ikan D5w 5.6" Camera Monitor with HD LCD Panel and Waveform

The ikan D5w 5.6" Camera Monitor with HD LCD Panel and Waveform has of the topmost qualities a camera monitor can offer; in particular -- a hi-def screen, advanced software features, SDI and HDMI connections, and a trendy and efficient body (which can be used on-camera, and as well off-camera -- handheld or mounted on various parts of a rig by one of four 1/4"-20 screw-holes, each of which is located on a different side of the monitor).

A comprehensive set of software features includes the highly-advanced Waveform, RGB Parade, and Vectorscope, with all three not-so-common to camera monitors. The purpose of these and of the rest is to help you fine-tune factors like exposure and focus before you shoot your scene. In relation, the hi-def screen abovementioned, at 1280 x 800 pixels -- also not-so-common to monitors -- is optimal for displaying and making use of all the features.

The main connections are an SDI input, an SDI output, and an HDMI input. The SDIs both support 3G transfer rates, meaning that they can transfer high-bandwidth data without delay, transferring, for example, very high-resolution data, or data involving a lot of embedded audio; in general, high-info data. You can connect your camera to either of the inputs, whichever of the two your camera can match; and as for the SDI output -- with it you can connect the D5w to a video recorder, such as an Atomos Samurai (and thus record your footage on a separate device in a ready-to-edit format), or you can connect to a big-screen SDI monitor from as far as 300 ft away, with 300 ft being the longest transmission distance that SDI supports and that most other connections don't come close to matching. The last of the D5w's connections is a headphone output, to which you can hook up headphones and monitor any sound that you record onto the camera as you shoot your scene. Even if your recording mic is a wireless lavalier that's a distance away, as long as its end-point is connected to the camera, you'll be able to monitor it by the headphone out.

The D5w weighs only about a half-a-pound, is about an inch thick, and its outer body has a rubberized texture. All the buttons are away from clear view, located for the most part at the top corners, more towards the back than the front or center. Three assignable (and as well re-assignable) buttons, into which the software features can be programmed, are at one corner, and an EXIT button along with a rotary wheel are at the other corner and together control the monitor's menu. And on the side is an INPUT button that chooses between the SDI and HDMI inputs.

The monitor powers by any of several types of batteries, depending on which of the following ikan BP5 battery plates you employ: the Sony L compatible, Sony BP-U compatible, Panasonic D54 compatible, Canon 900 compatible, and Canon E-6 compatible. Both the plate and battery are separately sold. If you already own a set, you can certainly use it. If not, please search the B&H site for "D5w battery kit" as B&H offers different D5w / plate / battery kit configurations.

Lightweight, compact, flexible and very effective, the D5w is a great addition to your DSLR or camcorder, for a smooth and precision-oriented production, whether in videography or filmmaking.