Cheap And Mighty! Viltrox DC550 Pro Field Monitor

[@WillChidlow]

What do you think of this monitor?

[@Carlosmdna]

just recently bought a shinobi & all the gear needed to operate it and if I had seen this I would've got this instead!

[@WillChidlow]

Yeah I have a shinobi also and have to say this is pretty awesome for the money. If I helps you justify your purchase I will say that the shinobi has slightly better build quality and even though the Viltrox includes a mount and battery I still prefer the smallrig mount I have and still use additional NPF batteries so you’ve still made a great investment. The only thing the viltrox has which the shinobi lacks is the sun hood and the hdmi loop out

[@AtomicPixel]

What's the battery life like, how loud is the fan (can it be turned off completely?), and how long does the monitor take to turn on? Thanks in advance!

[@WillChidlow]

I get about 2.5-3 hours of real world shooting from the NPF-550 that’s included with the monitor which is very comparable to other field monitors with the same size battery. I have a lot of other larger NPF batteries and tend to prefer them if I know I’ll be shooting for a while. An NPF700 or 900 will last you most of a days shoot. The fan has 3 settings, low, mid or high, and can be turned off. In low it is almost silent, in mid or high an on camera shotgun mic might pick it up a bit. In the fairly cool UK climate I’ve had it off mostly and had no overheating issue but I like that it’s there if needed. It turns on quicker than my atomos shinobi, maybe 3-4 seconds to boot. Hope that helps and thanks for watching 🙏👍😎

[@AtomicPixel]

@@WillChidlow thank you so much for the response! That seems like pretty good battery life considering it’s brightness and fan. Again, thanks for the help! Cheers brother!

[@WillChidlow]

Happy to help!

[@watzmaaname]

@@WillChidlow Thanks for the info! Helpful!

[@kernzilla]

@@WillChidlow pretty impressive batt life if that's full brightness. my Atomos with NP 900 good for 4-5hr and it's kaput - and that's not using Atomos for recording either 😢

[@sacardevos]

The 550 Lite does have touch screen.

[@WillChidlow]

thanks for clarifying, it was actually Viltox themselves that told me it didn't have a touch screen but youre not the first to mention it

[@patrikmigac8998]

Hello, can you power monitor using powerbank with usb c without battery plugged in? Or maybe with battery plugged in but kind of like recharging and using with powerbank at the same time? Thank you.

[@WillChidlow]

Great question! I can confirm that the monitor does work from a power bank plugged into the usb-c connection and WITHOUT a battery in the monitor 👍

[@patrikmigac8998]

Thank you very much! Well, bad news for competitors in that price point 😆@@WillChidlow

[@silveiraaaaaa]

It is possible to review the photos taken from the camera on the monitor

[@WillChidlow]

yes absolutely! Im using Sony cameras and can confirm it works with them

[@JonatanCastro]

Hi Will, thanks for the video! Sorry I didn't quite get what you meant by the brightness and exposure. Do you mean visually only or the actual zebras/false color also changing if the brightness changes?

[@WillChidlow]

Hi! yes of course, the exposure tools are always accurate its just the visual that can play tricks on your eyes if you are not careful. hope that clears that up for you. many thanks

[@DagarMedBjorn]

I’m a bit confused… just got mine (dc550 non pro version) and it was delivered without the hdmi mini cable that’s stated on the package… and my screen is touch-screen? My package doesn’t say pro or anything… just weird

[@WillChidlow]

I’m confused too! When Viltox sent me this monitor they also sent me specs for the other monitors and it said only the pro was touchscreen but several others have also commented that their 550 (not pro) has a touch screen. So I’m not sure if they gave me incorrect info or if I misinterpreted the info 🤷‍♂️ either way, hope you enjoy the monitor, touch screen and all 🙏👍😎

[@DagarMedBjorn]

@@WillChidlow I mean viltrox has treated me well previously with updates and such. so maybe the pro/non-pro versions are actually the same and they were like “maybe we’ll let them use the touchscreen anyway” and just programmed it to not being able to show some of the exposure diagrams and called it a day. Anyway. Good guy viltrox I guess 🙏🏻

[@rashaalsarraj7023]

Hows the accuracy of the focus peaking on thus

[@WillChidlow]

pretty great, maybe slightly harder to read than the shinobi

[@leswong7801]

does it have a 9:17 marker guide?

