What’s the best way to record and monitor 4K and 1080p?
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GUIDE Sony a7S II Guide

What’s the best way to record and monitor 4K and 1080p?

To record and monitor 4K (or 1080p), you need to connect an HDMI recorder/monitor that can read the incoming signal. This shouldn’t be an issue, because the signal from the a7R II and a7S II is standard HDMI, no special flavors. To know what you get with HDMI, click here. In this lesson, I’ll list […]

To record and monitor 4K (or 1080p), you need to connect an HDMI recorder/monitor that can read the incoming signal. This shouldn’t be an issue, because the signal from the a7R II and a7S II is standard HDMI, no special flavors. To know what you get with HDMI, click here.

In this lesson, I’ll list some of my favorite options to record and monitor 1080p and 4K.

To keep this simple, let’s divide this lesson into two parts:

  • Monitors
  • Recorders

Before we start, let’s get something out of the way first:

  • There is no small-size monitor that can show UHD/4K, as most of them top out at 1080p. To really monitor 4K, you need something large, and I don’t recommend any monitor smaller than 32″ for 4K work. For smaller screens you don’t see any difference between 4K and 1080p.
  • For pulling focus, and for general 4K work, I recommend 7″ monitors over 5″ monitors. The difference in size isn’t much, so don’t opt for 5″ monitors unless you have a strong reason, like you need it for a gimbal or something.
  • I prefer monitors/recorders with both SDI and HDMI, because it will be more versatile, will be more useful, and will have a better resale value.
  • Get monitors that have Zebra, Waveform, Focus peaking and if possible, False Color and Vectorscope.

Monitors

Here are the monitors I recommend, in order from cheapest to most expensive:

Cheapest: Apurture VS-2 FineHD (AliExpress, Amazon)

ApurtureVS2FineHD

Why I like it:

It’s got most of the bells and whistles, and it’s only $279.

Things to watch out for:

  • Customer service, or the lack thereof.
  • No loop through.

Professional grade: SmallHD 702 (B&H, Amazon)

SmallHD702

Why I like it:

It’s tough and it has all the professional features. It outputs 1000 nits so it will be great outdoors.

Things to watch out for:

  • It’s expensive, so I would recommend a recorder instead.

Most expensive: Sony DVF-L700 (B&H, Amazon)

Sony DVFL700

Why I like it:

I don’t. But it’s the only one that will take an incoming 4K signal.

Things to watch out for:

  • I don’t know, sticker shock?
  • You’ll need an HDMI to SDI converter because it doesn’t have HDMI in.

If you do need 5″: Sony CLM-FHD5 Clip-On (B&H, Amazon)

sonyclmfhd5

Why I like it:

It is a full 1080p monitor, and it has the same Gamut Assist Function you see on the Sony a7S II. The SmallHD 502 is way more expensive.

Things to watch out for:

  • Doesn’t come with AC power.
  • Battery life sucks, about one hour.

Recorders

Here are my favorite recorders, from best to good enough:

My favorite: Video Devices PIX-E 7″ and 5″ (B&H)

VDPixe

Why I like it:

It’s tough and dependable. Video Devices do not play around. The media can be directly inserted to USB 3.0.

Also, it’s cheaper!

Things to watch out for:

  • You need mSATA drives and a special enclosure (very reliable though).

Second best: Convergent Design Odyssey 7Q+ (B&H, Amazon)

Why I like it:

It is very versatile, and will last you many cameras. If you use more cameras than the a7S II or a7R II, this is a better deal than the Shogun.

Things to watch out for:

  • Expensive media!

Here’s a comparison I made between the Odyssey 7Q+ and Shogun some time ago. It’s not updated, but most of it still holds true.

Good enough, and what I use: Atomos Shogun or Ninja Assassin (B&H, Amazon)

Why I like it:

I use it, and it has proven reliable over almost a year of use. Here’s my review of the Shogun.

Things to watch out for:

  • Avoid the Assassin because it’s HDMI only.
  • It’s not as tough as the other two.