This is particularly true when shooting HD in low-light conditions, which makes accurate focusing a challenge, whether you’re using a conventional camcorder or a DSLR. Experience has shown that an HDMI port is essential in obtaining the sharpest image possible. Thanks partly to the popularity of DSLRs for pro video work, there's a growing number of monitors for such applications, but few are priced at less than $500. One of those that does fall into this price range is ikan's new VL7, which the company describes as an "entry level" high-quality HD monitor.
Features
The VL7 is compact, with dimensions of 7.5” x 5.25” x 1.03”. It tips the scales at barely 1 lb. (without battery) and sports an HDMI port and two composite inputs (both mini plug, but RCA adapter cables are included). This flat-screen LCD monitor has a resolution of 800x480, and features a peaking function for more accurate focusing, even in daylight. It also switches quickly between 16:9 and 4:3 aspect ratios.
Current draw is minimal, and the monitor can be powered by any of several 7.2V prosumer camcorder batteries from Sony, Canon, Panasonic or JVC via ikan’s BP2T DV universal battery plate (included with the monitor package). The use of camcorder-sized batteries helps keep things light and easy to mount on a DSLR camera, even without a DSLR rig. Being able to use the same batteries that your camcorder uses means one less charger to carry and helps keep your your travel case uncluttered. My ikan kit came with one heavy-duty Sony camcorder battery with enough capacity for several hours of continuous use.
Monitor mounting is achieved via a 3” post with a swiveling ball-and-socket head. This all snugs into a standard camera shoe with a locking washer. The mount’s swivel head can be locked securely at various angles with a large, easily grasped thumbscrew. The kit also includes ikan’s universal BP2T battery plate, charger, AC adapter, shoe mount, analog video/audio cables and a durable hard foam-lined aluminum case. (An HDMI cable is not part of the kit.)
In Use
The VL7 comes with everything you need for use with a DSLR except the aforementioned HDMI cable. You’ll need your own, preferably one that’s three feet or less, as the distance between the camera’s HDMI port and the monitor will be less than this, even with the VL7 mounted atop a handle on your DSLR rig. However, if you have your DSLR’s RCA adapter cable, you can monitor via one of the two ports by using the pair of adapter cables provided with the VL7.
I started out by mounting the 3” post and ball-and-socket head onto my Canon EOS 7D’s accessory shoe so that the VL7 would align directly above the camera lens and the 7D’s LCD screen. I prefer this configuration because it allows me to track moving targets more easily. I opted to use an HDMI feed. When I first powered up the camera and monitor, I got a blue screen with “AV1” displayed in the upper right corner. I used the input switch on the monitor’s control panel to select HDMI and got a live image of the room via the 7D and its ultra-wide 10-24mm lens. AV1 seems to be the monitor’s default setting.
My first observation was that the letterboxed 16:9 image filled less than half of the screen area, while the 4:3 default image area barely exceeded half the screen. Nevertheless, image quality was quite good, although the color seemed a bit skewed at first glance. Unfortunately, I found no standard colorimetry options, such as hue or tone, in the menu. I was able to achieve fairly realistic image color by dialing down the saturation level from a default level of 50 to 35. I also reduced contrast and brightness and up-resed the sharpness to achieve a fairly realistic live view–in indirect sunlight. But I noticed that the color shifted whenever I selected a different preset white balance setting in the 7D’s menu. I found myself using the 7D’s LCD screen for reference when changing the white balance settings in its menu.
Toggling between the two screens simply entailed switching from HDMI to one of the AV input settings on the VL7. Switching from 16:9 aspect ratio to 4:3 can also be done at the push of a button on the VL7 control panel—in this case, via the “F” (function) switch on the right side of the control panel between the power and input switches.
The other two function options are underscan and peaking. These days I have little call for 4:3 displays or for underscan, so I used the function control mainly to toggle between normal and peaked displays. Video peaking is very helpful for accurate focusing in both bright and low-light situations. I find the contrasty black and white look of the peaking display distracting, however, so I use it only to check focus.
Adjusting display quality by tweaking contrast, brightness or saturation was easy and fast via the menu button and the “plus/minus” switches. All of the adjustments can be viewed on the screen and take place in real time.
In practice, colorimetry, contrast, brightness and other attributes of the displayed image on the VL7 are of secondary importance to DSLR users. (This is assuming that you have correctly white balanced the camera, of course.) The monitor’s prime value is in accurate focusing and framing, particularly at low angles–and especially when using an ultra-wide zoom lens for tracking shots or in a rapid-fire situation demanding both fast focus and accurate framing. What this economical monitor/viewfinder lacks in durability, sharpness and snob appeal, it makes up for in convenience and versatility.
By using the VL7 as a large adjustable viewfinder, I was able to capture an Alice in Wonderland perspective both indoors and outside, including many shots at point-blank range and in low-light conditions. By tilting the VL7 forward on the ball and socket, I got phenomenal wide-angle tracking shots that compare favorably with the “flyover” shots from a Steadicam rig.
Moreover, the ergonomics of being able to look down at the camera at a 90-degree angle relative to the lens makes it feasible to tilt the lens upward at unusual low angles, providing an arresting dog’s-eye view or even parrot’s-eye view (pick your critter) of the world. The monitor and its mounting allow you to frame the world through an assortment of different perspectives, while keeping things in focus all the while.
Summary
Naturally, this less-than-$300 monitor has its limitations—notably sharpness (resolution is only 800x480). But it is sharp enough to improve your focusing accuracy, whether you’re shooting on a tripod, a handheld rig or some other platform. The monitor’s limited color adjustment also limits its utility in gauging the true image color being captured, but it can certainly verify whether color balance is correct or not.
With regard to image quality, the VL7 is perfectly adequate for use as a viewfinder and confidence monitor, but it should not be considered as a primary HD display.
Also, its lightweight construction could make it vulnerable to breakage in the rough-and-tumble of professional use.
The bottom line, however, is that the VL7 allowed me to fully tap the potential of the ultra-wide 10-24mm lens I used. It provided me with a tool for achieving perfect focus, as well as perfect framing at camera angles that would otherwise make such framing impossible without extreme difficulty and a great expenditure of time.
ikan’s VL7 monitor makes a cost-effective and convenient HD viewfinder for use with DSLRs or HDMI-equipped camcorders. While there are better monitors around, few if any provide as much bang for the buck. The monitor package is truly a bargain at its less-than-$300 price.
