I also use DV-Rack and I think it is a great piece of software - the focus and exposure cards are very useful. The latency is a minor annoyance but more than made up for by the host of other facilities.

One complaint about using a laptop in the field (or even in the studio) with a firewire cable is that firewire connectors are SO ridiculously flimsy and are easily pulled out.

When on location, I like to have the laptop a little way away from the camera in order to facilitate easy movement of the camera (I tend to keep it on a dolly when I can). I couldn't find a 4-pin to 4-pin cable length that was long enough so I bought a 6-pin to 6-pin cable (10m) and a couple of 6 to 4-pin adapters. And of course that makes it even more flimsy! Even using a shorter length 4 to 4 in the studio is a bit hit and miss. Clearly, a tape is still a required safety net.

Quite why the developers of firewire chose to adopt such a feeble connector I cannot understand.

That said, the removal of the capture process is a joy!

Ian . . .

One question I have is if you buy a monitor from B&H or w/e what do you use to mount it to the camera? Ive seen people mount it to the hotshoe, and on the back. How do you hook the monitor to the camera?

-Kyle

I just use a cheap (ha! actually very expensive for what it is) portable 7" lcd tv.

To be honest, I use it primarily for framing and focusing and not for colour balance, exposure etc. The refresh rate is relatively poor but it serves a purpose and means I can take my eye away from the viewfinder and direct off screen action as well. On a recent music video shoot I used it in b&w (the final format for the video) which gave me a great idea of what the pictures would look like, even though I was shooting in colour.

It's powered by 12v dc or 10 AA batteries and I get around 3 hours use from one charge. It's mounted to the XL2 accessory plate, using the car mounting that came supplied with it. The battery pack also acts as a stand which just gets in the way so I attach that to the accessory plate using a spring loaded clamp (looks better than elastic bands!).

I've attached a few pictures to give you a better idea.

Ian . . .

ps, and if you are vaguely curious, here's a link to some stills taken from the video itself http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=74761

Ian,

is it possible if you can take few more close up picture of the back of the LCD? i have the same LCD. Thanks

Hi James,

The camera/monitor etc is dismantled at the moment, in preparation for transportation to a shoot on Thursday/Friday.

I'd be more than happy to take a few close ups then (feel free to remind me!).

Ian . . .

Very nice work, now I just have to find that lcd in Canada

Riley, if you're talking about the LCD that I use, it's a Maxim MX11-47, if that helps you find one in Canada. I have to say that it is only really of use for framing and partly for focusing. The refresh rate is poor, as is the resolution. For the price, though, it serves a purpose. When I'm in a studio or other indoors location I use a laptop with DV-Rack - that gives me much better focusing, exposure, colour etc control.

If you're not talking about the LCD I use then I apologise for butting in and I'll shut up now!

LCD Color Monitor on a $200 budget?
 

I'm looking for a LCD Color Monitor to mount on my XL2 for $200 or less. I found this one on ebay. I was hoping for some suggestions.

http://cgi.ebay.com/New-LCD-Monitor-...QQcmdZViewItem

I think I'm dreaming here. OK... better yet how much above $200 would I need to do to get something decent? I would like tha ability to view 16x9.

Ian, what kind of matte box is that?

Hi Adam,

It's a Formatt (www.formatt.co.uk). I'm reasonably pleased with it although it feels a little less sturdy than I'm happy with. Also it's impossible to use when there's any wind - it acts like a sail and the camera goes everywhere!

The 4 x 4 filters are very good, but the rotating stage is a little stiff.

Lastly, Formatt are not particularly good in the customer service department - they take ages to respond to sales enquiries, which really irritates me. I now buy through one of their dealers here in the UK who gives me the same price and next day service.

But, it was relatively inexpensive and (incoming sad admission) it makes me look good!

All in all I rate the box 6.5/10, customer service (from Formatt) 3/10. Given the same budget and the same need, I'd go for it again, but I'd buy through my dealer, not direct.

Hope that helps.

Ian . . .

Recommendation for a LCD monitor
 

I'm looking to purchase a LCD color monitor to mount to my XL2. I need something that will do 16x9. I'm thinking at least 7" wide. Budget is now up to $500. I can go a bit higher. Any suggestions?

Look at the Varizoom monitors. Not the best, but affordable.

Thank you Dave. Not a bad place to start looking.

