Good on ya, as ZGC is one of this site's sponsors and they help make these boards available to you. Thanks,

I am getting ready to purchase an external LCD monitor for my Canon XL1s. I need one that is switchable between 4:3 and 16:9. It seems to me that the only one out there that is any good is the "Panasonic TC-7WMS1 7in 16:9 Color LCD Monitor, Switchable to 4:3 Aspect Ratio".

It seems I will also have to purchase a battery pack and a mount for my XL1s.

Does anybody know of a better choice, or where to find the best price on this as a package?

I want to buy something in the next week or so, so any info you can provide would be very helpful.

The lcd monitors sold by Elite Video, Varizoom and others are mostly the same junk. They're very course resolutions and feature very poor color imaging.

The Panasonic TC-7WMS1 is a 7" high-res monitor with a 16:9 display aspect ration, switchable to 4:3. It is absolutely a cut far above the lcd's above. But, of course, at a price. By the time you add the acccessory kits required to fully configure the monitor (ex: external power supply, camera cables, etc.) it will run you approx. $900.

Marshall also makes several high-res lcd monitors designed for film/video production assistance.

But the bottom line is that you get -only- what you pay for. Expect to pay-up for high quality displays.

I am all for getting the best quality I can.

Do you have a suggestion on where to get the best package? I have looked at B&H photo and they are vague about the accesories. Little to no descriptions. I would rather just buy the whole thing at once.

Nebtek seems to offer one, for about a thousand bucks. Their descrition is more detailed, but the monitor alone is alot more expensive than other places. Any info will help. Thanks.

Which TFT
 

Yeah, NEBTEK 7 inch model (http://nebtek.com/7inch/neb70.html) is a modified Panasonic (http://www.panasonic.com/PBDS/subcat/Products/displays_monitors/f_tc-7wms1.html) and is designed to fit the Canon XL1. I went with the 5-inch version because it fits better on the small body style. The 7-inch fits better perched on top of a Sony DSR300AL body style or bigger. It is also available at ZGC, but not listed on their website. ZGC has outstanding service and quick email response (chris@zgc.com) and their prices are second to none. I have struggled with B&H and Adorama and they have to special order and you might see it a 2 or 3 weeks later, but worth a look.

I have always found Marshall to be an extra and unnecessary cost, but that is an opinion. Varizoom is a joke for TFT displays, but their zoom/focus controls are industry standard.

I only use the TFT to visibly gauge color while depending on the FU-1000 B&W viewfinder to find the perfect focus (sweet spot). I would never try to shoot 16:9 on the Canon XL1s, because the image is "Forced" to the aspect ratio at the degradation of the image quality. Better go with the Sony DSR500WSL-1 if your want a true 16:9. My opinion again :-)

Codeman3D,
Panasonic has a good info sheet on the 7" monitor and its accessory kits in Acrobat format on their Web site. Just search on the product id (TC-7WMS1). If you cannot find it I can email it to you, since I have it handy.

BTW, B&H has the 7" monitor and its accessories in stock at this writing.

Thanks for the info. I think I am ending up getting the NebTek NEB 70 LI for the convenience of the canon battery mount.

I will have to give them a call tomorrow since their online store doesnt seem to want to sell me the panasonic.

Take care.

Take note that the NEB 70 PRO LI is a BNC interface. It's designed for the better DV cameras with BNC component connectors. The Canon XL1 comes stock with the RCA connector for preview output... only the NEB50XL is really designed for the CanonXL1 BECAUSE of the RCA output. There is no conversion for RCA to BNC component.

Friendly advice.

Thanks for the info. I was planning on contacting Nebtek tomorrow, since it was unclear on the site.

So this leaves me in a quandry. I need 16:9 and 4:3 switchable. Does anybody know of a solution?

I did see an Apex portable DVD player with SVHS and RCA inputs on sale for $299. It is switchable from 4:3 to 16:9. The screen wasn't great, but it will give me a turer 16:9 display.

<< Indesign: " There is no conversion for RCA to BNC component. " >>

Actually, not so. You can get a very inexpensive adapter from nearly any Radio Shack that will permit you to plug an RCA cable into a BNC receptacle. I use two of them on my Sony 8" field monitors.

<<<Actually, not so. You can get a very inexpensive adapter from nearly any Radio Shack that will permit you to plug an RCA cable into a BNC receptacle. I use two of them on my Sony 8" field monitors. -->>>

Now my head is spinning ;)

I really want the panasonic. It seems to be the best for my needs.

So, Ken, you are saying that this simple adaptor will solve all my problems of connecting. Sweeeet!

I have checked into the "Panasonic DVD-LV70 Portable DVD". This uses the same monitor and has the ability to accept RCA and SVHS inputs. Has anybody here ever tried using a portable. If I could figure out how to mount it, It might be a more versatile option.

Yes and no... I should have said stock adapter, because I talked to NEBTEK directly about this. Third party conversions are available though. Thanks for correcting me on this Ken. Some people are sticklers for true YPbPr or YCbCr component signal on their previews and want the BNC. But I still lean towards the stock RCA for the sake of straight-forward XL1 compatiblity :-)

Yes, this $1.69 adapter will enable you to connect the XL1s to the Panasonic monitor's BNC video-in port. Of course you don't get the full advantage of having the secure field connection that BNC is designed to provide. But it will work hunky dunky.

Ken Tanaka and Inndesign,

Are you both talking about the same thing? Does the Panasonic monitor require Composite or Component input? If it is Composite with BNC connector, the MA200 will solve that problem as well as the Radio Shack adapter. Also, Markertek.com sells a cable with RCA on one end and BNC on the other. If it is Component, wouldn't that require a different sort of adapter?

You're quite right, Ed. The Panasonic monitor takes a BNC *composite* video input, not a component input.

Panasonic's spec page for this unit it at:
http://www.panasonic.com/pbds/subcat/Products/displays_monitors/specs/s_tc-7wms1.html