Why I Decided To Get A 5″ Portable Monitor.
A little late to the game, but I got the Viltrox DC-50 Portable 5″ LCD with HDMI input for my Fujifilm Cameras! Admittedly, I wanted to be more active online, sharing my hobbies and opinions. This is despite being a noob when it comes to creating online content – from planning right up to photos or videos in my posts. As such, budget is a major factor when deciding what equipment I should “invest” for this blog of mine. Hence, I scoured YouTube for reviews – sadly numerous reviewers were regular photographers and filmmakers, so their recommendations were out of reach for me. Moreover, I don’t have a spare stash of greenbacks somewhere in my furry home. Give me more budget options! Nonetheless, there is one consolation for me; I got more mainland China product options cause I am in Asia!
It Could Have Been Avoided, If…
Let’s face it, I am a hobbyist. Therefore, I don’t have the latest camera gear or plan to upgrade. Still love my “outdated” Fujifilm X-Pro 1 and X-E3, both of which, don’t come with an articulating LCD screen. This, besides other things, makes it difficult to selfie beauty-cam myself let alone produce different types of content. It is especially true in the case of people like me – a proverbial one-man show.
Nevertheless, I came across some ideas to turn your old android phone into a Portable LCD Monitor for your camera! Woot! Like an excited kid, I scavenged all needed parts lying around (Oh, did I fail to mention I love to hoard?). Subsequently whipping out my old Samsung Galaxy J2 Prime, Micro OTG cable, USB HDMI 4K Capture card, with the necessary connectors and accessories. Thereafter quickly downloaded USB Camera from Google Playstore, hooked up everything and flipped the switch …. *blink* the blank screen stared at me. Undaunted, fed by my nervous energy, I soldiered on trying other apps and numerous settings to no avail.
In conclusion, my phone was too ancient to keep up with the signal from the USB HDMI 4K Capture Card. Even with both USB 2 (30fps) and USB 3 (60fps) it just didn’t want to budge. However, there was 1 app that could kind of work, but with resolutions below 720p and a tremendous lag, I surrendered to my fate.
To Buy Or Not To Buy
Albeit my failure, I toyed with the idea of dropping MYR8,000 on a new camera body. Fortunately or not (depending on who’s perspective), my logical side got the better of me. And so I ended up splurging MYR404.39 for the Viltrox DC-50 directly from mainland China inclusive of shipping! Phew! Saved a couple of megabucks there. Perhaps I could do with a gimbal later? Tee hee hee.
What Comes In The Box
| INCLUDED | NOT INCLUDED |
|---|---|
| 1 x Viltrox DC-50 5″ LCD Screen 1 x Sunshade 1 x Hot/Cold Shoe Adaptor 1 x Mini HDMI to HDMI Cable 1 x Micro HDMI to HDMI Cable 1 x Pouch 1 x Instruction Manual (English/Chinese) 1 x Warranty Card | No Batteries (it runs on FM500H, QM71D or QM91D packs for Sony Cameras) No Power Adaptor No Mini USB Cable (For Power) |
First Impressions
Honestly, I quite like the build quality of the Viltrox DC-50. Yes, it has that plastic feel but hey, it’s for hobbyists on a budget. Furthermore, the package is sweetened with the included Spring Loaded Sunshade. The only less sexy thing about the unit is its thick sides, with its Sunshade on – measures around 3 cm. Coupled with the base and an FM500H Battery, you will be looking at something like 4 cm in thickness. Would have preferred a thick, delectable pastrami sandwich oozing with Gouda. Hurm. However, with its hot/cold shoe adaptor, the unit feels light and sturdy. Happy, happy am I.
On the other hand, this model outputs 800 X 480 pixels, not even native full HD. Not a deal breaker because this model targets people like me who lack that articulating LCD screen on their cameras. I really need the flexibility to be able to see and frame myself properly including taking selfies on my own.
As a consequence, perhaps the manufacturer added the ability for Focus Peaking on this monitor for better value. This is in conjunction with a shutter release button which requires another cable connection. It even has onboard speakers and I had to turn it off manually.
Weight
In spite of its nice build quality and price point, weight is also key. Since I am on an intermittent fasting regime, the time has come for the weighing scale! March that Viltrox DC-50 for the fatty test.
Not too shabby, coming in at a combined weight of 324 grams. I opted for the FM500H batteries instead of their heavier counterparts, so guess that helps. Finally, I got to add my camera weight as well. This is a combination of my Fujifilm X-E4, small rig holder and my heaviest lens, the Fujinon 16mm f1.4 combined; a total of 887 grams. This brings the grand total, combined with the Viltrox DC-50- tada! That’s 1.211 kilograms on one arm! Looks like I won’t be visiting the gym anytime soon after this.
In Conclusion
All in all, I am pretty happy with this purchase in part due to the price point. Granted, will be spending more time with this new toy of mine, including testing some accessories that are on the way over! With regards to response time, well, there is a teeny weeny lag, but it’s not as bad as my Android Phone experiment. So all in all I give the Viltrox DC-50 a thumbs up!
In case you are wondering, I wanted to maintain my landscape photos …
that’s why I used 2 tripods for this side-by-side shot.
Last but not least, please remember to check your HDMI output settings on your camera, as rubbish in = rubbish out. Nuff said! And with a quiet squeak, this ratz patters off into the kitchen to fix some food for his rumbling stomach. Till next time, be happy and squeaky!
For the full English Instruction Manual, please follow this link :
I bought my Viltrox DC-50 unit from the following link :
DISCLAIMER :
This is not a sponsored review. I receive no payment in any form, be it from direct links, advertisements or endorsements. Everything you see on this website, I paid on my own.
Please note what works for me, may not work for you. I recommend you always, do your homework by researching or reading actual customer reviews before purchasing! No two individuals are alike.
If you happen to spot any mistakes or omissions, please get in touch with me here.
