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Cinetronic Review


Jens Piotrowski SOC

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It has been a couple of months now since the Cinetronic monitor was introduced. I would like to hear from current owners and see how the monitor performs in the real world.

Please posts pictures!

 

couple of points of interest:

 

visibility

 

brightness

 

reflectivity

 

weight and size

 

viewing angles

 

menu structure

 

lack of frame-lines

 

16:9 or 4:3

 

how was the change-over from a TB-6

 

Thanks for your time...

 

cinetronic

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couple of points of interest:

 

visibility: I find the visibility incredibly good. I've operated in thick haze and still found the image clear and excellent.

 

brightness: I took a picture of my monitor, but it doesn't really do justice to the monitor's daylight brightness. However, let's just say I had my eye and the camera at direct angle of reflection to the sun (bright glint), and I could still see a fairly clear contour of the image it was showing. I'll attach the image in a moment if I can find it.

 

reflectivity: The screen is a bit reflective, but not so much that you catch lights or other glints and get confused. If anything, the reflectivity of the monitor only gets distracting when you see smudges or grime built up on the screen and then want to clean it.

 

weight and size: The old housing is big and cumbersome, and I cannot wait to upgrade to the new housing. However, even as big and bulky as it seems, it's still not terrifyingly wider than my sled base. It's not as narrow as my PRO gen 2 monitor was, but I hear the next housing will be. As far as weight, I wish it was a bit lighter. In my sled's current configuration, I have the monitor positioned to be coplanar with the batteries, and have the batteries and recorder set at a distance such that if you place it on the balancing post, it sits at perfect horizon. If the weight was a bit lighter, I could bring the battery module forward a bit more and make the self more compact at the base. It's not a featherweight.

 

viewing angles: No issues. I frequently operate off the monitor upside down (low mode), and don't have any viewing angle issues. For our discussion, let's imagine a straight line running from the bottom of the monitor (mount) to the top (vertical viewing angle). Bottom is 180 degrees and top is 0 degrees. Viewing perfectly dead on 90 degrees. Most of the time, I operate on the monitor from 90 to <180 degrees, and have never noticed a viewing angle issue. If memory serves, from 0 to 45 degrees has a few pockets where the image fails, but then significantly improves. The horizontal viewing angle is fantastic.

 

menu structure: I think it's a stock software, so it's fairly simple to navigate. Once they release the new housing and controller board, this whole conversation will change. However, if you're planning on operating the gen 1 for any period of time, then you it's worth mentioning that some options are not intuitively laid out in the menu, such as image rotation options. Also, many options have on screen indicators of level, such as if you go into the menu and see how far zoomed in the image is. However, the menu doesn't seem have any a section indicating percentage of LED Backlight currently on. If you turn the LED backlight down, the on screen display doesn't indicate a level of brightness currently displayed (as in a percentage or a series of columns indicating max brightness or OFF). I certainly hope the next LCD controller takes this into account.

 

lack of frame-lines: Hasn't really chaffed me so far, most of the cameras I use have built in frame lines, be it a ground glass or HD camera that draws on frame lines for me. I usually just make sure the camera is set up properly before I fly it.

 

16:9 or 4:3: I went with the 4:3 primarily because I came from operating on a PRO 2 green screen, so I was used to a 4:3 screen with a 16:9 (black spaces on top and bottom) image inside. Also, with the on screen digital level and frame line generator coming with the next gen housing and controller, I figure those black spaces are where the level will go and won't interfere with my frame.

 

how was the change-over from a TB-6: I had a PRO 2 green screen, but I still enjoy the upgrade. Composite analog video still comes in from the LEMO power cable to the Cinetronic monitor, for CVBS i didn't need to change or add any cables on my lower junction box.

 

Thanks for your time...

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A lot of people went to transvideos and Marshals and never looked back. There are still occasions I am definitely pulling out my TB6. Its definitely interesting that Eric, one of the biggest kit-fascists around, thinks its good.

 

This week. Low mode. Bright and low sunshine with lots of bright cloud cover above. Lifting the low mode camera up to near chest height. Upside down TB6 3 ft above my head and as close to the line of my body as possible. Really I am looking at the most oblique angle possible onto the monitor but I can still see it. Could the Cinetronic have done it? I wouldn't of been able to tweak the monitor angle as it was a 4 minute one-take music video. According to Williams review the Cinetronic would have been fine so long as I rotated the whole monitor and was in the 175 degree angle area rather than the 5 degree angle area. Thats fine.. it would have worked for that whole shot.

 

Direct sunshine straight onto the monitor so you can see the actual sun reflecting was never a problem with the new range of LCD's. It was always the bright cloud cover above or HMI's on a frame behind that ruined visibility.

