Which monitor should I get for my S5II that wont drive me crazy with lag or weird color shifts? I'm freaking out a bit because I have a big wedding shoot in Chicago next Friday and my old SmallHD just died on me. Im looking at the Atomos Ninja V because everyone uses it but I saw the Portkeys LH5P II has camera control which sounds cool but is it reliable? My budget is strictly $500 right now so the Ninja plus an SSD might be pushing it but I need something that just works. Does the Portkeys play nice with the Panasonic menus or is it a headache to setup? I need to pull the trigger tonight or I wont get it in time...
^ This. Also, you gotta be careful because that Ninja V setup really adds up once you buy the media and batteries. Since the consensus here is to skip the Portkeys and its flaky camera control for high-stakes work, I would suggest these two alternatives for your wedding shoot:
I had a second to think on this and honestly, skip the camera control fluff for a high-stakes gig like a wedding. In my experience, those wireless connections between the monitor and the S5II always seem to flake out right when the couple is doing their vows. I've tried many setups over the years and learned that simpler is almost always better when youre under pressure. If the Ninja is pushing your budget too hard once you add the drive and batteries, you should look at the Feelworld LUT5 5.5 inch 3000nit Ultra Bright. I've been using one as a backup for a while now and the brightness is actually superior to most others for outdoor shoots. It doesnt record, but it lets you see exactly what youre doing without any noticeable lag. The colors are surprisingly accurate out of the box, and you can load your own LUTs via SD card easily. Also, make sure you grab a solid cable like the Kondor Blue Coiled High Speed 4K HDMI Cable. People usually blame the monitor for lag or flickering, but 90% of the time it's just a crappy thin cable getting interference. Get something sturdy and youll be fine for Friday. Focus on your framing and let the camera handle the internal recording... the S5II is a beast on its own anyway.
Man, that is a tough spot to be in right before a wedding. Honestly, I had high hopes for the Portkeys LH5P II 5.5 inch 2200nit Touchscreen Monitor because the wireless control sounds like a dream, but it was kind of a nightmare in practice. Unfortunately, the connection to the S5II kept dropping for me and the menu navigation felt super clunky. Not something I would trust for a high-stakes Chicago wedding where you cant afford to mess around with settings. If you want something that just works without the lag, you gotta look at the Atomos stuff, even if it hurts the wallet. Here is what I would do to stay under that $500 mark: