MONITORS GEAR
LOOKING YOUR BEST The Atomos Shogun (left) has various power options, while the Shinobi (above) boasts a 1000-nit HDR display
The F700 marks a new approach from Neewer, which has expanded its internal engineering department. “The R&D team is the largest in the company,” Sheppard points out, “and that’s made a big difference. Historically, we had early models which were the F100 and F200, [but] this has been designed in- house from the bottom up.” As a result, expectations are high: “Normally with newly released products – because the US is the biggest consumer market in the world – it tests the products over there for a few months before bringing it to Europe. The F700 is such a promising device that it’s being released in Europe, the UK and the US simultaneously.” Powering via USB-C seems to be a popular idea. “They would traditionally be powered by Sony NP-F batteries,” Sheppard adds. “They weren’t often sold with the DC power adapter, but the F700 also has a USB-C input. That’s a game changer; if you were capturing horse racing while surrounded by media people, you might not have much space. So, instead of having loads of cables, you can take a V-Mount battery or a normal power bank and use that.” Recent months have seen several companies push for higher-end clientele, with Blackmagic’s new cameras and a
precision reference display announced by SmallHD. Neewer seems eager to follow suit, particularly, as Sheppard highlights, “venturing into much more powerful lighting. Usually, the maximum wattage of lighting was 150-300W. Now, we’re venturing into 600W and upward. It’s not just catering to the person who’s venturing out into the field with a limited budget; it’s an area where there’s people with a bit more money to spend. The dynamics are changing.” At the same time, the cost of owning a true precision reference display has fallen, though not solely because displays
cost less. Flanders Scientific CEO Bram Desmet explains: “We have the brand- new 31.5in quantum-dot OLED, shipping since February. The big news of late has been the auto-calibration feature that goes along with it, working with a £250 probe, which makes calibration much more affordable and accessible.” Quantum-dot OLEDs promise a longer life than earlier designs, which were spectacular but could be short- lived. “Quantum dots have a much slower decay over time than RGB OLED,” Desmet says, “which is what [the earlier designs] were. They used organic red, green and
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