Figured I’d post this here so I don’t have to retype it a million times, and it’ll be accessible for a longer time than it would be on Facebook.
I picked up the SmallHD 702 as a replacement for my 7″ Cinetronic Gen1 monitor in October 2015. I had just seen the monitor with Larry McConkey while doing MoVI work (we eventually shifted almost all of our MoVI operating work to the 702 monitor), and was so impressed I bought one immediately. The Cinetronic had been a good monitor for me for a few years (after blowing up my Marshall 651), and had never let me down in the brightest of sun. However, the picture was lacking (many a novice director or -gasp- DP would ask “Why does the picture look like that?” only to have me explain away that it’s just a monitor for framing). Also, the 4 pound weight of the monitor, it’s size (once described as about as wide as a truck), and the lack of customer service on it made it a less than optimal monitor.
The 702 had a few things going for it that it seemed to do very right, and a few things that it did very, very wrong. Some of these have changed over my time using it, but some have not. First impressions were that the powering options were stupid but usable (still holds true), that the picture looked pretty good (still does look good, though it’s less accurate than I originally thought), that the features were awesome (they can be, if you set them up right), and that the weight and size are wonderful for all kinds of uses (they are).
First of all – the power situation. This is the biggest way that this monitor has bothered me, even though it hasn’t so far been an actual issue in my use of it. However, I’ve run into several monitors that have had to be sent back due to batteries snapping off the power pins on the monitor. The LP-E6 battery mount on the monitor is relatively fragile, and the P Tap to LPE6 adapters are even more so. We’ve had 2 die so far with the MoVI kit. I’ve switched to a Sony L style P Tap adapter, and it’s been good so far. The one from Switronix seems to be a good buy, and it’s what many are using from what I’ve seen. But it is worth noting that the only way to get any power into the monitor is via a dummy battery. On my setup, I’ve made it work, but it’s clumsy, and seems like an easy point of failure (and so easy to fix in the next design revision, SmallHD!)
So far, the monitor has been pretty reliable for me, but I’ve seen a few come from the factory with a messed up joystick (which is the only interface on the monitor, save for the “stills capture” (useless) button, and the menu button). I’ve also heard of some coming from the factory with light leaks or QC problems. It seems like the monitor’s cost and wide-spread usage may be a part of this though – there are a lot of these out in the world, and at $1000 cheaper than the DP7 HB, you’d expect the fit and finish to not be quite as nice. I’m happy with it though.
For weight, this monitor will probably be too light without a battery on the back of it, and as of right now, the battery plate that SmallHD makes ties up the screw holes on the sides of the monitor, and puts the battery offset to the side. It’s not impossible to rig a battery to the back of the monitor with some clever workarounds, but because the BNCs are on the back of the monitor, it can be a little difficult, or end up with a less than elegant solution. I made up something that I think is pretty sweet for this, but unless you’ve got a machine shop (or are willing to find a machinist to make something similar), it may be difficult to put together.
Having the 1080 panel and focus assist is worth its weight in gold. I can finally tell if takes are sharp, and my assistants often are ducking their heads in to check things on it. The picture isn’t 100% accurate (it can be a little off, especially in terms of brightness, and somewhat in terms of color cast), but not so much that it’s bothered me. I’d say what’s on my monitor looks close enough to what I see in the final result that I don’t ever think about it. The monitor also has a beautiful frameline system, including shading (block out all the extraneous info on the outside of an Alexa monitor out), multiple colors, and custom sizes. Still waiting for better scaling, but for now, it works well. I also have come to LOVE and rely upon grid lines on screen. It’s just another horizon reference, but having a set of semi-transparent white gridlines over the frame is a great way to mid-shot check your level, even when bubbles are going crazy during the move, or the world is off level (as it often is).
But finally, the most important part to us Steadicam ops – viewability in sunlight. The facts say it’s 1000 nits. That’s less than the 1100 nits of my Marshall 651, and significantly less than the 1500 of the Cinetronic and the 2000 of the new Transvideo. Simple answer – you CAN feel the difference. With the Cinetronic I never once worried about seeing the picture, even on a beach with the sun pounding down, or on a sunny day in August in LA on a football field. With this monitor, so far, I’ve had 2 times when I’ve had issues seeing the monitor. Both times the picture was underexposed, and there was sun directly on the screen, but there it was. Both times I was able to tweak the brightness and contrast to make something visible, but I was definitely searching for more brightness out of the panel, and a better anti-reflective coating. Is it still one of the best viewable monitors I’ve ever used? YES. Completely. Apart from my old Cinetronic, the Transvideos, and Larry’s SmallHD High Brite, it’s the best monitor I’ve seen outside. And the weight, size, and cost make it a perfect onboard monitor for operating. If you can keep the sun from directly bouncing off the screen into your eyes, I doubt you’ll ever have a problem, even without a hood. On the rig, as I said, I haven’t had any issues until the last 2 jobs I was on, and still, I was able to easily remedy it with some adjustments and tilting the monitor. It feels brighter (and a lot better) than my old Marshall, but it’s been 3 years, so I’m not sure if it is quantifiably brighter. Would a DP7 HB be better? Maybe, but I haven’t operated with one enough to be sure. Would it be $1000 better? I’m really not sure. Was the Cinetronic better? Yes, but man, it compromised me in a lot of other ways.
All in all, I’m happy with it, but as you can see, our relationship is a little “complicated”. Hit me up with questions if you have any.