Recording Monitors for Photography - Framing, Focusing, Exposure & More w/the Shimbol Memory I Pro

A recording monitor is an essential piece of equipment for every photographer. This expert guide covers everything from basics to professional techniques so you can get outstanding results even under the most challenging photographic circumstances.
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Table of Contents:
0:00 Introduction
1:59 Basic Knowledge
2:44 Monitor or Recording Monitor
5:55 Expert Knowledge
6:10 Framing
9:03 Focusing
13:05 Exposure
16:03 Zebra Pattern
19:20 False Color
24:45 Monochrome Mode
26:47 3D LUT Preview
30:23 Closing Remarks
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Shimbol Memory I Pro: www.zeroone-video.com/index.p...
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Article: www.thomaseisl.photography/ar...
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Instagram: / thomaseisl.photography
Website: www.thomaseisl.photography/
Facebook: / thomaseisl.photography
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🎥 OM System OM-1
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#ThomasEisl #thomaseislphotography #RecordingMonitor #Shimbol #MemoryIPro #InDepth #FieldMonitor #ExpertGuide #ExpertKnowledge #3DLUT #ZebraPattern #FocusPeaking #FalseColor #DSLR #Mirrorless #ZerooneVideo
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‪@shimbolzo‬

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Please consider supporting the channel, become a channel member or donate a cup of coffee ☕ ko-fi.com/thomaseislphotography

[@Nofanboyz]

You just made my day, once again, by educating me. I avoid the American reviewers, for their infactual and opinionated reporting while they cannot even pronounce Nikon. I rather trust your better understanding of the subject, and your precise methodologies.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Thank you very much!

[@rafibenatar2519]

So far best explanation I have seen about exposure and color adjustment with external monitor 👏👏👏👏👏👌🏻

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Thank you very much - that is great feedback!

[@Jwitherow1964]

I enjoy your teaching so much!!

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Thank you very much!

[@emerana]

Really appreciated your explanations regarding zebras, peaking and false colours

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Great, many thanks!

[@jonathanshribman4813]

Thomas, Thanks for this timely video. As a field monitor novice it is great to see what it offers. It’s always bothered me that the detail in a photo in the field is so difficult to judge and this large bright screen does just that. Also very helpful to see the Shimbol working slickly with the OM1 mk2 ( in your previous video). I tried the Viltrox 550 monitor and there were issues( Amazon took it back). I have just purchased the Memory1 which will record to SD card but doesn’t have output sockets of the Pro, which I don’t need. The Pro version is £130 more on Amazon and the basic one does all the things you demonstrate so well. So this is good value for me in the UK at £229. Although I don’t do much video I can see the merit of recording a shoot to review my skill or lack of them. I am really looking forward to trying the Shimbol with landscape astrophotography. One of the challenges with the OM1 is seeing what you have achieved in the field. A great detailed video! Thanks.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Thank you very much for the positive feedback and for joining the channel! The Memory I is an excellent choice for your use cases - just as you've said, the SDI connectors are not necessary. Two more tips for you: You might have to purchase an HDMI-cable that fits your camera as well. I went for a coiled cable, which you can see in the video. And depending on how you want to use it, a Manfrotto 492 LCD Ballhead offers a superior user experience, although it is bigger than the one provided by Shimbol. If you need anything regarding the Monitor, don't hesitate to get in touch via a comment or e-mail. Best, Thomas

[@jonathanshribman4813]

Thomas, yes I have the right coiled cable and the SmallRig cage for the OM1 and the Nato quick release clamp to mount the Shimbol. All fits together nicely.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

@jonathanshribman4813 awesome! Just wanted to share that because I forgot to order those things back when I got mine. Best, Thomas 📸

[@jonathanshribman4813]

A couple of queries: Is the image on the Shimbol a jpeg/copy of the back screen( and presumably better resolution) and what HDMI settings should I set in the OMI mk2 HDMI menu, thanks?

[@Star-Trekking]

Great review!

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Thank you very much!

[@HN087]

When I first watched your video this monitor was in my basket at Amazon. Its now here attached to my OM 1. Wow is all I can say. It only arrived yesterday so all a bit new to me, but I'll get there. Thank you

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Great to read Helen, I hope you like it as much as I do and it helps you to create stunning work. Get in touch if you need help with it! Best, Thomas 📸

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

PS: More Tutorials are coming, stay tuned

[@HN087]

The brightness of the screen I love. Dont worry there will be questions 😂

[@HN087]

I need an "Idiots Guide" to setting up. Manual isn't up yk much

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

@HN087 haha nice

[@michaelcrapo883]

Hi Tomas, great video. I loved learning about false colors. I recently have acquired a atomos ninja v to attach to my OM1 for recording of my wildlife photography. It’s great except I wish the OM1 could just output the raw video in stills mode like it can in video mode. It is nice to have video and stills of the wildlife at the same time.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Thank you and great input - that would for sure be very processing intensive but who know, maybe such a feature is available in future models. Best, Thomas 📸😀

