and a U bracket with my order.

June 2nd, 2009, 04:24 PM	#108
Trevor Meeks Major Player Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Sonoma, CA Posts: 336	unboxing photos coming soon!

June 2nd, 2009, 05:17 PM	#109
Garrett Low Trustee Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Novato, CA Posts: 1,774	My monitor was delivered but is waiting at home while I'm 30 miles away at work. I won't be able to go play with it until later tonight. :( John, your set up looks great. My friend has a 5D that he uses for stills (he's got a photog business) but he's been playing a little with the video. Once I get my monitor I'll let him try it to see how things turn out. Garrett

June 2nd, 2009, 07:51 PM	#111
John Saunders Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Frederick MD Posts: 69	I have the same problem with one of my sunshade posts. And like you said it's not the bracket it's the monitor. I wonder if their cnc model was a little off for that hole. I do like that it is one piece though and no velcro.

June 2nd, 2009, 09:14 PM	#113
Leo Versola Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: San Francisco, CA Posts: 73	Been testing the monitor on a number of sources, including my HPX-170/SGBlade and HV-20, and I must say that so far, this monitor rocks! The HD resolution is far superior to the 800x480 that I had been using previously. Agree that the sunshade is a little tenacious but works beautifully. I think the stiffness will diminish after some use. Kudos to Dale and SmallHD for a fine product and TOP-notch customer service...

June 3rd, 2009, 05:44 AM	#117
Miklos Konczol Regular Crew Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 27	Thanks for share! Is the front frame plastic? it looks like so ugly :(

June 3rd, 2009, 12:46 PM	#119
Anthony Lovell Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Cambridge, MA Posts: 31	I believe it is aluminum all around. It is not as pretty as you'd think, but looks nicer than the ones with sharp corners with connectors sprouting out the edges. Mine arrived with a few very minor blemishes, but all in all the packaging and presentation was superb for a small new outlet such as SmallHD. Overall, I think this will be a great first monitor for me, but it is most helpful and ... well... easiest to focus on where it can be improved. My gripe list, from fairly serious to just suggestions now stands as: 1. button arrangement is very poor. Most strikingly, power button needs to be far from others. 2. sun visor does not fit -- the cases seem to have one mounting hole cut too small. This will be VERY NICE once fixed. 3. a few pixels are still lost at the top edge of the screen, behind the casing. 4. the battery has an LED shining when the connector to feed its juice to the monitor is plugged in. This suggests drainage (how bad? no idae) if you leave the battery connected. My solution for now is to leave the battery in place, but to remove the cable from it until ready to rock. 5. battery clips seem prone to breakage and do not release the battery easily. 6. no manual is supplied... just that one card. One that outlines the calibration process would be nice. 7. AC supply adapter is not the same gadget as the one that charges the battery. It would be nice to seek commonality here. To complete this into the realm of truly nitty: put the SmallHD name on it so I need not worry about confusing it with other devices.