 

So massively interested in this Cinetronic. We do hear this every new range of LCD's that comes out and they are obviously getting better and better. Are we there yet?

 

I would love it if others filled in Jens's questionnaire.

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A lot of people went to transvideos and Marshals and never looked back. There are still occasions I am definitely pulling out my TB6. Its definitely interesting that Eric, one of the biggest kit-fascists around, thinks its good.

 

This week. Low mode. Bright and low sunshine with lots of bright cloud cover above. Lifting the low mode camera up to near chest height. Upside down TB6 3 ft above my head and as close to the line of my body as possible. Really I am looking at the most oblique angle possible onto the monitor but I can still see it. Could the Cinetronic have done it? I wouldn't of been able to tweak the monitor angle as it was a 4 minute one-take music video. According to Williams review the Cinetronic would have been fine so long as I rotated the whole monitor and was in the 175 degree angle area rather than the 5 degree angle area. Thats fine.. it would have worked for that whole shot.

 

Direct sunshine straight onto the monitor so you can see the actual sun reflecting was never a problem with the new range of LCD's. It was always the bright cloud cover above or HMI's on a frame behind that ruined visibility.

 

So massively interested in this Cinetronic. We do hear this every new range of LCD's that comes out and they are obviously getting better and better. Are we there yet?

 

I would love it if others filled in Jens's questionnaire.

 

Everything that the TB-6 Does well the Cinetronics does just as well or better. I don't think that it's good, I think that it's freaking awesome, so good that I got rid of my TB-6

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I had the TB-6 for 9 years and I thought it was the best green monitor the market, by far, but thanks to my friend Eric and Juan Ramos, I have one on my sled and I am very happy with its performance.

The weight of the monitor seem right to me is very similar to TB-6.

There are two things that would change in design, a low battery indicator and the famous joke that I would design for chasisis anchored directly to the monitor as the TB-6 or the PRO without the exterior structure.

The picture is incredible outdoors with many definitions and if you miss your old green monitor can put the image in that color.

I personally really like this. If there is a lighter version if it does not work so well on the sled.

LCD monitor is the best market for the steadicam ...

Regards

 

Jorge Agero

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Just to stir the pot a bit, Boland came out with a new monitor (about a year ago?). I've had one for about 6 months and it kicks ass. Now keep in mind that I had the old Boland and loved it (the same one that tanked in the monitor shoot out).

 

The viewing angle and reflective quality of the new Boland is about ten times better than the old one. I used it on a 3D feature that was mostly exterior locations in Miami in the summer in full sun and never had a viewing problem. In fact for balance, I actually had the monitor behind the post for some shots and still had no viewing angle or glare issues. I also just did an Amazing race with it and it handled 85,000k of rough travel and never let me down.

 

I started with a PRO monitor and never had a TB-6 or a Cinetronic monitor. I wouldn't trade my old (sucky by comparison) Boland for anything and the new one is a billion times better than the old.

 

I also dunked the old one in salt water (not splashed, submerged) and it never even stopped working. Cut, rinsed it off, dried it off, kept shooting. It's durable as hell.

 

I don't know how it compares to the Cinetronic but I know it's made me lots of money and never once stopped working on me.

 

Not that it matters but the Boland gets my stamp of approval.

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Mike Considering that the Boland has a perforated case and the cinetronic has a sealed water resistant case the cinetronic would be a better solution for someone that works around water. And yes I've seen the boland and while it's good, it's not quite up to the cinetronic level

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Yes, it sounds like a totally kick ass monitor. And having seen both of them you are qualified to make the comparison, I'm not.

 

I'm just saying that whether it's the best monitor ever made or the worst, it is, for somebody like me, who relies on that one piece of equipment to pay my mortgage, above and beyond up to the task. Based on years of field experience, I'm no more worried about my monitor not being good enough or not working than I am worried about my PRO arm for example. And that is a piece of equipment that I would consider as well made and purpose built as any piece of motion picture equipment that exists today.

 

FYI, when I went to buy my new monitor, I did call Cinetronic (and was going to buy one based on your review) but they lead time on the monitor was too long. Boland had my monitor in about a week.

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Currently the Cinetronic monitors are not an "off the shelf" product. As with most professional equipment, the monitors are built to order. This allows us to put the necessary time into each monitor, and to customize it to the customers order. All monitors are hand built by Mike and I, and we hope that the quality shows through our design and attention to detail. As many current owners know, we are very open to questions, suggestions and working with you both before and after the sale. Hopefully this outweighs the lead times we currently have.

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