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Which Monitor for Komodo Control

Han Vogen

Han Vogen

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It seems there are a few options but I’m wondering which monitor gets the consensus for use with Komodo. I ordered mine with the SmallHD OLED kit, but is this the best option given it’s relatively poor brightness? In the end there is a trade off between brightness and battery life. I’m wondering what the top picks are here.
 
I have had great success using the Portkeys 5 inch. It is like 2200 nits...which is incredible and only costs 500 bucks. I am not sure why I would need a touch screen monitor, since there is already a touch screen monitor on the top of the camera....which is about an inch below your shooting monitor.
 
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Scot Yount said:
I have had great success using the Portkeys 5 inch. It is like 2200 nits...which is incredible and only costs 500 bucks. I am not sure why I would need a touch screen monitor, since there is already a touch screen monitor on the top fo the camera....which is about an inch below your shooting monitor.
Click to expand...

Yesterday was the first time using the Komodo for a professional shoot and I now see why having control on the monitor is needed. The onboard touch screen footprint is too small. The red control on the Ipad can be very slow and drudging. (I think it was due to the channel selection but I had no chance to experiment as we know how it is on set....) I am now shopping for RED control approved monitor...
 
Jamil Stubbs said:
Yesterday was the first time using the Komodo for a professional shoot and I now see why having control on the monitor is needed. The onboard touch screen footprint is too small. The red control on the Ipad can be very slow and drudging. (I think it was due to the channel selection but I had no chance to experiment as we know how it is on set....) I am now shopping for RED control approved monitor...
Click to expand...

I have been using the thing on "professional shoots" since July and really have not had a problem. I will say the brightness of the Portkeys outside is just crazy good.
 
William Long said:
Anybody tried the Portkeys BM5 WR HDMI - SDI 5.5" Touch Screen Monitor with wireless control ???

https://portkeys-europe.com/portkeys-bm5-wr-hdmi-sdi-5.5-touch-screen-monitor-with-wireless-control-monitor
Click to expand...

I have one. It’s a great monitor, but I’ll add the following: In order to connect and control the Komodo wirelessly, the monitor must be using 2.4GHz… not 5GHz. This seemed to affect my connection to the app, causing lag and other inconsistencies. If you are not using the app also it should not present a problem.

Prior to owning the Portkeys I owned the SmallHD OLed with Komodo control. While the control worked flawlessly, and the monitor looked great inside, it’s performance outside as not as good as the Portkeys. Additionally, the need to physically connect the cables became bothersome really fast.
 
Is the portkeys or smallhd still the best option for Komodo users? I need to pick up a monitor for next week and want to make sure I run into as few problems as possible.
 
What kind of shooting does it do?
If you want to save time, you'll want a SmallHD or Portkeys monitor.

I've been using the SmallHD CINE7 for 6 months.
I don't think it's a problem. If I had to say...the body is very hot.
It would be better if the power could be reduced more.

99wh for about 2 hours of life...
I would like 3 hours.

You start shooting in the morning and have about 3 hours until lunchtime, right?
2 hours is not enough... lol
 
Thanks for your reply. I usually operate as a 1-3 man crew - sometimes I am all 3, sometimes I have a budget to hire 1st and 2nd AC. I am looking for a monitor that runs reliably in a one-man operation in handheld/gimbal/easyrig modes. With the Komodo, I am hoping to leverage the cont. AF mode for some of my work, so I'd like a monitor that can quickly adjust the AF point at a tap.

My question is mostly this: Which monitor is the most reliable for outdoor run-and-gun work that won't force me to stop and fix something?

Battery life isn't too much of a concern, unless it's really bad. I usually have enough batteries to keep the charger packed up in the van.

Shohei Fukushima said:
What kind of shooting does it do?
If you want to save time, you'll want a SmallHD or Portkeys monitor.

I've been using the SmallHD CINE7 for 6 months.
I don't think it's a problem. If I had to say...the body is very hot.
It would be better if the power could be reduced more.

99wh for about 2 hours of life...
I would like 3 hours.

You start shooting in the morning and have about 3 hours until lunchtime, right?
2 hours is not enough... lol
Click to expand...
 
I use a cine7 when I need a bigger or brighter screen. But I love the contrast and sharpness and lightness of my focus pro OLED. I’m so glad I got one before they killed it.

The indie 7 seems like a decent value if cine7 too rich for you, but tbh, it’s a shame they killed the focus pros, I really wish they woulda found a 1080p 5” lcd, I just couldn’t bring myself to buy a 720p screen lol.
 
I'm much more comfortable with a larger touch screen than a tiny one; curse my fat fingers. The RED Control app is a saviour.
I have a Cine7 w/ the Komodo control license and cable and have been quite happy with it. My biggest complaint would be the Cine7's power draw, but that can be worked around.
It originally came with the wrong control cable but SmallHD sent me the correct one quickly free-of-charge and said I could keep the wrong one (which is normally a $140 item itself), so big plus for their customer service.
 
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