SmallHD Announces Three New FOCUS Monitors | NAB 2018

The FOCUS, FOCUS OLED and FOCUS OLED SDI make up a trio of exciting new monitor announcements from SmallHD

 The FOCUS OLED and FOCUS OLED SDI are both 5.5in monitors.

The original FOCUS monitor from SmallHD very quickly became the standard for shooters using the likes of Sony’s A7 series and Panasonic’s GH series due to the combination of image quality, high-end features, integrated-yoke design and a sensible price-point. The range has also attracted the attention of filmmakers using professional camcorders and shooting crews looking for a similarly high-quality compact solution for focus pulling and feeds for on-set directors. This increased interest from the high-end of the industry has meant that NAB 2018 has seen SmallHD expand its FOCUS range to include models with SDI inputs, ultra-accurate OLED displays and even integrated receivers for Teradek transmitters.

FOCUS OLED and FOCUS OLED SDI (5.5in monitors)

The SmallHD FOCUS OLED is similar to the previous model, but sports a higher resolution display (1920x1080) and OLED technology for far more realistic colour and exposure representation. A micro HDMI port has been specifically designed to provide a sturdy, reliable connection with an ultra-thin 12in micro HDMI cable included in the box. The display can support video up to UHD-1 4K 30/29.97p at RGB 4:4:4, with an 8-bit colour depth and many supported codecs.

The touch-screen gives access to the intuitive menu systems where you can navigate through SmallHD’s OS3 software suite, letting the users choose to apply focus peaking, zebra, waveform monitors and even apply 3D LUTs. A headphone port means you can also monitor sound that comes directly from the HDMI connection — this is particularly useful for people shooting with cameras that don’t have a headphone port. There is also a micro USB port and a full-size SD port for real-time 3D LUTs.

The milled aluminium chassis is protected with a rubber casing, and the whole unit is powered by the readily available L-Series batteries from Sony. Only one is needed and with the device only drawing 6V of power, it should be able to run continuously for up to eight hours, using the NP F970 battery. A built-in 7.2V DC out means you can even power some cameras using the FOCUS. In fact, if you’re willing to spend a little extra, SmallHD has released bundle kits, where your display will come with the right external cable to power certain mirrorless bodies.

Mounting options are numerous on this monitor. A mounting arm attached to a hot shoe allows for 360° vertical rotation, even with the protruding battery attached, for a far more practical option than a ball head mount. There are also three 1/4in-20 thread points on the top, bottom and right side of the unit, for mounting in most situations. A hot shoe mount on the device itself even adds the capability to attach accessories to the display such as a light or microphone.

A second version, the FOCUS OLED SDI, is also available and with almost the same specifications. However, instead of a HDMI input there is a full-sized SDI port. The formats that are supported differ in this version, with a range of signal types (3G-SDI, HD-SDI, SD-SDI) being supported.

 Find out more about the SmallHD FOCUS (above), HERE. 

SmallHD FOCUS (5in monitor with daylight viewing)

This new 5in monitor shares many of the same features as the FOCUS OLED monitors. However, there are several key differences. The screen is a 1280x720 IPS LCD that actually runs more pixels per inch than Retina displays. Most importantly, it’s 800 nits, producing an incredibly bright image for easy viewing, even in bright daylight. The connection is now an SDI port rather than the HDMI that came on the original version and can support the same signal formats as the FOCUS OLED SDI.

The body still comes with the tilt arm, headphone port and mounting options, like the FOCUS OLED and OLED SDI and takes Sony’s L- Series batteries. You can also use a small power out to power your camera with the correct battery adapter. An SD card slot allows you to use real-time 3D LUTs as well as the SmallHD’s built-in focus peaking, waveform monitors and more, which run through the OS3 software.

 The SmallHD FOCUS with built-in Teradeck Transmitter/Receiver.

SmallHD has also teamed up with Teradek to produce the SmallHD FOCUS with built-in Teradeck Transmitter/Receiver. This kit has a great range, meaning video can be viewed as far away as 500ft. This monitor-to-monitor device, that is fully integrated, easy to hold and easy to power, has an 800 nit 1280x720 screen for bright daylight viewing. The system runs SmallHD’s OS3 software, which again, gives users access to waveform monitors, scopes, focus peaking, 3D LUTs and more. The touch-screen allows you to navigate the menu system and all of the aforementioned features for quick and easy usability.

These new models certainly take the FOCUS range to a new level, adding professional features that will appeal to shooters working in broadcast, narrative and commercial productions.

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