SmallHD Action 5 + Honest review
Вставка
- Опубліковано 6 лип 2024
- Get your Action 5: geni.us/action5
The SmallHD Action 5 features 2000 nits of brightness, a 1000:1 contrast ratio, Rec. 709 color gamut, and multiple mounting points. The Action 5 has an HDMI 2.0 input and output and a combination battery plate that supports both Sony L-series and Canon LP-E6 batteries.
Merch
24 over 30 merch: geni.us/24over30shirt
The gear I use!
Audio
Rode NTH100: geni.us/rodeHeadphoneNTH100
Deity VO-7U: geni.us/deitypodcastmic
Camera
Vlogging camera: geni.us/vloggingcamera
Lens: geni.us/sonyGM1635
Cinema camera: geni.us/cinemacamera
Favorite photography camera: geni.us/MRbq7
Photo lens: geni.us/AeaIAO
Current video mics: geni.us/deityD3pro
Looks
Cinebloom 5%: geni.us/cinebloom5
My lut: geni.us/mylut
#smallhd #budgetmonitor #cameragear
0:00 - The SmallHD action 5
1:27 - Is less more?
3:11 - Action 5 features - nits, ports, battery
4:57 - Who uses the headphone jack in a viewing monitor?
5:16 - Things to improve with the Action 5
7:38 - Screen test - Atomos Ninja V, SmallHD 702 bright, BMPCC6K PRO screen
8:50 - Final thoughts, who is this for?
Follow Cine Dailies here:
INSTAGRAM: / cinedailies
TWITTER: / thecinedailies
Why do monitors have headphone jacks?
That’s a good question… Makes no sense to me..
@@JSCreative1 it’s a real head scratcher
If you use it as a director/scripty monitor with a wireless hdmi receiver, it gives you the ability to monitor audio remotely (obviously it would just be scratch audio from the camera). Also allows to monitor audio if you hook it up to one of those entry level dslr/mirrorless cameras that don't have a headphone jack, though there aren't many anymore.
@@DanieleAmandolini thank you - I honestly didn't know the use case for it haha
@@CineDailies just a wild guess on my part, haha. I've never used the headphone jack from a monitor either ^^
Thanks for this. I don't know how this video showed up in my feed today, but it's crazy because I have been looking at this monitor, and had just put it in my cart at Amazon yesterday. I'll take this as a sign to go checkout. ;) Thanks for sharing.
Just now came across your channel. You do and excellent review. Much appreciated. Thank you.
Thanks for watching!
First off great video! I found the headphone jack useful when I setup a way to monitor sound on an Alexa Mini that doesn’t have one built in. It was a little helpful to hear at least some sound for syncing later or when the transmitter died. I think it’d be useful for other cameras where you need an easier to reach audio jack if you’re recording internal sound but other than that no idea what to use it for.
I think you were very kind to SmallHD in this review, they absolutely left out some key features in this monitor, and as a consequence, I, and I presume some others, chose a different one.
I am looking into getting a monitor and saw this review and thought it might be a good idea to invest in it but in comparison to the atomos shinobi and the features that it offers, it may be a simple question, but is there a way to film a video with the 9x16 frame guides on the shinobi or if I were to use that I would have to film vertically (rotate my camera and the setup I am using)? I thought that since the other one is a few dollars cheaper and with more features, it would be best to invest in the shinobi but I would like to know prior to making a purchase decision. I know that the Action 5 is brighter than other monitors, but as you say in your video its a simpler monitor but at the same time I am not sure if I were to use features such as waveforms, vectorscopes, etc. but it may be best to "future proof" a monitor and go with a monitor like the shinobi no? Has there been any firmware updates from the time you released the video until now that address the battery level indication? What has your experience been with using the monitor?
Hi, how are things going with the recent release of version 1.2? SmallHD does not publish any additional notes for some reason. Has it improved significantly compared to the release version? At the release, there were a lot of negative reviews, but these days I've been hearing mostly good things about it. Thanks.
you can use a audio headphone jack for check your audio if you using this monitor with wireless receiver like director monitor mini setup for documentary work.
Hi - what is the brand of the 90degree angled HDMI cable used in thumbnail? Thanks
let me explain why the headphone jack on a monitor...
some cameras, ( small cameras ) like sony's when you playback the video and you show the video to the client... and the camera is conected to the monitor via HDMI, the sound does not come out the camera, because sound signal is sent to HDMI, so thats why you want a headphone jack on a monitor, to hear how that shoot sounded like.
