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About External Monitor For Camera

J

jackson5759

Can i know why is those monitor specialize design for film making is so expensive even it just 7"? like for TV Logic is about 2k usd ++ for 1.. Can anyone tell me what is the real different compare to Normal full HD monitor? IPS panel.. thanks for your information!:P
 
I'm not going to give you film maker BS. It's the same as any other monitor, it's price is just increased because it comes with hot shoe mounts and it's a specific brand. Also you'll find the ones with HDMI slots are more expensive. I discovered that you can buy a portable HD DVD player with HDMI and connect it to that (Much cheaper!), except you will have to design your own hot shoe. It's a way companies make money and film makers give into it because everyone wants to look professional.
 
Joshua, that isn't true. While a portable DVD player would work for many people, a professional monitor gives you a few extras.

1. It has precise color and contrast, so you can see a closer image to what you are actually shooting. As opposed to a cheap screen, where color and contrast is far from close.

2. You get SDI input/output, some even come with HDMI in AND out. These can help in many many ways. One example would be to connect an HDMI cable through a second monitor by using the in/out connections. SDI connectors are generally stronger than HDMI. So when using pro cameras, you want the best cable type to get the best output.

3. You get a sharper image. Even though some cheaper screens can do a good job with this as well.

4. Because some screens are color-calibrated, you can use them to work properly on color correction in post.

With all that said, for anyone beginning and for most small budget, there is no real need to shell out that extra cash for a pro monitor.
 
Seriously, it barely makes any difference. You said cheaper models have less precise colour and contrast, that's hardly relevant especially that all footage has to be reviewed and is 90% of the time fixed in post (Of course it's better to get it right on set). And if you are that fussy go and spend and extra thousand on a monitor. At the end of the day it's in HD and showing a picture 99% the same as a professional monitor, as I said I'm not going to give jackson5759 any bullsh** and I knew other people would come along and try to justify the expensive monitors.
 
lol thanks for your precious time to answer my question.. but since there is some monitor are well calibrated like the dell ultrasharp unit.. if i plug my camera to those unit while i shooting, isnt that the same? or maybe those type of pro camera have built in battery? so they can carry anywhere without power supply? hmm i just wondering.. :D
 
Units like the u2410 are used by many indie folks for color correction (after calibration) and it sports 1:1 pixel mapping. Granted it won't have all of the built-in waveforms, histograms and such, or many of the other features that Daniel mentioned, but you can make do with any external monitor that will let you see if you've blown out highlights beyond saving or crushed blacks into oblivion. Whether or not you want to have the hassle of being tied to a large monitor or not is up to you. Lots of folks don't mind and would rather have the larger screen so they see things in the frame that are way less obvious on smaller screens.
 
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The way I usually do it, is rent 2 monitors (or 3 if I have rigs like a gib or crane).

One monitor is any kind of computer screen (Best if it's battery powered). This will be the director's monitor. It need to be big enough to properly see the actor's performance. If you get a better monitor, it is also a good reference for the makeup artists to see how their work looks on set and if any proper touch-ups are needed.

Second monitor is for the DP, this should be a properly calibrated monitor and if I have complex rigs, I will need the SDI/HDMI out as well, that doesn't come with cheap monitors.

Third monitor would be for camera operators/assistant cameraman and sometimes the focus puller.

And again, as I said, you can still work with cheap monitors. It's just important to know them well and test them out so you would understand their shortcomings. It all depends on your production and budget.
 
There is a big difference between 'any old monitor' (including a DVD player) and a professional monitor.

Pro monitors are colour calibrateable (which is really important), they have false colour exposure levels (which is also important, especially if your camera system doesn't have this, they have focus assist peaking (which is super important for your Focus Puller). Plus a bevy of other features, not the least of which is that they are accurate which means you know that what you are seeing is what is being recorded.

There is no way I would ever advocate just using 'any old monitor' unless the only thing you were using it for is framing. Not to mention that 'any old monitor' generally doesn't have SDI in and outs and generally is a lot harder to mount.

I can tell you 100% that if 'any old monitor' was good enough, filmmakers wouldn't spend thousands on on-set monitoring. Filmmaking isn't about BS to scam Producers out of money.
 
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