First Look At The SmallHD FOCUS OLED Monitor

A year after the original announcement of the FOCUS monitor at NAB 2017, and just before NAB 2018 opens in Las Vegas, SmallHD announces a new, slightly larger version of its popular entry-level monitor, this time with an OLED panel and increased resolution alongside an entire extended family of FOCUS monitors with different properties.

So what is new in the new SmallHD FOCUS OLED? well as you can guess it has an OLED panel but this time around it has a full 1080p resolution (the original FOCUS was 720p only) and 5.5″ size (compared to the original 5″). The screen also has a wide color gamut (but lower brightness overall compared to the older generation – although we will need to test them side by side outdoors to tell how well each of them really does). Other than that it seems that SmallHD improved the arm a bit but kept the location of the 3.5mm headphone jack (which we didn’t really like – see our review of the FOCUS).

Alongside the SmallHD FOCUS OLED 5.5″ monitor, SmallHD also introduced several other monitors that will expend the FOCUS line including 5.5-inch 1080p OLED SDI version (similar to the new OLED HDMI version but with an SDI support – keep in mind that this is an SDI only not dual HDMI/SDI monitor). For those who want to save a bit but still get the SDI option, SmallHD will also offer the original FOCUS in an SDI version (5″ 720p resolution non-OLED that is).

The FOCUS Bolt RX – the smallest and lightest wireless monitor solution in the world

SmallHD also introduced two FOCUS Bolt monitors. These are wireless versions of the original FOCUS monitor (we are not sure why they didn’t go straight to the OLED version here), one with an integrated transmitter and one with a transmitter (compatible with the FOCUS Bolt RX, 703 Bolt, Bolt 500, and Sidekick II receivers).

As for prices:

FOCUS OLED HDMI – $700.
FOCUS 5.5-inch 1080p OLED SDI – $800.
FOCUS Bolt RX (built-in wireless receiver) – $1300.
FOCUS Bolt TX (built-in wireless transmitter) – $1300.
FOCUS (original) SDI – $600.

We will be looking into several monitors in the near future so stay tuned for that. If you don’t want to miss any new photography product be sure to check out our product photography section.

Iddo Genuth

Iddo Genuth is the founder and chief editor of LensVid.com. He has been a technology reporter working for international publications since the late 1990's and covering photography since 2009. Iddo is also a co-founder of a production company specializing in commercial food and product visual content.