- What is a camera field monitor?
- Why do you need an external camera monitor?
- Tips for actual application scenes with better working experience
What is a camera field monitor?
It is occasionally referred to as LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or camera monitor. It is essentially a camera external LCD screen that you can attach to the devices to see exactly what will be displayed on the back of your camera or via the viewfinder. Some of them may be connected to your camera's HDMI connection and put on top of it or on a separate stand to display the image of what the shooting device is viewing.
How does it work?
Three steps to get it on your rigs: Choose, install, and connect
- Selection: Find the best external camera screen that can connect directly to your video cameras through the related signal input and output. They come in a variety of sizes and range in price, 5-inch or 7-inch would be suitable and portable.
- Installment: You will need to use some hot shoe mount or rods to install it. As long as it's easy for you to see, mounting it on top of the camera or behind the original display screen is fine.
- Connection: HDMI cable is required to connect the camera to the monitor. As various cameras take different outputs, you need to determine which HDMI output you want. Next, you insert the battery, switch it on, and connect them using a short cable.
What batteries can you use to charge your external camera monitor?
Most of them have flexible charging solutions. Here we will take Desview R6 camera field monitor as an example and introduce two budget power supplies.
- V mount battery for monitors: They are compact and powerful as an external power supply, some of them are equipped with kinds of outputs and strong enough to charge the whole photography kit. That's why they are very popular in the photography market. You can power a camera field monitor with battery through the D-tap port with v type battery. Or you can use an accessory like the Moman DF550 charging cable with an NP-F550 dummy battery, to charge your device with the mini v mount li-ion battery. Moman Power 70 of 70Wh capacity, which is lightweight and convenient, is suitable for you. It has the standard voltage and current for stable, safe, and fast charging.
- NP-F batteries: It’s a Sony battery series with a capacity from high to low. R6 can be powered by NP-F970, NP-F750, NP-F550, and E6 batteries. Their versatility is one of their advantages, for being compatible with various camera gears, such as small panel lights and 4k camera field monitor for Sony RX10M3. But the disadvantage is also obvious, that is, this feature is limited to small power-consuming devices, and high-power devices like strong LED lights are no longer applicable to the case.
Why do you need an external camera monitor?
It enables you to see details in the picture
The one that has panels that are up to 6k or 8k display, and in size of 5 to 9 inches wide and far larger than normal camera screen, can provide you the chance to view all the details in a picture.
It can intelligently maintain the focus to catch the object
It could be difficult to observe a single object being filmed on camera when doing an individual recording like a solo interview. That’s when you can use an external screen to keep the frame in focus for the best possible capture.
It shows more than the built-in camera monitor
As you're shooting a video, you can ensure that everything is properly in focus, that your exposure settings are appropriate, and that everything appears just as you want. However, a camera field monitor 4k is something really helpful for those who are just beginning to record video content because it not only displays the image that the camera can see but also displays the camera's settings, such as the exposure options and whether or not the camera is recording.
It can work for special shooting circumstances
A external camera screen might be quite helpful for obtaining aerial photos of large crowds or even close-up video for product inspections and presentations. Unless you're fortunate enough to have a camera where the screen can be turned to face forward or have a separate camera operator, you can start to see what aid it can be when you start looking at the applications for recording video. If you're creating content where you'll constantly be in the shot, like YouTube videos or vlogging, you can see what is being captured on the display.
Tips for actual application scenes with better working experience
Make it flexible to flip and operate in the case for selfies
In photography, you'll often be in front of the camera, which means you'll have access to the screen and viewfinder. If you're managing a social media campaign or account, or you have to be both the subject and the photographer, you will find a 4k HDMI field monitor is helpful and crucial.
Mount a external video monitor for camera with a touchscreen flexibly and make it eventually always going to be visible and easy to operate. When it can be switched forwards and backward, it allows you to check that everything appeared as you had intended to capture the pictures, whenever you face the object or you are the object.
Check the video and audio status at the beginning of the records
Sometimes filmmakers thought they had all planned properly and started turning it all on. But they weren't aware that the microphone that was plugged into the camera was not starting to play, which meant the camera wasn't picking up any sound at all. If you didn’t find that till you edit the video, you would have to re-record the sound and synchronize the audio and video, which was terrible.
So please watch your portable field monitor carefully before you captured a large chunk of the movie if you had one at that time. You could have seen those bars to recognize nothing was being picked up loudly and things could be corrected.
Conclusion
In conclusion, a camera field monitor will enhance your creative process without a doubt. They are an excellent tool for ensuring that everything is turned on and is set up precisely how you want it.
