SmallHD Indie 7 On-Camera Monitor - Review

SmallHD Indie 7 On-Camera Monitor Review: The Ultimate Tool for Content Creators

For content creators, there's no denying the importance of having a good monitor. It's essential for accurately capturing, framing, and monitoring shots, ensuring that the final results meet the intended vision. Therefore, finding the right on-camera monitor for your camera setup is crucial, and the SmallHD Indie 7 checks off all the right boxes.

Design and Build Quality:

Right off the bat, the SmallHD Indie 7 catches your attention with its sleek design and sturdy build quality. The 7-inch display is housed in a lightweight, anodized aluminum chassis, making it easy to handle, even with one hand. The matte black finish keeps the monitor discreet and professional while having an air of luxury with its milled aluminum chassis.

The controls are all easy to access, with the responsive touchscreen providing quick access to all the settings you might need on the go. They have been laid out in an intuitive manner, making it easy to navigate between the various options. The monitor measures 7.5 x 3 x 0.95 inches, which makes the device small enough to mount on a camera or rig, even an already bulky one.

Display:

The monitor boasts a full 1920 x 1200 resolution with 1000 nits of brightness, making it perfect for use in outdoor settings and direct sunlight. This increased brightness level helps ensure that you'll get an accurate, clear, and vibrant image, even in adverse lighting conditions.

The SmallHD Indie 7's display has a 7-inch diagonal measurement, which provides enough real estate to get a clear and comprehensive view of your shot. Be it the framing, focus, exposure, and white balance, the increased size of the display is of significant help in capturing quality shots and final deliverables.

Cinema Camera Control:

One advantage of the SmallHD Indie 7 is its ability to connect to RED Komodo and RED DSMC2 cameras using its Ethernet port. Using a selected camera-specific cable and license sold separately, utilizing the camera control feature in on-the-fly shooting situations can help operators zero in on their shots and adjust every last detail to capture the image exactly how they want it.

Professional Software Toolset:

The SmallHD Indie 7 runs on PageBuilder OS, which provides a wealth of tools and features the content creator or director of photography would need on set. The software toolset includes essential features like focus peaking, zebras for exposure control, customizable 3D LUTs, waveform, vectorscope, and a variety of overlays to help frame the shot correctly.

These professional-grade tools provide greater control over the final output, ultimately saving time during post-production, and ensuring that the final output is according to the intended vision.

Compatibility:

One advantage of the SmallHD Indie 7 is that it provides 3G-SDI and HDMI inputs and outputs, making it compatible with a wide range of cameras, from DSLRs to full cinema cameras. This expanded compatibility allows it to integrate into nearly any shooting scenario.

The monitor is also designed to work with popular camera brands like Sony, Canon, and Nikon.

Value for Money:

One of the main concerns when buying a high-quality field monitor is its cost. However, with the SmallHD Indie 7, you get the full value of your investment. The features, build quality, and overall performance the monitor provides clearly make it a worthy investment. Additionally, it is flexible enough to work with different camera setups and use cases.

Conclusion:

Overall, the SmallHD Indie 7 is an excellent choice for content creators and DOPs looking to take their on-camera monitoring capabilities to the next level. With its solid build quality, compatibility, and professional software toolset, the monitor is worth your attention. It provides all the features you might need when filming on the go while ensuring that the final output is according to your original vision.

SmallHD Indie 7 On-Camera Monitor

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