New SmallHD DP4 at DVinfo.net

Nicholas de Kock · April 12th, 2011, 04:54 PM

Small HD announced the DP4 at NAB! What do you guys think?
Announcing the all new DP4 from SmallHD

Burk Webb · April 12th, 2011, 06:14 PM

Doh! Just ordered the Zacuto. Well, I'm sure the Zacuto will be awesome but this thing looks awesome too. That headphone out is pretty cool.

Nicholas de Kock · April 12th, 2011, 06:34 PM

I really like the look & feel of the DP4 as well but will wait for a proper review before I consider buying. I need something affordable that will help me focus more accurately that's my main priority.

Kirk Candlish · April 12th, 2011, 07:39 PM

Can't wait to get one. I've used the DP6 and it's great.

So glad to see competition in the market.

Andrew Dean · May 11th, 2011, 04:57 PM

Anybody used one yet?

I'm really happy with the size and resolution of my dp6, but the eyepiece thing does look interesting. One of the DPs I worked with (adam clark: Boy, eagle vs shark) was frustrated by dslr because he was used to the eyepiece of 35mm film cameras as another point of physical contact with the camera for stabilizing and reference. You'd have to use a pretty serious mounting arm to get the same effect from a dp4, but it did make me curious if it could work for that.

Les Wilson · May 31st, 2012, 08:19 PM

I've used one of these for two weeks on a 5DM2. It has a Canon mode that keeps the various Canon display modes maxed on the DP4. The False Colors use a color scheme I find frustrating. The Marshall color scheme changes to yellow at 70IRE, where as the DP4 is a green gradient across that range. I find 70 perfect for judging skin exposure. With a gradient, it's pretty useless.

The Focus Assist Plus is amazing. It's better for judging focus than the peaking I've used on the Marshall and the EX-1 and Magic Lantern Magic Zoom.

I don't care for the DP4 HDMI input being on the right side while the Canon 5DM2 output is on the left of the body. With the DP4 mounted on the shoe, the cable is always in the way of using the lens ring.

The IQ is great and having one makes the otherwise intolerable display ergonomics of the 5DM2 tolerable. But on the other hand, the basic DSLR ergonomic problems of buttons spread all over the body is only exacerbated with an EVF where you have to travel up to the top to access the two programable buttons. But this is going to be true with any EVF not just the DP4.

As for the loupe, it comes with two eyepieces. The "new" design has a much smaller opening presumably to to help prevent sun burn. However, since the DP4 is so large, the "new" eyepiece causes ridiculous vignetting. I wear glasses and the original eyepiece is better.

The kit I bought came with fixed -1, -2 and -3 screw on diopters. However the diopters themselves are not marked. Once out of the package, you have to guess.

Robert Turchick · May 31st, 2012, 08:43 PM

I will second everything Les just said. Fun thing is I run a Manhattan 8.9 for the clients out the loop. Works great. The lag time when switching from rec to playback or menu is annoying but every monitor seems to do that. I will have to try the larger eyepiece as I wear glasses too. I find the small one more difficult than my z-finder.
On a side note...
I finally broke down and bought the switronix pb70 battery which is simply the best accessory for DSLRs ever!
It powers the camera, dp4 and zoom h4n for a long time. Did a full day shoot last Tuesday and only powered the system off for lunch. When I checked the battery's life, it was at half! Could easily have done a 10 hour day!!

Les Wilson · May 31st, 2012, 08:53 PM

I failed to mention that I got their kit at the NAB special price so it's all pretty amazing for it's price. Still, the false colors is pretty much useless. It has a big ole back-green gradient across the spectrum where you need granularity. I made a suggestion on the SmallHD website that they change it... we'll see

http://www.smallhd.com/images/SmallH...-IRE-Scale.jpg

Les Wilson · June 6th, 2012, 06:32 AM

I received a reply from SmallHD that they would pass the suggestion to the engineering team. They said they may not be able to fix it in current DP4s but maybe in "future products".

I find this hard to believe. ML Unified seems to let you choose from a couple schemes. But the ML False Colors are low resolution. Add to that ML focus peaking actually highlights the wrong part of the image and voila, the DP4 high res false colors and "Focus +" peaking really add value.

Les Wilson · June 16th, 2012, 06:26 AM

This device is losing some its shine with me. It failed right at the start of a shoot due to shortage of power. I was using the AA power back and it couldn't have had an hour of usage but there it was, turning itself off just when it got sync. Unfortunately, there's a bug in the firmware that causes the voltage reading to not display after power off. You have to toggle it off and on every time. Even still, at what voltage is there not enough? Post mortem, I checked the AA Procells and they had 40% power remaining. The unit would not stay powered on long enough to turn on the voltage readout so I don't know what voltage is the bottom. Sigh.

April 12th, 2011, 04:54 PM	#1
Nicholas de Kock Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: KLD, South Africa Posts: 983	New SmallHD DP4 Small HD announced the DP4 at NAB! What do you guys think? Announcing the all new DP4 from SmallHD

April 12th, 2011, 06:14 PM	#2
Burk Webb Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Portland, Oregon Posts: 249	Re: New SmallHD DP4 Doh! Just ordered the Zacuto. Well, I'm sure the Zacuto will be awesome but this thing looks awesome too. That headphone out is pretty cool.