Hey cine!
Im having a hard time matching my smallhd image to my bmpcc6k pro backscreen image
Using the same lut but the smallhd looks a bit more green to me,
You ever come across this issue?
Thanks my guy, been a fan of your stuff for a while
Thank you! Very helpful
Excellent review! Thinking about this to not go hard on a more expensive setup.
Thanks for watching! the 2000 nits alone make it worth buying it.
Did they update the battery indicator?
how long do you have to wait to fully turn on the monitor? The 5 seconds to keep pressing on a turn button on Ninja V makes me feel forever...
Great review man, looks like a great budget option!
Thanks for watching fam!
I noticed that exposure (false color) looks kind of burned. I'm using it with my old Sony a7sii in slog2 and always the monitor makes me think the image it's overexpose when is not at all...
Have you notice that? Is that at problem or its just something I can configure out?
The problem with most camera monitors is that they have mirroring on the screen. I had a monitor, the LUT 6 with 2000 nits, and I could see more with the Ninja V. So, for me, it's not a nit's thing. What's your experience with that?
I actually have used the headphone jack on my Ninja V so many times, almost every shoot. How I had it rigged up with my 6K Pro my HDMI cord got in the way of the headphone jack on the camera body so I would end up monitoring audio off of the monitor itself. Very random but also kinda handy!
Great video, thanks for keeping us informed. I’ve got some constructive criticism below, based off questions that lingered after watching. Hope it helps, can’t wait for the next video!
I think a good way to improve reviews like this is to start with describing what problems these monitors are trying to solve; i.e. what do they do (or try to do).
I’m sure that’s obvious to people familiar with them, but for new film makers it’s not obvious. And it’s hard to assess if it’s “good” or “bad” without context of what it’s trying to do.
I also think would set up the rest of the video with several bullet points/topics to assess how well the product performed at solving each problem, and opens discussion on comparison to other products.
Wow Woodams, great feedback. Thank you! Like really haha, I tend to struggle how to address these things to new Audiences
@@CineDailies Glad it's useful! Mark me down as interested in a video on exactly what external monitors are useful for.
Right now I'm curious about them because I have a Lumix S5 which I know can record ProRes over HDMI to an external monitor (but not internally). I've never used an external monitor before, though, so I don't really know if there are other benefits to buying one, or how much better ProRes vs V-Log is, etc etc.
Also, as much as you may be struggle with "addressing these things to new audiences", you definitely don't struggle with keeping a concise and well paced video that stays on point -- which is a large part of what keeps me coming back to creators.
- Cheers
yo love this video bro!
Just realized the SmallHD had a huge price increase. The 702 Touch was originally $1199 but went to $1599. B&H had a flash sale that brought it down to $1199, and I picked it up.
I've had the 701 lite for 5 years, which was great. Sent it back for repair a few times, but the prices were reasonable. The screen just went out a month ago, and SmallHD said they cannot guarantee a repair as the model has been discontinued and parts are now unavailable. They offered $100 as a credit, and I was going to use it to pick up the Action 5.
I'm unsure if I have buyer's remorse, but it is such a great monitor. I wanted to try the Shinobi 7, but it looks way too bulky. Currently using it with the trusty GH5, but I have the FX6 on back-order.
I view it as a long-term investment, but you can buy 4 Action 5s for the price of one 702 Touch. Technically, the Action 5 is brighter too.
Just hoping I made the right call.
what hdmi cable is that?
Is this discontinued in NA?
A lot of cameras will disable the internal headphone jack when connected to an HDMI device, so then you have to connect your headphones to the monitor. It's kind of annoying, but I've gotten used to it at this point....
I have the Focus 5 and it is great except for the HDMI cable connection...that is very bad. Looking at this - I don't tend to use many features, so being stripped down may be OK for non-profit and corporate stuff.
Good review thanks.
Thanks for watching!
since its a budget monitor, id imagine it has am audio jack for lower end d/mslr's that dont have their headphone monitoring port
Great video. Have they fixed the battery notification issue? I love all of the features this monitor possess, but I think this is a hard no if I can't see the amount of battery life. I shoot a lot of weddings and can't risk a monitor shutting off.
I think they have! Check the website
Good video review! Also great to see another Indiana guy! 👍 😁
This monitor is an odd one
I have the 702 touch which I adore, it was pricey but so worth it. I do find it to be a bit too big for certain shoots, so I bought this action 5. It's not as flushed out as the 702 touch, but I dont need it to be, right? I just need something small, and when I have a proper shoot or something that isn't as run n gun, I can throw the 702 on there. Thanks for the video! It was honest and thorough!
