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Amuse VL7 7" HDMI monitor with peaking
  • I saw this on Aliexpress and ordered one (fingers crossed). It is advertised as a 7" HDMI monitor that has a peaking feature built in for focus. Will report when it arrives. It was shipped FedEx, how classy! They also have a higher resolution version in 7" and a 5" version with peaking. Comes with your choice of battery adapter.
    http://www.aliexpress.com/product-gs/503331272-7-Protable-on-camera-field-Monitor-with-HDMI-for-DSLR-wholesalers.html

  • 26 Replies sorted by
  • and great price, too! im very excited to hear your thoughts!
  • I'll write a review, but it looks like similar models, but with peaking. We will see!
  • @DrDave

    Good find, especially one with better resolution.
    Sad thing is that many Chinese companies failed to catch progesss in 5",7" and 8" panels
    As 1280x760 panels are cheap now.
  • Well, I sort of regret not ordering the high resolution one, but we will see. And Vitaliy is right, there should be more high res options available without the big price premium.
  • This seems to be the same as my Ikan V7 monitor except that it now has peaking and an extra HDMI port. The Ikan is okay for a framing monitor. The colors (and even exposure) are certainly not true. But I'm jealous about the peaking function at this price.
  • Yes the 5 inch version looks like the ikan vl5.
  • I think the new Ikan monitors have peaking as well.
    Anyway, it will be here Friday according to FedEx, and they are rarely wrong. so I will give it a spin.
    BTW I have had great success using the HDMI output from the GH2 with the Canon HDMI cable that came with my Vixia M400. Can it be that the cable makes a difference? Hope I don't have to eat my words when the monitor shows up.
    They make several models, there is a high res one and also one with blue bars. For myself I just need a few extras in a four to six cam setup. The Built-in LCD just isn't big enough in MF mode with legacy primes.
  • I have ordered the 1024x600 version with peaking - I was looking for Hi-res monitor with peaking and this has very good price. Seller is now on ebay as well :)
  • @Alfi666 Could you provide a link to this model? Thx.
  • Thanks for the link. Peaking also work without zooming in? So you can just leave it on and do your work?
  • I have no clue... I guess it does... judging from the pictures
  • Yup. The hi-res for a Benjamin more looks good, but I already ordered the regular model. Will have a report Friday or Saturday when it arrives. The one on eBay looks the same.
  • The monitor arrived today, good build, good picture. I had to dig around to enable the special functions, you have to hit the "F" button to assign it to peaking, or 4:3 or underscan, when that option is highlighted. The monitor remembers your choice at boot up. By default, the F button is set to alternate 16:9 and 4:3, so for peaking or the other options you need to reassign it.
    I'll have more later, but here is my quick assessment:
    Build: good, reasonably solid, says Ikan on the back and "Amuse" on the screen saver.
    Weight: the monitor is very light. Add the battery, adapters, etc and you add some real weight.
    Screen IQ clear, bright, neutral. I would go for the hi-res version if I had to do it again, but it is perfectly usable.

    Peaking: this works, but the screen is so good you really don't need it. Toggles through normal, peaking, B&W peaking. I would prefer false color to peaking but it works fine. Verdict on peaking: It works, but I would rather have zoom than peaking. If you just want the peaking function for focus, spend a few dollars more and get maybe a higher res monitor, a larger monitor, or one with zoom.

    With the GH2: syncs instantly using my magic Canon HDMI cable, with repeated on/off combos it syncs right back. So far :)
    Fills the screen: unlike the ridiculous videos on YouTube that set a new level of idiocy reviewing a monitor with the wrong camera attached (DOH!) the GH2 uses all the real estate. Borders look fine in limited testing.

    ETC mode obviously does not work, as well as focus enlargement which is like etc mode. So here you may prefer the Ruige where you can zoom. But 7 inches is pretty big, so I don't really miss it. If you have a 5" monitor I think you would want the zoom more than the peaking.

