SmallHD is giving its own Focus 5 five-inch HD monitor an upgrade with the new Focus 7 IPS LCD monitor, a seven-inch touchscreen daylight-viewable monitor designed for use with DSLRs, mirrorless, and similar small-form-factor cameras.
The Focus 7 is modeled on the existing Focus 5 line, but it differs in a few significant ways. Besides sporting a two-inch larger screen, it has a resolution of 1920 x 1200 (vs just 720p on the Focus 5) and can give off 1,000 nits of brightness (compared to just 800 nits from its little brother). A full-size HDMI input allows it to accept video at resolutions of up to 4K 30p.
On the downside, it’s a little bigger in every dimension, is quite a bit heavier (11.28 oz. vs. 4.16 oz.), and costs more — $699 vs $499. It’s still a lightweight and affordable gadget that makes smaller cameras a lot easier to work with.
SmallHD Focus 7 monitor
SmallHD
“The original 5-inch Focus monitor was successful because it made shooting with a small DSLR or mirrorless cameras so much easier,” said SmallHD co-founder Dale Backus in a prepared statement. “The Focus 7 offers similar functionality, while adding display size and resolution, without adding bulk.”
The Focus 7 is powered through dual, hot-swappable Sony L series battery slots, and it provides a 3.5mm barrel output for supplying power to small cameras. An optional Tilt Arm is available for attaching to a camera’s cold-shoe mount. The expected tools are all on board via SmallHD’s OS3 software, including HD waveforms, vectorscope, false color, focus assist/peaking, anamorphic de-squeeze, framing guides, and the ability to load in 3D LUTs via SD card.