I am in the same boat. As a 702T owner. I would like to have the option of a smaller on camera monitor, a focus puller, or a rear facing setup when needed.
I figure this will fit the bill, but I will wait a see what comes of the updates first...
@@alonfn2 definitely! I picked one up, and it's the perfect size for running a smaller kit! There's some quirks but I dont mind. Hopefully some updates roll out and we'll see what happens!
just got the Shinobi 7" after having the. shinobi 5" and the Portrays BM5III, this looks like a solid budget monitor. it would be dope if they added an sdi version in the future.
there's a new high end 5 inch coming from smallhd. they mentioned it at cine gear
why didnt you like the shinobi 5 filmed by fresh?
@@TimandLauren I wouldn’t say I disliked it I really just out grew it. I had the hdmi only version. I wanted the dc input for d tap to get away from using the Sony batteries and I transitioned to sdi when I got my fx9 but it was a solid monitor when I needed it
@@FilmedbyFresh word! Im currently contemplating between this or the shinobi 5, used to have the shinobi 7 but it was way too heavy
man that sony s iii image is so nice
will they fix the battery indicator issue? That's crazy to not have this available
yes they will!
The thing that does not make sense to me is why did they spend time, ressources and money in designing and building a completely new OS with almost no feature on it, when they already have the leading OS in the business. In my opinion, they should give the user the option to load the pageOS4 on it if we want it. Do you think we could actually do that and load pageOS on the action 5 to replace the featureless actionOS ?
Their software, like page OS, was the main thing that made SmallHD monitors the best of the best. This is pretty much identical to the Desview R6 with way less tools and with a SmallHD logo on it. It looks like when Hasselblad rebranded sony cameras so people can buy a camera that had the Hasselblad logo on it to show off
Dude thank you so much for telling SmallHD about the lack of battery indicator. I was looking thru my menus like "oh... that's wild" hahah I definitely prefer to know if i'm about to run out lol. Also if they could add a waveform that would be amazing.
Exactly haha some updates are coming!
@@CineDailies Firmware is available! Are you having issues with updating by chance? Mine's not letting me touch "load from usb" (can't find the usb drive that came with it, using another one but it's formatted properly, so maybe it's just fussy about using the one that came with it?)
Can I select the language for this product? Do you support Japanese?
I think the monitor is basically the same as desview r6 , just rebranded and with crippled features, even the firmware update files are the same size and names BSYR6F.bin and BSYR6V.bin , i bet you can put the desview os with full features on it by updating with desview files. I have a desview r6 and i would love for someone to try to do that just to see if its true haha
Have there been any firmware updates since the release to address said gripes?
Yes in version 1.0
What was the other Smallhd monitor your tested, I think I prefer that one.
that was the 702 bright.
@@CineDailies Thank you so much ! I have a small video production business Called Captured Moments and I film events and various videos with the Panasonic S1H.
Here is my UA-cam page featuring my work. ua-cam.com/channels/xRMk3DgdyFpCyvXkg-HrJQ.html
Good vid bud. Headphone jack on a monitor is way less intrusive than using the one on a mirrorless or any small camera where it can interfere with the touchscreen or just get in the way. I avoid the cam jack at all times if possible
noted!
is there a way to color calibrate this monitor ?
Unfortunately not at the moment
A good entry in budget monitor for smallhd, but it's a bit useless
for the same price you have the desview R6 which is the same price and packed a ton of features (yes, waveform too) and is 2800nits brightness!
I was waiting for the red record line via hdmi on this screen, but it hasn't that function. It looks more like a feelworld monitor rebranded by SMALLHD
This monitor is for entry level filmmakers and UA-camrs. Sone times less is more
Action "5", maybe the battery level indicator was meant to be the 5th feature of this monitor? 🙂
😂
The battery indicator seems like a really unfortunate oversight. Especially since it's a 2000 nit screen, its going to CHEW through bricks.
FACTS but good news! An update will be coming
@@CineDailies Firmware is now available that fixes the percentage issue!
does it come with a battery
Lol no - I actually never seen a monitor come with a battery from any brand
Is the Action 5 not made now? Am I right ?
Yeah no idea why.
@@Dezdirectzwhere?
It’s discontinued
When do we get to see the documentary from Israel?
I'll be talking about it more on the channel over the next few weeks! It'll be released in the spring of 2023
My action 5 doesn’t display a full screen paired with my a7siii anyone know how to fix this?
