stills photog here, wanting to get into video. Best field monitor for A7IV?

Hi All, really glad this community sprung up from the ashes :-)

tl;dr I need a field monitor for video on an A7IV

I had a look around, and there seems to be no equivalent of DPReview's "Digital Video Talk" forum, so I think this is the next best place to ask.

I shoot stills and timelapse professionally, and my main camera at the moment is an A7IV. Since its video capabilities are so good, I have decided to finally start to learn to shoot video (timelapse, while it ends up as movie files, is much more stills-shooting than video).

I have done a few video shoots for clients/friends (shooting static, hand-held, gimbal, slider), and I borrowed a field monitor from a colleague for a couple of these. They are hugely useful, so now I'm looking for one of my own. I don't have the need for an Atomos Ninja V (which is what I borrowed), I just need to see what I'm shooting (with focus and exposure aids), with maybe a few extras

Any suggestions as to a field monitor for my needs? (something £400 or less would be in budget).

At the moment, I'm looking at a Portkeys LH5P II, which has the ability to control my camera, as well as show its output. It came out over a year ago though, so I'm hoping that the technology has advanced. A day of googling around hasn't found anything else comparable though, and I'm sure I've missed something.

Cheers!

Chas

I'm getting by fine with the Monitor+ app on a spare Galaxy Note phone (big screen). It has a full array of aids you'd expect from a field monitor, and takes up very little space in comparison. I use it wired to avoid any WiFi issues and to help battery longevity.

It may sound like a half-cocked idea, but it's seriously impressive. For £20 or thereabouts (IIRC), give it a go.

I use one of these with my a74

www.rubbermonkey.com.au/FeelWorld-T756-7-IPS-4K-HDMI-On-Camera-Monitor?gclid=Cj0KCQjwxMmhBhDJARIsANFGOSvyCfkJTaYzU8xVNlQ1QP5OAuxfvWqGETGAj9Ur40PlBTLVE75amMkaAveqEALw_wcB

Thanks for that recommendation. I already have that app, and it is seriously good. Only problem is that the iOS version is wifi only (can't use a cable, so there are delays, and occasional dropouts). I believe that an android phone, unless I go seriously low-end, is going to be more expensive than a monitor, and have a smaller screen (unless I consider a tablet, which I just may :-) There is also the issue that I often get calls in the middle of shoots, and that messes up the app (and the vibration of the phone messes up my footage, LOL).

Thanks very much for that recommendation. That monitor shows up frequently in the "best monitors" review articles. Good to hear that a real person uses it too :-)

If you have a bit of free time, can you tell me what you like about it?

Fair enough. I use my previous phone, sim free, so don't use it for anything else. Didn't know about iOS phones not working wired. That's a shame...

its just a nice piece of kit ,i use it professionally and is hasn't let me down. they do draw a fare amount of power but the batteries are cheap and very common. the ips screen is nice and bright and can be seen very well in direct sunlight which is the most important aspect of a good field monitor. simple to use with touch screen.

Don

Most older android phones will do when purely monitoring, keeping things well within budget when looked at the second hand market for such a device. I'm also using my previous phone, a Motorola G6, which can be had very cheap from ebay.

Edit:
Perhaps such a phone wont be up to your needs since my old Moto G6 cant be controlled via wifi (atleast not when using Monitor+).

Good advice, I'm looking at a few :-)

I really appreciate the insights, thanks very much! (this, in reply to DonaldB, for some reason the "quote" button didn't work)

You might check out the Atomos Shinobi 5" monitor. It can be purchased new for $300 plus batteries and mounting bracket and works up for up to ten hours on a battery charge.

Thanks very much for that recommendation.

I considered the Shinobi, but I ended up buying a Portkeys LH5P II. It'll do all that most monitors will do regarding focus and exposure aides, has quite a high brightness value, and is just about the right size for me (5.5"), but the final selling point for me was it'll control my Sony camera (including setting autofocus points), which will come in handy on occasion.