[@PorcelaiN_irl]

Is there any standby mode on this monitor? Can we turn it temporarily off while shooting? To save the battery and quickly turning it back on. Something like standby or sleep mode.

[@WillChidlow]

Not to my knowledge, although i never turn it off and have found the battery life to be pretty great. The power is a simple switch (which i prefer to a long button press like atomos monitors) and the boot time is fairly quick so just turning it off/on as needed is also an option. hope that helps

[@PorcelaiN_irl]

@@WillChidlow Really thank you sir, you video helped me make the decision. This monitor is right for my budget. I guess I'm going to buy it.

[@kernzilla]

cool review, thanks m8! the knob on side end up being practical/usable in every day use or just clever looking feature? there's not a lot of field monitors with this type of setup, kinda curious about it. appreciate it!

[@bbag2005]

Is there a Dummy Battery for this Monitor i cant find one bought one but it doesn't fit

[@WillChidlow]

Yeah definitely, I use a Neewer NPF dummy battery and it works great. Alternatively the monitor has a barrel socket so instead of a dummy battery you could just buy a power adapter or barrel to d-tap adapter and not even need a dummy battery

[@bbag2005]

@@WillChidlow thank you. I bought a barrel to D-tap adapter it turned on lol

[@TobikTK]

Is it possible to check the current software version in the monitor?

[@WillChidlow]

im not 100% on this. there is a version number in the interface but it doesnt seem to correspond with the software version on the website so im not sure to be honest. I also couldnt find any new firmware on the website either so its unclear to me how updates will be handled.

[@_trismegistus]

Any issues with the monitor losing HDMI signal periodically and cycling through all resolutions before finding the 4k signal again? This is with a Fuji xh2s, very frustrating.

[@WillChidlow]

I’m using Sony and have found the connection solid. On a canon recently I had to set the hdmi signal output to 1080 for it to work (instead of auto) but that’s the only niggle I’ve had and may be more a canon issue

[@_trismegistus]

@@WillChidlow turns out it was a firmware bug, their support sent me a patch. 👍

[@ahdam82]

I just purchased this monitor as it will be filming myself and need a bigger screen to see myself. My eyes aren’t the best. However, how can I arrange it so that I can get a true representation of what my camera is saying it won’t let me turn out off and I do not color grade as I am new. Any advice on how I can let this monitor show me exactly what my cameras sees so I can get an accurate picture?

[@RubenCaser]

Has anyone had issues when viewing 1080 60p? Mine appears to drop frames and is not smooth. I’ve tested other monitors on the same hdmi feed and they are perfectly smooth. I’ve also tried several other cameras on 1080 60p, and my Viltrox does the same jerky playback. Hopefully it’s not a common thing, because this monitor has some great features and a nice image.

[@spot_hunter]

Is it possible to record evf display?

[@lipardfilm]

The screen bezel is soo large, but overall it seems a super deal.

[@WillChidlow]

yeah they are a bit chunky to be fair but for the price I'm happy to overlook it. Thanks for watching

[@ldmndz4652]

@@WillChidlow is the "size comparison" comparable to an iPhone size? as far as "screen real estate? thanks wish they would have update their 7 inch monitor and make it like this and have a pro version of that one..

[@WillChidlow]

@@ldmndz4652 I'd say its slightly bigger than an iphone, probably comparable to an iphone max

[@jockturner1547]

Seems pretty average when you look at other field monitors. Have a look at the Atomos Shinobi, ninja or the Osee monitors and pretty much all of them except for the port keys really

[@ldmndz4652]

@@jockturner1547 thanks for the insight..just this one seemed ok especially for the price point..im sure the others you mentioned are probably higher in price..lol

[@cappythana]

Thanks for the review! Does the overlay (parades etc) work while in anamorphic desqueeze mode?

[@WillChidlow]

Hi, yes i believe they still work as expected. Cant test for you as i dont have anamorphic lenses but seems fine

[@veilleuxfilms]

Would you recommend this over the Osee limon 5?

[@WillChidlow]

I haven’t personally tried the Osee so can’t really comment, sorry!