[@christill]

Really cool to see how you can augment an SLR with somewhat limited functionality in live view with something like this. It keeps them relevant pretty much indefinitely for professional work. Having said that, I hope we see new SLRs where they basically add in features from the mirrorless lines into live view. Because I definitely don’t think SLRs are obsolete. And I was playing around with my old Canon 500D the other day and was enjoying how it didn’t cause me any eye discomfort. I don’t think they will ever go away because they just feel good to use, even if they are technically not as capable when using the OVF. I’ll always want to have one alongside my OM-1 or whatever other mirrorless camera in future. I can also imagine in a more resource scarce future, that long battery life will become more coveted than it is right now. And mirrorless cameras will always have that disadvantage. And also that as image quality plateaus, if it hasn’t already, people will start thinking more about experience, and maybe want to connect with their lenses more through OVFs again.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Thank you! My thoughts exactly. I'm sure that we will see new, capable DSLRs. Pentax has developed very good models recently and I'm sure they will continue to do so. Also, the D850 is still one of the best cameras money can buy and it is also still made. It even has better image quality than all Z cameras. Mirrorless and DSLR is not a question of one or the other. It is more of a "better have both". I also love OVFs. Perfect additon to my OM-1s. Best, Thomas

[@michaelcrapo883]

BTW. If you are interested, I have designed a 3d print for the OM1 to fit a 90 degree HDMI cable perfectly against the OM1 body, so it is solid and completely eliminates the possibility of damaging the cable end or camera HDMI port. If you would like one, I can upload it to my Makerworld account and give you a link. I think it is well worth it to keep my camera and cable safe from possible damage.

[@IIIMrHahnIII]

I know I would like to see this. I’m using a Blue Kondor 90 degree hdmi cable on my OM-1 Mark II.

[@michaelcrapo883]

@@IIIMrHahnIIImake sure you read the description section on that MakerWorld page I listed above

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Thank you very much, that is great. As I'm using a straight HDMI, I'm afraid it is not a good fit for now, but I'd love to take you up on your kind offer. Pretty neat!

[@johnhutcheson9021]

Thank you for sharing about using external monitors. It was very interesting. One question, does using the HDMI disable any of the OM-1 features?

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Thanks! Most functions are available. One limitation is that you cannot use in-camera focus stacking when an HDMI cable is connected.

[@RichardBO9]

Interesting video. How does the false color compare with the highlight and shadow warning on my OM-1 mark ii?

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

It is actually very similar - which is why OM System has chosen blue and orange to mark certain areas. This corresponds to the false color scale used by most monitor manufacturers. The advantage of false color is that it allows you to visualize all the shades in between the two extremes as well.

[@rhodriwilliams2891]

Just out of interest, how do you calibrate the monitor? Can it load external software (eg Datacolor) or does it internal software which accept a Spyder?

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

The monitor is calibrated by the manufacturer. It is much like the back screen of your camera, which is also calibrated as-is. However, you can adjust all parameters of the monitor if necessary. Pretty neat

[@pedrorrodriguez1]

Very thorough breakdown as usual. One thought regarding lut usage that perhaps wasn't clear in your video. Perhaps obvious, but monitor luts are not applied on raw files. They use the hdmi signal as a base, which in recent cameras often is 10 bit 422. For the lut to behave properly, you need to customize it specifically for the camera's color profile of your choice. Typically for maximum dynamic range control, monitor luts are applied on a log profile. But very interesting take on external monitors for a photography workflow.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Thank you for an excellent contribution, that is of course correct. How I make it work in practice is: 12-bit RAW to 8-bit TIFF (mostly, which matches the in-camera color profile) then LUT applied. By doing this, the final look matches exactly the Live View image. The LUTs I use are created specifically for this workflow, which is very important as you've outlined. As cameras are not able to provide LOG-profiles in photography modes, there is more dynamic range in the RAW than what is visible on the monitor. But for the workflow outlined above, that works of course nonetheless. Best, Thomas

[@pedrorrodriguez1]

I see. You do rely on the proprietary manufacturer software for the raw to tiff conversion, right? Although that workflow is not super safe, since you're working on an 8bit file, and applying a look lut on top, if your changes are relatively minor it probably works fine. It would be safer (in theory) to apply the look lut on top of the hdmi signal (10bit), and actually taking a picture with the monitor, although i don't know if they typically provide that feature. Some newer camera models do provide log in photo mode, like panasonic's real time lut feature, i believe. This is a best of both worlds approach.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

@pedrorrodriguez1 Yes, that is correct. It is actually surprisingly accurate, as the preview the camera is providing is adapted to the 8-bit JPEG output. I was worried about that as well, but it turned out there is no issue at all. The monitor cannot record a still. Also, the signal is not full res with all the cameras I've used so far, from what I can tell. It is not an issue in video, of course, but it does not seem that the stills modes are providing the full resolution. Yes, LUT integration in-cam is really nice

[@pedrorrodriguez1]

@@ThomasEisl.Photography I see.. Didn't realize the signal is not full res! I'm sure the in camera preview matches the tiff out of your om-system software. What is not safe is applying a look lut on top of an 8bit image. Subtle and broad changes are probably fine, but more targeted ones can break your image. Although you know what you are doing, and a lut with minor tweaks on top of the camera profile probably really speeds up your workflow considerably.

