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Dp7pro high bright


Joshua Gitersonke

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I am thinking about making a monitor change to the SmallHD high bright. My current monitors are Cinetronic Gen 2's, so please use that for comparison. I'm interested in:

 

* The daylight view-ability of the SmallHD - both with and without aftermarket anti-glare film (does the film help?).

* The best way of mounting the monitor (either yoke or spud) to my XCS monitor bracket rods. Who makes the best bracket or yoke?

* How would I get an SD signal to the monitor (this seems to be an issue?) in the event of a future film job?

* Does the monitor have user adjustable framelines or preset ones? Can you adjust the color or texture (just solid lines or can I make the lines broken or dotted)?

* Has anyone modified the power connector on the monitor to a more robust Lemo (it looks like a Hirose)? Is it possible?

* Does anyone make a rain cover for it? Who?

 

I'm also looking at the newer Transvideo 6" 2000nit monitor, but at over twice the cost (I'd be buying two, so $6000 vs $14,000), I think I'd be more willing to give this monitor a try first unless there is a compelling reason not to. If it doesn't stack up, I can always send it back, or buy the TB7 when it is released. Is there anything I need to be aware of before going forward with the SmallHD? Any other monitors I should be looking at? Ultimately, I need something that will stand up to the rigors of working on large-budget feature film sets, with a menu that I can easily figure out (without an engineering degree), and an image I can see while shooting outside. Is this the right monitor for me?

 

Thanks in advance for any comments - either positive or negative.

 

Sincerely,

 

Brooks Robinson

brooksontheroad@pacbell.net

 

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Hey Brooks,

 

I own both the DP7 HB and the Transvideo 6" 2000nit monitor. The transvideo is my main monitor because it is brighter and the level is great. I use my DP7 as my director/DP monitor but it is also my backup if something ever goes wrong with my Transvideo.

 

The DP7 is very reflective without an addition AR shield. I got the 55% one from Photodon and it works well. The transvideo is less reflective but I felt it still needed a little help so I bought the 35% screen from Photodon and like the results.

 

I'm sure you've seen in previous posts but the level in the DP7 is worthless for our needs. The transvideo comes with the virtual horizon 2 pre-installed and works great.

 

Hope that helps.

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Thanks guys for the input on the SmallHD

 

But without a on-screen level that's usable for what we do, the SmallHD seems like it won't work for me yet.

Though I don't rely on digital levels often when working, in those instances where it's hard to judge level by the scenery or being at odd angles with various buildings, it's VERY useful and I'd need a trusty one that works and responds quickly and smoothly.

 

My Nebtek has been trusty and works great still (after 4 years of use) but it isn't the brightest anymore and I worry about it failing someday....and since Nebtek doesn't make 7" Steadi monitors anymore, I need to find a different company as it's replacement.

 

I'm also in the same boat as Brooks regarding the questions and concerns he had about the SmallHD too.

 

thanks again.

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Here were my thoughts which I shared with another operator recently:

 

I bought a SmallHD DP7HB back in February to be a backup monitor, but it quickly became my primary monitor. It's lovely, works wonderful, but here's the honest feedback:

  • I wish it was as bright as the Gen 2 Cinetronic, but it's not.
  • The front panel of the Gen 2 is optically bonded, and the SmallHD isn't, so you get some glare issues pretty much always. Heavily overcast days, you may strain a bit to see the image, but it's not awful, and some monitor angle adjustment helps. I bought Nick Davidoff's recommended screen cover, and it helps, but it doesn't make it brighter. Glare is reduced, but ambient glare (overcast bright skies) still washes out the image a lot.
  • I haven't tried using the SD input on the monitor, but they're in a very inopportune place AND they're only through a Hirose plug. I wish they'd had just a standard BNC composite input, but it doesn't.
  • I think that Matthias Bieber with www.cam-jam.de is the only monitor yoke built specifically for the SmallHD, and I just ordered one (apparently he just redesigned it). I've been using my Gen 2 yoke with a few modifications, but got stick of it.
  • If you order it, the battery plate and backing plate system comes with the monitor but not actually installed... so you get to install it. When I installed it using their screws, I felt like it didn't necessarily install as securely as I wanted. HOWEVER, I haven't had any issues with it, so I think it was just lack of confidence in my install.
  • When the monitor gets hot, which happens, the image starts to degrade. The monitor has a built-in fan, which you can turn onto 3 settings (hi, med, low) or off. If the fan is set too low, and you're outside, it can overheat which causes the image degradation (imagine watching an HD image with transmission interruption, like bad signal on a rabbit ears TV). Weird coloration and "snow" starts to appear until it cools off. Best way to combat it was to power off the monitor when not in use.
  • I haven't seen custom framelines, but I haven't looked very hard for them.
  • Still running the Hirose connector. It performs pretty well for me. I have it on a coily cable with LEMO on the other end for powering from my PRO 8-pin LEMO, and I haven't had any disconnect or fidelity issues with it, even with the coil pulling at the plug.
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Hmmm, great info here folks.. Looks like I'll save up for the Transvideo HD6X. I had my CineMonitor 3A SB for 7 years with no issues. Transvideo makes an amazing product, takes SD, HD, SDI, Custom frame lines you can set, Tally , etc.. Think about it this way. Would you rent a Monitor? Seeing as the X series from Transvideo will probably last you 5 years+ It's $107/month. Based on current price of $6,421 USD (4970 Euro)

 

and I second Matthias Cam Jam Quattro monitor bracket and yoke for ANY monitor. I have one for the HD6 Classic and one for my Cinetronic Gen 1.