Unfortunately it's the camera not the monitor. Same thing happen a to my xh2s. But it displays fine with my 6k pro
@@CineDailies dang I thought that might be the case, gonna return it and go with the shinobi
@@RayShunFilms but wouldn't you run into the same issue if its the camera?
@@CineDailies nope, I have a friend with an a7siii and a shinobi monitor and he does not have this issue.
Looks nice but for $60 more you can get a Ninja V that does a lot more as a recorder too
Lol all depends on your needs
Is the Action 5 not made now?
Huh?
B&H doesn't sell it and the companies website says sold out. Where can you buy it?@@CineDailies
B&H has, Discontinued
SmallHD Action 5 Touchscreen 5" On-Camera Monitor
Oh I'm not sure. Check on smallhds website
No longer available… Small HD is an absolute clown show. 😂😂😂
They have to improve their boxy design
At first I thought that this was finally the update to the Focus 5 (an awesome monitor) but with decent HDMI ports and good brightness.. But it looks like a big downgrade.
What made SmallHD the best of the best was their software, like page OS. This is so much a downgrade, because nowadays every $300 monitor has luts, waveform, cropmarks, false color, zebras.. they throw away so many useful tools. I never understand why companies like to give "simplified" versions with a ton of less features and call that an "upgrade".
This is pretty much identical to the Desview R6 (body design and even button placement) with WAY LESS tools and with a SmallHD logo on it. It looks like when Hasselblad rebranded Sony cameras so people can buy a camera that had the Hasselblad logo on it to show off
I bought one as soon as I heard about it as always loved SmallHD monitors, but after using it at a wedding yesterday I’m returning it. It’s a huge disappointment. No way to even check battery level. It just turned off. Not happy.
Hi! Thanks for that. But I couldn’t figure out how to rig it to a camera lol . I want to add it to a Canon EOS R5C. What kind of connectors I need ?
Have a nice day :-)
☺️
😃
Feels no difference from a Feelworld, especially the Feelworld 3000nits.
yeah, the big difference is who smallhd is targeting. this monitor is for those who never used a monitor and need simple tools right out the gate.
The content on the channel is great. But the colors are a bit lacking in my opinion. I find myself drawn to channels whose content has a more pleasing color profile. It’s my personal opinion.
Too expensive to get it here in Europe, sadly not affordable at all. :(
dang man, sorry to hear that! just come to the states and buy it haha
@@CineDailies I wish haha :) will have to go with an atomos shinobi here in Italy because everything else is super expensive for the perfomance.
sad it's discontinued
Rough
just telling the truth to y’all,
i’ve been tested it and compare it to my Touch7 side by side,
active 5 feels like has oversharped result on images texture.
which isn’t pleasing to the eyes in my opinion.
it does grainy alot in shadow and highlight,
im pretty sure my iso was set at native.
(it’s clean and clear on my Touch7)
the display dynamic range isn’t that great anyway, it crush a lot on shadow and highlights
and I almost having a hard time to eyeballing and nailing the focus, cause it’s really hard to see the seperation between Depth of field and object in focus.
feels like all blending in together 😵💫
For me the "color rendering" is key when trying to judge the general qualities of the image I'm composing. I have a TV-logic 058 which is great in that sense but lacks in nits- I can't use it outside more or less. So I bought a Portkeys BM5 III last summer. It's bright when needed to but the menus are a hassle and the colors are crushed easily- the dynamic range of the monitor is so poor I'm looking to replace it. Therefor @Cine Dailies, how are the colors/ DR in Action 5 compared to the others in your video? Thanks for a well made review!
you still rocking this monitor in march 2023?
tk
It can’t handle 4k 60fps. The screen has a blue cast.
I noticed the same issue actually, did u find any solution? maybe different cable?
Just the lack of a battery indicator shows how half-baked this new "ActionOS" actually is, This monitor was a total waste of SmallHD's time and energy, This monitor will be discontinued before you know it, SmallHD has always been premium and they should not be competing with the $300 market, they should stay in their Premium $1,000+ bracket and try prosumer products around the $500-$800 market not this cheap $300 crap because it strays way too far from what makes SmallHD good.
You'd be surprised that alot of companies are moving that this direction.
Small HD has F’ed me too many times on set out in the field and in the studio. Their customer service is absolute trash and wish there were more options available that weren’t ridiculously overpriced. Btw, all of these problems all happened on highly budgeted, union shoots… Small HD Custie Service DGAF.