Directors hand-held monitor set-up

[brooksrobinson]

I am interested in putting together a hand-held directors monitor that would work with my current Bolt 2000 (version 2). I'm not sure what monitor, brackets, and battery would be best as I try and find a balance between weight, ergonomics, ease of use, and view-ability.

 

I currently have two SmallHD DP7 HB's for my steadicam sleds and I would think that size and weight would be appropriate for this. Since I'll be buying a separate dedicated monitor for this, I wonder if sticking with the HB is the best option, or if going with the OLED is better. I realize the HB is better for outdoor viewing, but I believe the OLED has a better picture with truer colors, which might be better for a director so he isn't questioning the DP about lighting. If there is a better option out there, I'd love to hear about it.

 

Secondly (and I suppose this depends on what monitor I get), I need thoughts on what kind of hand-held bracket I need to hold the monitor, Bolt 2000 RX, and battery securely, while providing an ergonomic and comfortable means for the director to hold the set up. I'm not sure what is available, works well, and is rugged enough for day to day use with directors who tend not to care how hard they are on gear.

 

Lastly, I'm not sure what battery type to go with. Obviously doing Anton Bauers (I'm not a V-mount guy) would provide the most run time and be less of a pain with switching out batteries, but they would also be heavy to hold for a shot of any duration. Is there a better option out there? Something light weight but that would allow a decent run time?

 

Is there anything else I'm not thinking about or that I should consider?

 

Thanks in advance for any assistance.

 

Brooks Robinson

[William Demeritt]

Hey Brooks!

 

I have in the back of my mind a director's monitor built, and if i were to buy it, I was going to go with the SmallHD OLED monitor + this bracket: http://ikancorp.com/productdetail.php?id=516. From what I've read, the OLED is like you said: better color, better tones, and is a better representation of what you'd want a director to see. More control over it as well.

 

You can attach other battery plates to the back and use other batteries, LP-E6 batteries (used on Canon 5D), etc. However, as advertised on the link below, the runtime for the monitor drops to about 1 hour 30 minutes. You get back some of the weight for the handles, but you'd better have a cache of batteries nearby.

 

http://store.smallhd.com/store/DP7-Canon-LP-E6-Power-Kit

 

Perhaps you could stick with an Anton Bauer back for the SmallHD OLED, and buy up a couple GlobalMediaPro 95wH batteries:

 

http://www.globalmediapro.com/dp/A2HGD4/Globalmediapro-Li95A-HW-Lithium-ion-Battery-95WH/

 

They weigh 1.5lbs (as opposed to 2.0lbs on the Dionic HC's). Perhaps other 3-stud batteries exist that weight a bit less, or are a bit flatter, etc. Plus, the SmallHD DP7 OLED weighs less than 1.2lbs, plus 1.5lbs and the handles (1.2lbs), the total monitor about 4lbs. It's not nothing, but that's certainly small and lighter weight than anything else I've seen.

[Libor Cevelik]

Also to complete the IKAN bracket i have bought this Porta Brace case

 

http://www.portabrace.com/products/monitors/flat-screen-cases/959-mo-70xp-651b

 

(this one is for marshall monitor but they have for Small HD too)

 

it protects the monitor, serves as sun shade and u can hook up a shoulder strap.

 

I will snap a picture of the setup ..

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

Brooks, take a look at the Odyssey 7Q+. I think its about the same price as the Small HD OLED and records too (you can set it to record from your Preston start/stop). Now your director is carrying your onboard recorder (and doesn't even need to know!).

 

https://www.convergent-design.com/products/plus.html

[Justin Painter]

Brooks,

 

I have the Wooden Camera cage, its pretty nice. One can use different monitors if needed. I installed a AB plate on the back.

 

http://woodencamera.com/Director-s-Monitor-Cage.html

 

Justin Painter

[brooksrobinson]

Thank you so much guys! Looks like there is a lot of good stuff out there to choose from. I think I'll stick with a SmallHD since I already own two and I mostly understand how they work - I'm leaning towards an OLED. Does anyone know how big of a difference there is between the picture of the AC7 OLED and the DP7? I'm guessing the DP7 is much nicer since the price is double, but I'm not sure if it is worth the extra expense for a hand-held monitor .

 

Does anyone use the hand-held handles SmallHD sells on their site? I'm not sure if they are sturdy enough or if the Ikan and Wooden Camera cages are better alternatives. If they are, I like the look of the Wooden Camera cage as it seems sturdier being able to attach to both the top and bottom of the monitor. One question: if it is set up with the Anton Bauer plate on the back, how would one go about powering both a SmallHD monitor, and a Bolt 2000 RX? Also, is there enough room to mount a Bolt 2000 RX to this? The 2000 RX is quite large (Teradek are you listening?) with the 5 antennas and I'd want to make sure there was enough clearance. I'm assuming it would be better to have the Anton Bauer plate on the cage, but perhaps having it on the SmallHD monitor would be better for weight distribution. If so, is there enough room with the cage to have a battery mount and battery directly mounted to the monitor?

 

Thanks again for the help and I look forward to hearing any possible responses to my next round of questions. It will be exciting putting this package together.

 

Brooks

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

Brooks,

 

I know you've been keeping an eye on my thread in the quest to get Teradek to make a smaller 2000 receiver for this purpose. Mike replied to give him a couple of days to re-check in with the company and see where they are at. I'm sure if they agree to do it, it will be awhile but you may want to wait and see what he says.

 

http://www.steadicamforum.com/index.php?showtopic=21932&p=110526