For highest quality check out the Marshall Monitors in 16:9.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

This one looks like it's in my price range.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/cont...ughType=search

Not crazy about the composite input. Does anyone think that makes a big difference over S-Video or R-G-B.

Thanks..

what im most interested in is something that will give me the best quality to tweak my camera settings. LCD color isn't as accurate as CRT or on a TV but the LCD is much more convienant and most of the time its the light thats different on the television. Whats the best to buy thats not going to make me go broke and I can mount on the thing? Also, are there any that people recommend that are aspect ratio switchable?

-Kyle

Thanks...

I find it difficult to focus with the small view finder. Also - I'd like to be able to fool with the presets in the field. I also find it hard to adjust presets using the small viewfinder. This is why I'm looking for a LCD.

Best lcd monitor on XL2
 

Hi all
I just bought the xl2 after using the gl2 for sometime. Well my concern is with the lcd of the xl2. I love my lcd of the gl2, it really helps with adjustment for true color reproduction. The xl2 lcd is dull and difficult to rely on it to get the best image. I want an lcd similar to that of the gl2 and not big as the 7" that most recommend (give me reasons why the 7" is better). Since I am an event videographer, I will rely most on this on-camera lcd.
Secondly, the weight at the front makes it difficult to use the xl2 on your shoulder for a long time so I need a front end support for this camera (not so expensive) or even improvised. With my gl2, I had it on a monopod which was great.
Finally, I would like to thank all for your support and contribution to this forum

lcd
 

I have the same complaint about my xl2. 7" just makes it easier to view and perhaps focus (depends on resolution).

varizoom makes the 4 inch one as I recall and a 7 inch one.

Goto the gl2 list and there is a thread on lcds going right now. Grazie even put a clip in of his set up.

Remeber lcd's are not the best to actually see the colors you are actually getting. a small crt monitor would actually be more accurate, just not so portable.

I want to use my laptop and final cut pro as waveform monitor.... so what exactly does the non-controllable device selection do? I don't want to capture, do I need to select this option?

btw... know any places that sell wires that are more than 6-10ft? Don't know if it even exsists.

What wires, firewire? You can get them longer than this, but like with any cable, a longer wire means more chance of loss of signal.

Jarrod's right.

You can also buy repeaters that will boost the signal along the way without any adverse effects.

XL2 on camera monitor
 

Yes, I know the topic of monitors has been covered in many other areas of DVInfo, but I have read most of them so please don't rip my head off for this because I do not believe my question has been answered in the other threads.

That being said, with the XL2 is it really necessary to use a monitor that supports 800x480 lines of resolution. I realize that it is a must for HD, but can you still pull critical focus in SD with a monitor that has 480x240 lines of res.

What it comes down to is that I am trying to decide between the following setups:

http://www.varizoom.com/products/monitors/vztft7u.html

or

http://www.ikancorp.com/pages/monito...d.htm#included
plus battery, charger, and battery mount.

The varizoom will be a little cheaper when all is said and done, but would it be worth it to spend the little bit of extra dough to get the higher resolution (not to mention the extra inch) even though I am only shooting SD? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

XL2 Field Monitor / Camera mount LCD
 

OK folks,
What are your thoughts on the field monitors and LCD's for the XL2.
I would like to have some protection of what I am shooting. Rather
than get a suprise at home I would like to know while I am live.

At least this gives me a chance to make changes while on site.

I have no idea where to start..

I use a 7" 16:9 Varizoom all the time, and I couldn't go back to not using it. I wish i could afford a good field monitor also, but for framing and focus, the 7" works just fine. Here are a couple of pix.

That is exactly what I am looking for. How does that do with getting your setting's how you like? and adjusting color?

What brand is that and where is a good place to get one?

Also, what is the value and when do you use that lens hood?
Thanks!

Hey Guy,

I am using the 8" Ikan monitor and absolutely love it! I believe it is the cheapest one around and has excellent picture quality. It is actually a true high res monitor also, 800x480 lines (the varizoom is only 480x240 lines). The only down side to it is that you cannot switch it to 4x3 mode, which has not been that big of a problem. A feature that has really come in handy is the multiple inputs. When doing a 2/3 camera shoot, I can easily match all the cameras by switching the input back and forth on the monitor by hitting a single button.

Here is the site: www.ikancorp.com/pages/monitors/v8000w/index.htm

They have it at B&H for $449. You will also need a battery pack. They have a pack that runs off of AAs, or you can use the Sony battery adapter that allows you to use Sony L type batteries. I opted for the Sony L type batteries and found some of the batteries for cheap off of E-Bay. I also have a quick charger that will charge just about any type of battery. I can charge my Canon bats and sony bats on the same charger via the use of adapter plates.

