In this video, Parker Walbeck from fulltimefilmmaker takes a look at no less than 8 different 5 and 7-inch monitors from 4 different brands to find out which is the best monitor in several different categories.
An external monitor is a fantastic tool.
Walbeck looks at 5″ and 7″ monitors from Atomos, SmallHD, Andycine, and Desview. Do keep in mind that besides some series price differences which we shall discuss later there are also some basic functional differences – the Atomos is the only recording monitors while all the others do not perform this function.
So who are our contenders?
In the 5″ category we have the following:
- Atomos Ninja 5″ – $700.
- SmallHD Focus 5″ – $450.
- Andycine A6 Plus 5.5″ – $230.
- DESVIEW MAVO P5 5″ – $130.
In the 7″ category we have the following:
- Atomos Ninja Inferno 7″ – $800.
- SmallHD Focus 7″ – $636.
- Andycine X7 Ultra Bright 7″ – $290.
- DESVIEW R7 7″ – $216.
So who are the winners and in which category?
Best overall monitor – SmallHD Focus 7″ – not too heavy with great battery life, fantastic touch screen with the amazing OS (the 5″ Focus is also nice but a bit too small).
Best Overall Recorder – the Atomos Ninja Inferno 7″ wins this (the Ninja 5″ is also nice – keep in mind that both make noise.
Best Bang for the buck – for $230 you get so much from the Andycine A6 Plus 5.5 it is really great. The Andycine X7 Ultra Bright 7″ has a really high brightness screen (2200 nits) which is great for outdoors but the battery life suffers and it gets really hot after some time.
Best Budget monitor – the DESVIEW MAVO P5 5″ is a usable 5″ at a really low price, the 7″ DESVIEW R7 7″ is your step up in size (and price) but still a decent option at just over $200.
You can check out more videos from our photography gear guides section here on LensVid. You can check out more of Walbeck videos – here on LensVid as well.
Iddo Genuth 
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