Varizoom VZ-TFT 7” 16:9 at DVinfo.net

Joseph Andolina · September 19th, 2005, 08:16 PM

I'm crazily looking for a mountable 7" monitor to mount on my XL2 (mainly because I need a better referance to focus on wide shots since it seems the 20x lense has a back focus issue, as others have confirmed on threads as well as myself experiancing it) Even though it looks in focus to me when viewing it through the viewfinder with the eye piece popped up, when I view the footage later, it's definetly not in sharp focus :(my eyes aren't what they used to be). It was recommended to me to try the Varizoom TFTU 7" monitor. But the bottom line question is, can I rely on it helping me. I can;t afford anything high in price.

Anyone have any experiance with it. Most of my shooting with it will be in 16:9. I'm told it is switchable. I originally had my eye on the Nebtek 70 Pro Li 7 inch LCD monitor, but it's a little steep in price for me at this time. I'm doing a shoot starting in the beginning of November and need something quick!

Joe

Eric Brown · September 19th, 2005, 08:44 PM

Joe, I'm not sure where you by your supplies at but if you call over to EVS in Glendale CA (www.evsonline.com) pretty much anyone of the guys there can help you with that question as many if not all of them are knowledgeable, experienced shooters themselves.

Joseph Andolina · September 22nd, 2005, 04:07 PM

thanks Eric for your sugestion. they gave me a good recommendation for the Nebtec 7". It being by Panasonic, they said it would be a sharper image quality than the Varizoom monitor. That will be what I'll go with.

Joe

Eric Brown · September 25th, 2005, 05:32 PM

No problem. Hope it works well for you. Cheers.

Dave Merrell · September 25th, 2005, 06:27 PM

Joe,
I use the Nebtek 7" monitor with my XL2 and love the way it works. YOu have to adapt for the amount of light and may want to consider the hood they can provide with it from hoodman. It's a great setup that really helps in compositing shots.
Dave M.

Gary Barr · September 26th, 2005, 05:21 AM

which exact model is this please as I'm also interested. I find focussing a big issue with the XL2 and would love the B+W 'proper' VF but it's a bit steep in price.

Dave Merrell · September 26th, 2005, 07:22 AM

Gary, I use the Nebtek NEB 70 PRO LI. You can look it up here..http://www.nebtek.com/products.php?cat=13
Dave M.

Dave Merrell · September 26th, 2005, 07:25 AM

Gary,
I should also add that you can get this at a significant price reduction through Brian at Zotz Digital...much less than going direct through Nebtek.
Dave M.

Joseph Andolina · September 26th, 2005, 10:17 PM

Thanks, I'll really be looking into the hood for the monitor. Thr monitor should be top me in two days or less. I also recommend Brian at Zotz, that's who I bought the XL2 from, and just about everything else, including the monitor purchase.

Dave, what does the hood go for, and do you have a link to Hoodman to purchase it?

Joe

Dave Merrell · September 27th, 2005, 07:30 AM

Joe,
Sorry, I don't have a direct link for the hood and I don't remember the cost. I got it as part of a package deal. My guess is you can get it included in a deal through Brian.
Dave M.

Joseph Andolina · September 29th, 2005, 05:37 AM

Had a chance to try the Nebtek monitor on the XL2. Unfortunetly for me it doesn't seem to benefit me for my focusing concerns on the wide shots, but then again what did I expect for a low resolution monitor anyway. For composition, I have no doubt that will be fine. At least when shooting in 16:9, it will come in handy to at least give the Director and others a true perspective of the shot. One thing I've noticed about the monitor is that if you're panning with the camera, that the monitor's picture seems to react a little strange. While in middle of panning, the picture seems to distort a bit. The only way I can describe it is if you ever seen an old 1950's kinescope, where some of the image may look like it's buldging out abit when the camera dollied or panned. Anway, a part of me now wishes I waited to save up for a more high ended 16:9 / 4:3 field monitor this way I'd have the advantage of both worlds, focus & composition. But I will keep this monitor for the purpose of looking at composition. At least the Xl2 has multiple outputs which allows for additional monitors to be tapped in at the same time.
Sot the next question would be, how much does one have to pay for a monitor that hasd enough resolution for focusing, and even acurately reading colors in the shot? and I'm asuming it wouldn't be an LCD set-up?