I will post some pictures of my setup when I get home.

Ryan

Well, I don't know that any LCD/TFT monitor is great for color, but it shows me everything that is going on in a relative manner - if I drop in a filter, it shows me the effect, and the color is sharp and clear, but it may not be exactly what is seen in the final product. Anyway, it's a Varizoom picked up at B&H as a nice kit with battery, charger, case (nice) hood and shoe mount:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...D_Monitor.html

The matte box is a nice big Formatt made from light aircraft aluminum. It's a good, but not great matte box, with two filter stages. I also use Formatt filters, which are the very best, in my opinion, but I can tell you that you can spend a king's ransom on filters. Also B&H.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...Matte_Box.html

I do not know about you guys but I am thinking about this solution http://www.myvu.com/HomePage.html#

Especially the Shades 301. This model will not be available before June but the functionality and the price looks great.

Since I am always filming for very long hours and most often two to three days in a row. I have to sit. I then use a small TV monitor (13 inches) which have been giving me excellent result. Lately I have been looking at ways to have a setup which would be less heavy.

I then bought a DVD reader (Insigna 10.2 inches) and I have been very satisfied with it. I do have a small 7" broadcast monitor that I can attach to the camera but prefer the DVD reader. The color are great and it meet my needs.

Daniel

The monitor also has an auto-off feature that will turn off the monitor if it does not detect an input signal. So when the cam goes into standby, the monitor will shut off also, to turn the monitor back on simply power back up the camera.

Here are some pictures of the Ikan on my XL2:

Thanks for the replies guy's. I beleive these look like nice units.
I have just been burned one to many times with getting footage of something that looked bad.

Last night I taped a basketball game and this was the 2nd time at the location. The first footage I got had a little too much red and I did not hit on the right shutter speed until late. So this time, I decided to set up exactly how I liked and get the entire first half before I tweaked it. Keep in mind...It is a brand new gym with great lighting. Anyway, I used a wall to set my white balance just as I did the first game.

After the footage was bad I went back and reviewed what I did. Come to find out the wall had been painted. The first game it had a white primer, last night It was a very light/whitish grey....To my eyes it looked white and I was not too concerned because of the last game. Now it looks like I taped though tinted windows of a 78 Trans-Am.

I feel your pain, I have done something similar a couple of times, now I would not be caught dead without a white balance card. Saves a ton of time in color correcting.

The monitor actually does display some pretty accurate colors, as far as cheaper monitors go. I set up the monitor by comparing it to a well calibrated monitor. You can also use the viewfinder and get the colors pretty close.

Ryan

Hi Guy,

Having the luxury of owning a XL-2, you can always turn on the internal color bars and compare them with a "Gretag Macbeth" color checker card:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...cker_Card.html

Of course, with affordable portable gear like the Varizoom, you're somewhat limited trying to use your SMPTE color bars to do PLUGE calibration (Picture Lie-Up Generation Equipment), although the Varizoom does have adjustments for Color, Brightness, Contrast, and Tint:

http://spareroommedia.com/video/monitor_setup.html

Good luck, Michael

I have never turned on my internal color bars nor seen the directions. I will look it up, that may be what I need.

I think my biggest issue is just experience.

Is that color board just 2 inches? seems small.

Guy,

Yes, but you can certainly get a big one for about the same price if that's what you need:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...cker_Card.html

Michael

Ryan - thanks for posting the info and pics of your Ikan. I've been considering that model, but I've been wondering if there's something I'm missing because the price is so good. I'm glad to see that it's working for you. I hope to get my hands on one sometime soon!

- Josh

I am on the verge of making a purchase. However, I want to make sure I get the best possible unit for my liking...

My factors: (I think)

1.) Resolutiuon
2.) 16:9 & 4:3
3.) Versatility (Sometime on the shoe mount and sometimes not.
4.) Size from 7~9"
5.) Kit included. ( i just want to make 1 purchase if possible)

Of all the Ikan's I noticed this is the only one that does not have 4:3 ratio but If I am not mistaken It has the best resolution.

http://www.ikancorp.com/pages/monito...comparison.htm

What do you think? any recomendations?

...the V9200 weighs 2.0 pounds!!

This seems to be alot and too big for a shoe mount?