    Exposure: with the GH2 set to show overexposed areas, these areas are echoed into the monitor, making it very easy to pinpoint small overexposed areas in the picture--nice!

    Audio, Speakers and Headphones: there is an unadvertised hp jack, in limited testing with the GH2 I did not get any sound through HDMI but audio comes through the analog input with the supplied cable. You can't run the HDMI and analog together to get audio with the HDMI. Reviews I had seen on the internet stated that the monitor had no speakers. However, when you turn it on you hear a very quiet poof like turning on a stereo. So I unplugged the HP jack, and, sure enough, there are two speakers in the back. Quiet, but there. I mean, you can use the HP jack on the cam.

    Noise: I'm super picky about noise. One thing I preferred about the GH1 was it was quieter than the GH2. My copy of this monitor is dead quiet (no LCD squeal or inverter buzz) with the supplied power adapter. Haven't tested it with the battery. This is important if it is sitting right on top of your built in mics.

    Other cams: works great on my Canon g10 and its cheaper relatives. Big upgrade for a standard camcorder. Focus zoom on the Canon works on the LCD but not on the monitor, which is a cool feature from Canon (GH2 locks both). Rant: if Canon and Panasonic were smart, they would make a monitor with full featured touch screen for their cams instead of diddling us on the batteries and power supplies. End rant.

    Other devices: tested OK on my WDTV and was able to get audio through the analog input (not HDMI).

    Caution: I could see how with this or any monitor you could lever the hotshoe right off your camera if you bumped it.

    Verdict: 7" is a good size and this is totally fine for framing, monitoring, focus and playback. Excellent value for the money. Syncs like a charm, which, as we know, is a real plus. Prompt response from "Tina" to questions.
  • @DrDave

    Thanks for review, so it seems they are selling the same LCD's as IKAN just unbranded.
    I will post a short review when I'll get mine.
  • The branded Ikan's are coming down in price as well at BHPhoto. I have to say the feature that intrigues me is the false color. I wish there was a Marshall clone for that.
    But 7" is a huge difference from the camera screen.
  • So mine is stuck at the customs, I don't believe I will get it before christmas :(
  • Bummer. Perhaps you can call customs directly?
  • Wouldn't help much I guess... those are not being paid for performance :) Anyway, I will post update when I'll get it.
  • I have always found Customs to be very helpful. If, for example, a piece of paperwork or item descriptor is missing.
  • Customs surprised me and I have my VH7e today.

    For now it seems I'm having some issues, so I'm trying to get back to seller for advice.
  • Doesn't sync? Can't activate peaking?
  • It does sync with GH2, but not with Canon 550D. I have a Lilliput 7" HDMI which works good with both.

    Also the peaking shows underexposed areas together with peaking with same RED color, which makes it quite confusing to distinguis whether it shows peaking or underexposure.

    Peaking is only B&W, no color.

    I'm in contact with Tina and will see whether this is an issue with the VH7e itself or just with that piece.
  • I think unless the monitor specifically mention that it is Canon compatible, it doesn't have the extra circuit to resize the video from the Canon. But you then should get just a smaller picture at least. The ones I saw on their site that were Canon friendly had blue bars, and so on (and cost more, of course). On my monitor (which is not the high res one) the peaking cycles through normal, BW, and color after the Fn button is assigned to peaking.
    Sorry it doesn't work for the Canon. Mine works one my Canon camcorders, but of course they have a different output than the 550D.
  • Yes, I was not expecting that it will resize the video from Canon. However, Canon outputs in standard 1080i, only the image is smaller.

    Also its worth to mention that they sell the monitor as 5D/7D compatible, so they do expect it to work on Canons.

    Unfortunatelly, peaking is not working here as on your model.

    EDIT:
    As I've found out - I have used a 5 meter long HDMI cable and the monitor worked with 550D, so it seems that there is some difference in between the cables.
    Strange :)