[@LeonardoDiLorenzo-c9m]

Is it possible to film in 4k 60 or higher on this monitor? Thanks for your video

[@WillChidlow]

Yes absolutely! 👍

[@LeonardoDiLorenzo-c9m]

@@WillChidlow I just got it and I couldn't be happier, this thing is amazing! £ 200 ? Forget about Atomos unless you need it as a recorder. £ 800 saved to be spent on something more useful

[@PhilipDSouza]

@@WillChidlowwhat about if you are shooting 4K 120fps

[@_trismegistus]

@@PhilipDSouzait will only accept signals up to 4k30. So it just depends on how your camera manages the HDMI output. You may either have to force the output to 1080, or let it automatically try to adjust.

[@LongTermRecovery]

@@LeonardoDiLorenzo-c9m I need a recorder for my podcast. I have 2 Sony cameras with a video switcher. Will this monitor record my podcast on the sd card?

[@dmitryblkv]

I just got a monitor, I have a question about the work of luts. The monitor distorts colors terribly when using luts, some of them show completely different colors that they should. I compared it with Portkeys PT6 and with what is obtained in the final cut after applying the lut. Does it work poorly with luts for you too?

[@WillChidlow]

I haven't experienced this personally, however, as i mentioned in the video, using high brightness distorts the image massively so perhaps this is a factor for you?

[@unn4medfeel1ng]

Да, теперь понимаю, почему он оказался на авито... В принципе не страшно, стандартный лут мне удалось настроить, но странно, что обзорщики об этом не говорят.

[@francisthechange]

Thanks for the review. Does it support touch focus?

[@WillChidlow]

No it does not, thanks for watching

[@xforedadsgolf]

How long does the battery last after a full charge?

[@WillChidlow]

The included battery give you about 2 hours of use and is nice and light and compact. Personally I tend to use a larger capacity NPF900 battery which lasts nearly all day but is much bigger

[@xforedadsgolf]

@@WillChidlow could you send me a link or the name of that NPF900 battery when you get a chance?

[@WillChidlow]

@@xforedadsgolf sure thing: geni.us/kWn6DPQ these are the ones I have, they are fab and you can even power your camera from them at the same time as your monitor via the usb port

[@xforedadsgolf]

@@WillChidlow no way. So run your monitor AND camera at the same time? Will it still last all day? I only use my camera for filming golf videos and I turn it off in between shots. I usually can get a whole round on one battery, MAYBE two sometimes. This would be so huge!

[@fitoperezproductions]

If It had sdi, I would've definitely considered it.

[@WillChidlow]

yep, fair

[@NemesisLex]

2:10 All 3 of the DC-550 have a Touchscreen ;)

[@matheusfersi062]

Your monitor's cold shoe feels extremely tight even loosing de screws? Its my only complain about this product till now.

[@WillChidlow]

Yes very fair comment, I’m wondering if it will loosen up with use. I tend to use a small rig monitor mount with it personally as I’m not a fan of cold shoe mounts

[@kellcoleStyleEnt]

Do it shoot raw footage

[@WillChidlow]

No, it’s just a monitor, not a recorder so no RAW capability

[@kellcoleStyleEnt]

@@WillChidlow I don’t like this I ma have to send this back I just older one and it don’t have a raw future on it

[@WillChidlow]

Do you mean for raw video or photos? What camera are you shooting with?

[@kellcoleStyleEnt]

@@WillChidlow I use the canon R10

[@WillChidlow]

The R10 is not capable of shooting raw video so I assume you are using for photography in which case this monitor is perfectly capable of showing raw images shot by the camera. Hope that helps

[@jgirizarry]

Bought the monitor two weeks ago. I really like it, but it didn’t come with a micro HDMI for my Sony a6700 and the swivel was so hard to move that ended up buying a Small Rig swivel.

[@WillChidlow]

Thanks for sharing, mine did come with the micro HDMI which is weird but i totally agree the mount is pretty crappy compared to a Smallrig one. I guess its enough to get you going though.

[@upload00]

Latency looks terrible

[@WillChidlow]

Not noticeably bad on the shoots I’ve used it for so far, possibly looks worse on this video as I was using some pretty cheap longer hdmi cables to put it on my bench. All HDMI monitors have some latency though 👍

[@_trismegistus]

It's really not bad at all.