Joe

Lucinda Luvaas · October 1st, 2005, 12:03 PM

I recently purchased a portable dvd player with an 8 1/2" screen to use as a modestly, very modestly priced "field monitor," and ended up taking the color down to grayscale due to the fact that the color was much harsher than the XL2's ....so, I'll use it in grayscale and it has helped some, but I too am very interested in using a field monitor with the XL2 and wonder if people have some suggestions about which ones to look at.

Eric Brown · October 2nd, 2005, 04:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lucinda Luvaas

I recently purchased a portable dvd player with an 8 1/2" screen to use as a modestly, very modestly priced "field monitor," and ended up taking the color down to grayscale due to the fact that the color was much harsher than the XL2's ....so, I'll use it in grayscale and it has helped some, but I too am very interested in using a field monitor with the XL2 and wonder if people have some suggestions about which ones to look at.

I am possibly getting this one. Although the feature of a blue-only switch is nice if you want accurate color representation. On monitors without this feature a piece of blue gel will work fine, I think Wratten #45 or 47? (correct me if I'm wrong).

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

Joseph Andolina · October 2nd, 2005, 05:54 PM

thanks Eric, looks like a good possibly for me in the near future for me. If you'll fo get it, you'll have to let us know your feedback on it. I'm asuming that it has no battery power option...

Eric Brown · October 2nd, 2005, 10:18 PM

That's correct. DC only. If you're out in the middle of nowhere, however, there are AC/DC converters that I'm sure you can use to power it with via a generator.
But these monitors can be worth their weight in gold if you want the best image possible in terms of focus and accurate color.

September 19th, 2005, 08:16 PM	#1
Joseph Andolina Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 178	any one have the Varizoom TFTU 7" monitor? I'm crazily looking for a mountable 7" monitor to mount on my XL2 (mainly because I need a better referance to focus on wide shots since it seems the 20x lense has a back focus issue, as others have confirmed on threads as well as myself experiancing it) Even though it looks in focus to me when viewing it through the viewfinder with the eye piece popped up, when I view the footage later, it's definetly not in sharp focus :(my eyes aren't what they used to be). It was recommended to me to try the Varizoom TFTU 7" monitor. But the bottom line question is, can I rely on it helping me. I can;t afford anything high in price. Anyone have any experiance with it. Most of my shooting with it will be in 16:9. I'm told it is switchable. I originally had my eye on the Nebtek 70 Pro Li 7 inch LCD monitor, but it's a little steep in price for me at this time. I'm doing a shoot starting in the beginning of November and need something quick! Joe

September 29th, 2005, 05:37 AM	#11
Joseph Andolina Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 178	Had a chance to try the Nebtek monitor on the XL2. Unfortunetly for me it doesn't seem to benefit me for my focusing concerns on the wide shots, but then again what did I expect for a low resolution monitor anyway. For composition, I have no doubt that will be fine. At least when shooting in 16:9, it will come in handy to at least give the Director and others a true perspective of the shot. One thing I've noticed about the monitor is that if you're panning with the camera, that the monitor's picture seems to react a little strange. While in middle of panning, the picture seems to distort a bit. The only way I can describe it is if you ever seen an old 1950's kinescope, where some of the image may look like it's buldging out abit when the camera dollied or panned. Anway, a part of me now wishes I waited to save up for a more high ended 16:9 / 4:3 field monitor this way I'd have the advantage of both worlds, focus & composition. But I will keep this monitor for the purpose of looking at composition. At least the Xl2 has multiple outputs which allows for additional monitors to be tapped in at the same time. Sot the next question would be, how much does one have to pay for a monitor that hasd enough resolution for focusing, and even acurately reading colors in the shot? and I'm asuming it wouldn't be an LCD set-up? Joe Last edited by Joseph Andolina; September 29th, 2005 at 10:30 AM.

September 19th, 2005, 08:44 PM	#2
Eric Brown Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 427	Joe, I'm not sure where you by your supplies at but if you call over to EVS in Glendale CA (www.evsonline.com) pretty much anyone of the guys there can help you with that question as many if not all of them are knowledgeable, experienced shooters themselves.

September 22nd, 2005, 04:07 PM	#3
Joseph Andolina Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 178	thanks Eric for your sugestion. they gave me a good recommendation for the Nebtec 7". It being by Panasonic, they said it would be a sharper image quality than the Varizoom monitor. That will be what I'll go with. Joe

September 25th, 2005, 05:32 PM	#4
Eric Brown Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 427	No problem. Hope it works well for you. Cheers.

September 25th, 2005, 06:27 PM	#5
Dave Merrell New Boot Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 23	Joe, I use the Nebtek 7" monitor with my XL2 and love the way it works. YOu have to adapt for the amount of light and may want to consider the hood they can provide with it from hoodman. It's a great setup that really helps in compositing shots. Dave M.

September 26th, 2005, 05:21 AM	#6
Gary Barr Regular Crew Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: United Kingdom Posts: 186	which exact model is this please as I'm also interested. I find focussing a big issue with the XL2 and would love the B+W 'proper' VF but it's a bit steep in price.

September 26th, 2005, 07:22 AM	#7
Dave Merrell New Boot Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 23	Gary, I use the Nebtek NEB 70 PRO LI. You can look it up here..http://www.nebtek.com/products.php?cat=13 Dave M.

September 26th, 2005, 07:25 AM	#8
Dave Merrell New Boot Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 23	Gary, I should also add that you can get this at a significant price reduction through Brian at Zotz Digital...much less than going direct through Nebtek. Dave M.

September 26th, 2005, 10:17 PM	#9
Joseph Andolina Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 178	Thanks, I'll really be looking into the hood for the monitor. Thr monitor should be top me in two days or less. I also recommend Brian at Zotz, that's who I bought the XL2 from, and just about everything else, including the monitor purchase. Dave, what does the hood go for, and do you have a link to Hoodman to purchase it? Joe

September 27th, 2005, 07:30 AM	#10
Dave Merrell New Boot Join Date: Feb 2003 Posts: 23	Joe, Sorry, I don't have a direct link for the hood and I don't remember the cost. I got it as part of a package deal. My guess is you can get it included in a deal through Brian. Dave M.

October 1st, 2005, 12:03 PM	#12
Lucinda Luvaas Major Player Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 233	I recently purchased a portable dvd player with an 8 1/2" screen to use as a modestly, very modestly priced "field monitor," and ended up taking the color down to grayscale due to the fact that the color was much harsher than the XL2's ....so, I'll use it in grayscale and it has helped some, but I too am very interested in using a field monitor with the XL2 and wonder if people have some suggestions about which ones to look at.

October 2nd, 2005, 05:54 PM	#14
Joseph Andolina Regular Crew Join Date: Mar 2004 Location: Everett, WA Posts: 178	thanks Eric, looks like a good possibly for me in the near future for me. If you'll fo get it, you'll have to let us know your feedback on it. I'm asuming that it has no battery power option...

October 2nd, 2005, 10:18 PM	#15
Eric Brown Major Player Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Seattle Posts: 427	That's correct. DC only. If you're out in the middle of nowhere, however, there are AC/DC converters that I'm sure you can use to power it with via a generator. But these monitors can be worth their weight in gold if you want the best image possible in terms of focus and accurate color.