April 12th, 2011, 06:34 PM	#3
Nicholas de Kock Major Player Join Date: May 2007 Location: KLD, South Africa Posts: 983	Re: New SmallHD DP4 I really like the look & feel of the DP4 as well but will wait for a proper review before I consider buying. I need something affordable that will help me focus more accurately that's my main priority.

April 12th, 2011, 07:39 PM	#4
Kirk Candlish Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Southern, CA Posts: 198	Re: New SmallHD DP4 Can't wait to get one. I've used the DP6 and it's great. So glad to see competition in the market.

May 11th, 2011, 04:57 PM	#5
Andrew Dean Major Player Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Motukarara, New Zealand Posts: 475	Re: New SmallHD DP4 Anybody used one yet? I'm really happy with the size and resolution of my dp6, but the eyepiece thing does look interesting. One of the DPs I worked with (adam clark: Boy, eagle vs shark) was frustrated by dslr because he was used to the eyepiece of 35mm film cameras as another point of physical contact with the camera for stabilizing and reference. You'd have to use a pretty serious mounting arm to get the same effect from a dp4, but it did make me curious if it could work for that.

May 31st, 2012, 08:19 PM	#6
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	Re: New SmallHD DP4 I've used one of these for two weeks on a 5DM2. It has a Canon mode that keeps the various Canon display modes maxed on the DP4. The False Colors use a color scheme I find frustrating. The Marshall color scheme changes to yellow at 70IRE, where as the DP4 is a green gradient across that range. I find 70 perfect for judging skin exposure. With a gradient, it's pretty useless. The Focus Assist Plus is amazing. It's better for judging focus than the peaking I've used on the Marshall and the EX-1 and Magic Lantern Magic Zoom. I don't care for the DP4 HDMI input being on the right side while the Canon 5DM2 output is on the left of the body. With the DP4 mounted on the shoe, the cable is always in the way of using the lens ring. The IQ is great and having one makes the otherwise intolerable display ergonomics of the 5DM2 tolerable. But on the other hand, the basic DSLR ergonomic problems of buttons spread all over the body is only exacerbated with an EVF where you have to travel up to the top to access the two programable buttons. But this is going to be true with any EVF not just the DP4. As for the loupe, it comes with two eyepieces. The "new" design has a much smaller opening presumably to to help prevent sun burn. However, since the DP4 is so large, the "new" eyepiece causes ridiculous vignetting. I wear glasses and the original eyepiece is better. The kit I bought came with fixed -1, -2 and -3 screw on diopters. However the diopters themselves are not marked. Once out of the package, you have to guess.

May 31st, 2012, 08:43 PM	#7
Robert Turchick Trustee Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Mesa, AZ Posts: 1,389	Re: New SmallHD DP4 I will second everything Les just said. Fun thing is I run a Manhattan 8.9 for the clients out the loop. Works great. The lag time when switching from rec to playback or menu is annoying but every monitor seems to do that. I will have to try the larger eyepiece as I wear glasses too. I find the small one more difficult than my z-finder. On a side note... I finally broke down and bought the switronix pb70 battery which is simply the best accessory for DSLRs ever! It powers the camera, dp4 and zoom h4n for a long time. Did a full day shoot last Tuesday and only powered the system off for lunch. When I checked the battery's life, it was at half! Could easily have done a 10 hour day!! __________________ The older I get, the better I was!

May 31st, 2012, 08:53 PM	#8
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	Re: New SmallHD DP4 I failed to mention that I got their kit at the NAB special price so it's all pretty amazing for it's price. Still, the false colors is pretty much useless. It has a big ole back-green gradient across the spectrum where you need granularity. I made a suggestion on the SmallHD website that they change it... we'll see http://www.smallhd.com/images/SmallH...-IRE-Scale.jpg

June 6th, 2012, 06:32 AM	#9
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	Re: New SmallHD DP4 I received a reply from SmallHD that they would pass the suggestion to the engineering team. They said they may not be able to fix it in current DP4s but maybe in "future products". I find this hard to believe. ML Unified seems to let you choose from a couple schemes. But the ML False Colors are low resolution. Add to that ML focus peaking actually highlights the wrong part of the image and voila, the DP4 high res false colors and "Focus +" peaking really add value.

June 16th, 2012, 06:26 AM	#10
Les Wilson Inner Circle Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Boca Raton, FL Posts: 3,014	Re: New SmallHD DP4 This device is losing some its shine with me. It failed right at the start of a shoot due to shortage of power. I was using the AA power back and it couldn't have had an hour of usage but there it was, turning itself off just when it got sync. Unfortunately, there's a bug in the firmware that causes the voltage reading to not display after power off. You have to toggle it off and on every time. Even still, at what voltage is there not enough? Post mortem, I checked the AA Procells and they had 40% power remaining. The unit would not stay powered on long enough to turn on the voltage readout so I don't know what voltage is the bottom. Sigh.