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I'm wondering if anyone is using Matthias's (cam-jam.de) yoke with this monitor. I'm going to be picking two of them up, and wanted to see if anyone had a photo of the yoke in action with the SmallHD high bright, so I could see how much clearance there was between the bottom of the monitor and the yoke. I'm trying to get Michael Kramer from Keslow (who built the great Cinetronic spirit level for John Joyce that was recently talked about on the forum) to modify his spirit level to work with this monitor and wanted to see if there was room to have it mounted at the bottom of the monitor, as that is where I have gotten used to viewing it. Please post photos here if you have any, or send them to me directly (email listed below). Thank you in advance for any help.

 

Brooks

brooksontheroad@pacbell.net

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Will,

I have been in some extreme heat with my Small HD monitor and some extreme cold and neither has affected it. I asked small HD why they went with the Hirose as a power connector and they said it was the least expensive locking power connector

 

BTW: they said there is a panel on the back of the monitor, that was put there to access the inputs, i was thinking of having mine modified to put the BNC and Power connectors on the back instead of the bottom to allow for a cleaner yolk mount.

 

Can't complain about the monitor, its well built and does what it needs to for me, I do love the Transvideo's they make a great product and I have had to only return mine for servicing once, but they are extremely expensive and heavier than I really need

 

JM2C

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Hmm, I may have a faulty monitor then. Not sure, it's happened twice and cooling off the monitor fixed it both times. This picture probably doesn't illustrate the "problem" well enough. It didn't prevent me from working, but it did make me nervous.

 

Do you mean that fancy "x-port" has that function?

post-6798-0-34861500-1410554412_thumb.jpg

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I guess I'll finally weigh in here since I'm in a similar situation as Brooks and as I've now been able to shoot with the SmallHD DP-7 HB a couple times so I can fairly compare it to my Cinetronic Gen2 as well as the Transvideo 6" X-SBL that I'm currently using. Below is a bulleted list of the highlights of each monitor and my own opinions.

 

SmallHD DP-7 HB

- Really light compared to the Transvideo and the Cinetronic

- Accepts PSF from Sony cameras (Almost worth it just for that alone)

- Horrible built in level, like un-useably bad. I just stuck a spirit level on the monitor and used that instead.

- Buttons and menu that are foreign at first but eventually I guess one could get used to. Absolutely hate the placement of them on the corners and sides of the monitor, always getting bumped or pressed accidentally, especially when you haven't disabled that light touch/motion activation function.

- Didn't really play around with frame lines, just used them out of the camera.

- Mounted inside my Gen2 yoke, it worked with simple modification and got me through the day. Made for easy switching from regular to low mode operating but I would highly recommend a different mounting system to use with this monitor.

- Non-glass bonded screen and no AR coating either makes for a bad day in the sun! I didn't have any additional anti-glare film installed on mine so maybe this would help. The screen protector is nice for transporting or protecting while on the cart, definitely not while shooting as it creates horrible reflections, definitely the first thing to do is take that off.

- Power connector is non-standard and not a robust connector.

 

Price point makes it a serious contender as a good backup monitor but I wouldn't consider it as a primary monitor because for me it has too many annoyances to put up with every day, that and it's not as good as the other two outdoors or even under reflections from lights/diffusion.

 

Cinetronic Gen2

- The elephant in the room. It's a great monitor when it works (which is with every camera it seems but Sonys).

- Beautiful picture in any lighting condition and best AR coating of the three.

- The Cinetronic yoke is self-loosening which can become quite annoying and it always seems to shift out of alignment in transit, not ideal but works well for regular to low mode with little time and no effort.

- The inputs along the bottom can be tricky to plug in/unplug since they are all crammed in very tightly but I like that they all point towards the lower electronics housing and make for clean cabling.

- Good level, easy to dial in to your preferences but not as smooth as the Transvideo, seems to stutter a bit in comparison.

- Perfect weight without the battery on the back for me but like the flexibility of being able to mount one there if need be.

- No manual and no case provided with purchase (Come on, really??)

 

I have such a love/hate relationship with this monitor. I would love this monitor even more if it weren't for that damn PSF issue. That really bit me in the ass more then once and it's at those times when the DP comes to check and says "What's wrong" I need support from a manufacturer. It's really a shame Chris just doesn't focus on fixing this major issue and simply pay someone to answer his phone and provide customer support. Is it worth it to spend the extra couple grand on the Transvideo just to avoid these headaches?

 

Transvideo HD6 X-SBL

- Smallest screen of the group, some may write this one off completely because of that but I don't mind the smaller image area. I actually like it better then their 8" monitors.

- Much heavier then the SmallHD but really a perfect weight for Steadicam.

- Love the new built-in level. The old one was good but this thing is awesome and you can move it anywhere you want. Smoother and more reactive then the Cinetronic and there's no damping setting to dial in, it just automatically dials in the right amount for whatever force is exerted upon it.

- Familiar menus, the same as prior models but with a few updates for the new features. Very easy and intuitive to navigate.

- Great day-light view-ability, but the AR coating on the Cinetronic seems to handle reflections better then the Transvideo's non-AR coated but still glass bonded screen.

- Physical buttons are nice, all the inputs and connectors are standard and robust.

- Transvideo's mount is crap. Period. I wouldn't even consider it for Steadicam use, buy PRO's version instead if you want the spud mount. I would love to test out Cam-Jam's yoke with this monitor before I put down that kind of money on a monitor mount blindly.

- Works with PSF!!! Hallelujah!

- Includes a nice pelican case and instruction manual plus microfiber cloth and bag.

 

The price is hard to swallow, but really it's worth every penny for the peace of mind in knowing that you purchased a fully featured and fully operational monitor from a reputable manufacturer. Call me crazy but I like to know that when I show up on set my equipment will do it's job without distracting me from doing mine. Plus it can pay itself back in only a couple days so it's kind of a no brainer, for me at least, which is the best option of the three.

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