GEAR
BUYERS’ GUIDE
SUPER SCREENS
MONITOR CULTURE
We survey the landscape to find the best on-camera monitors and recorders out there
WORDS ADAM DUCKWORTH
O nce you have had the pleasure of looking at your subject on a screen that’s larger and brighter than a camera’s LCD or EVF, there’s no going back. After seeing a finely detailed, super- sharp view of the footage you’re filming or reviewing, nothing comes close to an on-camera accessory screen. Many are around five inches, ideal for mirrorless or DSLRs. Others are seven-inch and more suited for larger cines. Some plug into the camera via HDMI, others through SDI, with many offering both. A few actually record your footage to an SD card or, more commonly, an SSD drive. This may unlock higher-bit-rate or higher-resolution footage than your camera is capable of on its own, and will allow you to record for longer without overheating issues.
Some monitors even allow your camera to output a Raw signal – for the ultimate in quality – and can transcode this into an editable format, such as Apple ProRes Raw or Blackmagic Raw. Certain monitors have built-in Wi-Fi for full connectivity, ideal for camera-to-cloud workflows. Others have transmitters that beam signals for miles. All offer tools that make a filmmaker’s life much easier, such as waveforms, vectorscopes, false colour, histograms, anamorphic de-squeeze, grid lines and lots more. There are loads of reasons to invest in a camera-mounted monitor or monitor/recorder. So, we’re looking at some of the best screens out there – in a vast range of price points – to showcase the ones to watch.
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PRO MOVIEMAKER
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