[@andreaverucchi6619]

Hi Tomás, is this monitor also compatible with Olympus OM1? Thank you very much

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Yes it is - in fact, I'm using it most of the time with my OM-1. Best, Thomas

[@davidredfearn6065]

This video reminded me that I wanted to use an external monitor when shooting my orchids with focus stacking (OM-1 Mark II). I purchased an inexpensive monitor which works well with the OM-1 Mark II except when I turn on focus stacking! The camera will not do focus stacking if an HDMI connection is active. What a disappointment. I can't see any reason why this should be so - Thomas - do you know why this might be?

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Hey David! Yes, I've encountered this limitation as well, but at this point your guess is as good as mine. Certainly some hardware or processing limitation.

[@davidredfearn6065]

I think I tried this two years ago with the OM-1 Mark I - but had forgotten. Seems like this could have been fixed with the Mark II but no.

[@SMGJohn]

I have no idea why there no 8 inch tablet sized field monitors available with built in batteries, these monitors certainly cost the same as a tablet, I mean you can get used iPad Pro for the price of these monitors and those are calibrated in factory and usually lasts 5 - 6 hours with full brightness screen on time. There even apps to turn iPads into field monitors and the newer ones are waterproof, I guess the only issue would be the delay of the image which I always found annoying. Sony also has that Xperia Pro phone that has HDMI input, thats ideal, but for 900 euros even on used market, thats a tough pill to swallow.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Thanks for the interesting contribution! I mean, I love to be able to change batteries in the field, but I completely understand your approach on this one. I'd say that as of today a recording monitor like the Memory I Pro is definitely the best investment. No delay, purpose-built to get the job done and future-proof.

[@chrishopton7908]

Thomas: Can you explain why, when setting the zebra settings, you leave them at a level that affects the viewfinder information? For both my Lumix GX8 and Pentax K3 mark II the zebra effect makes it impossible for me to read the onscreen displays from the Memory I screen. (On the Lumix itself I can read the settings.) On your Nikon the information seems much larger and less badly affected.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

I think you have already found out what the issue is: The lettering is just differently sized on your cameras, which are excellent models by the way. Therefore, the zebra effect can make the letters illegible. What I like to do is to map the function (as well as false color) to one of the two custom buttons on the top. So I can turn it on, set the exposure, and then turn it off again so it does not disturb the experience. Another alternative is to set the threshold for the effect lower so that the lettering is not affected. That means that you eventually have more highlight information than indicated. You can also calibrate the zebra to your camera's exposure warning, by the way. Just go into playback, look at the areas with exposure warning active and then calibrate it to match. Note the values in case you switch the monitor between different cameras. Best, Thomas

[@tonyblake8841]

Hi Thomas, this is beyond my but I understand you need to cater for everyone. Nonetheless, I will learn something.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Hi Tony! Thanks for the feedback - glad you watched it nonetheless, who knows, maybe you need a monitor at some point! Best, Thomas

[@friedrichpoyer]

Komplett OT: Aus reiner Neugierde (neuer Olympus Besitzer) kann man wo den Inhalt deiner Fototasche sehen? Danke und beste Grüße auch aus Wien.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Hey! Ja klar, melde dich doch einfach per Mail. LG Thomas 📸

[@JayAYap]

How effective are monitors like this in bright, outdoor light conditions? I tend to just use my evf to reduce the competing brightness, especially when checking exposure.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Very effective - the Pro I is one of the brightest monitors on the market and perfectly usable even in bright daylight.

[@JayAYap]

@@ThomasEisl.Photography Thanks for responding. I'm going to look into this.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

@JayAYap Great!

[@mladenerak]

Is the SDI the only difference between the pro and non-pro?

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Yes, as far as I know that is correct. There might be small hardware changes due to different production runs, but nothing substantial.

[@zsigmondfoldessy8785]

If I had the money, I'd rather buy a Leica without any kind of display.! :-)And my mouth would reach my ears! :-)

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Haha :-)

[@emerana]

is this a reference to Wild Summon

[@Jwitherow1964]

Love to spend money on gear I am over 150k now I have to start selling some stuff

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Or you have to get a new cupboard 😉

[@jezmink]

There's not much improvement over the LCD screen in camera mode, looking at your video at 7.36min it's all cropped. I have the Nikon D800e using a Viltrox 550 Pro and it's the same as yours small cropped image on the large display making it useless it deceives the purpose of buying it for photography.

[@ThomasEisl.Photography]

Nothing gets cropped with the Shimbol Pro I. If your backscreen works, that is fine. But I'm sure your D800E also does not have false color mode, is not a touch screen and does not preview LUTs. At least my D800 does not :-)