Shooting 4K video on a Panasonic GH4 is simply awesome! But, attempting to pull focus on a 3″ touchscreen… not so awesome. Enter the Aputure VS-2 FineHD 7″ field monitor.
We purchased the Aputure VS-2 FineHD 7″ field monitor this past spring as we were experiencing difficulties verifying that our subjects were in focus when using our Panasonic GH4. This was especially true when trying to film live events. Within a few minutes of unboxing the Aputure VS-2 FineHD 7″ (not to be confused with the non-HD Aputure VS-2 7″ field monitor) we had connected the device to the camera and it was functioning as expected. Aputure also included a micro HDMI (the video output of the GH4) to HDMI (input of the Aputure) adaptor cable and a small battery, so that saved an Amazon order. The image was sharp, the color was mostly accurate, and the menus were robust and easy to understand. Besides being a great field monitor, the VS-2 FineHD doubles as a handy AV troubleshooting device by being an ultra-portable HDMI monitor. When a classroom goes down, it’s convenient to have an ultra-portable hand-held monitor at your disposal. If you are looking for an inexpensive field monitor… this is the one. I’d also recommend picking up a few Sony style Watson NP-F975 Lithium-Ion batteries (~$60 each on Amazon) for extended viewing.
Pros:
- The price… at around $275, this is an absolute bargain
- Tack sharp 1920 x 1200 resolution
- False color, histograms, zebras, peaking, volume monitoring… if you know what these things are, this monitor has them
- Battery or DC power options
- Wonderful case and the kit includes everything you need to get started
Cons:
- No HDMI loop through (HDMI out)
- This isn’t the most color accurate monitor I’ve ever seen, but it’s as good as many of the $700+ monitors
- The build quality is good, but I’m not sure how well it would take a fall
- It does add “more wires” to your rig
