SmallHD Action 5 - Not What You Think...
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- Опубликовано: 5 сен 2024
- Hey, I have a little something to say about the new SmallHD Action 5 Monitor...
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Totally agree. I love my Focus 5 but when I saw this, at first I was like "Excellent, they've updated the Focus 5 with an HDMI out, mains power, usb and brighter screen, I should look into it"...and then I did...and wha-??? I don't get it.
Its really unfortunate, and I think its going to be pretty forgettable. If you look at the Desview R6, it almost looks like they copied the entire body style as well. But with that monitor you get way more functionality.
The think that I find crazy is they spent a lot of money in remaking a new OS, instead of just using the already amazing pageOS4!! I will keep my focus just for all the features it offers. I hope they allow to put pageOS4 in the monitor if you want to.
It is a rebranded cheap chinese monitor that's why it is not the same menu
Yeah I never understand that. I LOVED the OS on my SmallHD focus 5 and it was such a small monitor. Way ahead of its time.
@@rectape exactly, they didn't re-do anything. Took another manufacturers monitor and put their name on it
I was going back and forth between this and Atomos but... decided to go with the 7 Touch from SmallHD. It's pricier, but 1) buy now, cry now 2) I can charge a little more because it's industry standard and reliable, and 3) no audible fan noise. Thanks for making this video. Great job!
Yes the 7 touch is pretty great. Honestly their monitors are great, just super expensive.
@@BryceKoebel True. I used to have a son. I sold him for a SmallHD Production monitor. 😆
@@Aaron_Smith_OM I just traded both kidneys for the Indie 7. Traded all my other organs for a Sony FE 24-70mm F2.8 GM II Lens.
@@RamenKing2023 Kidneys? Who needs those? 😆
The shinobi actually has a lot more features including really important ones like zoom and anamorphic desqueeze with a very bright screen that doesn’t glare. Thanks for the vid.
☝🏻☝🏻☝🏻☝🏻
it's missing the HDMI out though.. I love my Shinobi but that's a big missing feature.
The Ninja V just came down in price like 27%. That might be a good option now!
Shinobi is great, the sdi version is now discountinued :(
Every shinobi I’ve seen in person is hideously and unusably green and warm and washed out.
Lol… I bought the focus 5 back in 2017. Your thought process in this video is so relatable. All the new small HDs are too expensive- freeworld? Oh okay new small hd monitor for $329…
I just subbed- too funny my focus 5 is also currently broken 😆
Haha oh noooooo. Team broken focus 😭
This monitor looks very similar to the Desview R6. Could be a rebrand with a few design tweaks? ATOMOS did this a little while back with their Connect 4k, USB HDMI streaming dongle. I bought it and noticed the bad streaming quality of picture, then found out on forums that is was a rebranded cheapo HDMI dongle, inside chip design and all. Man I was disappointed.. I just ordered the Desview R6. Keen to see what it's like.
Just do your shoots and use the money on the higher end models. Yes they cost more but that’s the game. I learned no matter the company if the price is lower than another piece of equipment there is a reason. It sucks but the pros outweigh the cons. With production equipment u have to be able to take price off the table when deciding what u need. If it takes a year to get it than u save for a year. Most of the world spends all there money eating out or going on a trip. U gotta decide what type of film maker u wanna be. There’s a reason this stuff is industry standard the little details make the biggest difference. I started out with a canon rebel. Every dollar I make with the camera goes to my film equipment. And it’ll keep happening till I get what I’m expecting to get.
I start seeing absolute praises on the Action 5 for its simplicity and usability. Thanks for raising a new perspective on this. Appreciated.
Smallhd has blown it over the last few years… they were making great stuff at all price ranges and now they just hiked their prices and cut their lineup because no one else has figured out how to make good monitors… Teradek same story….
I've owned and used the touch 5 as my main monitor since 2017..... its perfect apart from the micro hdmi and 800 nits brightness. When they announced the Focus 5 I was ready to buy day one but then realized it was actually a downgrade. I dont get it either....
idk if this is coincidence with this monitor, but the ninja V just got a huge price cut or "sale" when this came out....
What really?? Oooooo I might have to look into that 👀
Another monitor you might want to look at is the Desview R6 UHB, it's feature packed and touchscreen, 2800 nits as well -- and they go for around $300 CDN. I got mine last year and can say it's pretty fantastic.
Oh wow that’s nice! Thanks for the recommendation 😊🙌🏻
@@BryceKoebel Anytime! If you end up getting one, there's also a tempered glass screen protector on Amazon that's anti-reflective so no glare whatsoever, and it's just 20 bucks LOL!
I’m definitely going to look into that!! 🙌🏻
Saw a couple comments on another video. Apparently after some amazon reviews people are saying that this smallhd monitor is actually a rebranded Desview r6
I’m not surprised. It’s literally the same body shape and size
I keep looking for another used focus. I didn't realize how much I like this monitor until I tried other ones.
I think I almost bought the OLED version but people were selling it for very expensive. I love that monitor
I don't know why everything looks overexposed even using the false color in the Action 5.
When I'm getting a right exposure it is in fact underexposed.
Would like to know if I'm doing something wrong
I had that older Focus 5 and just sod it 2 weeks ago. I got an AndyCIne and love it. But since when did the Focus 5 have the red frame showing you are recording? Mine never did that. ?
It was a weird setting that you had to turn on. It was kind of hidden in the menu
@@BryceKoebel OK, But I am pretty familiar with that monitor, I had it for 4 years and never saw that. But does not matter anymore bc I sold it. Thanks.
The SmallHD Action 5 will most likely be out of Action in 5 months like 80% of SmallHD's previous products, no reason why they should have gutted the OS like that other than to protect their Ultrabright and Smart 7 series by offering less software in their cheaper monitors, hence why the Focus range is gone and why the 502 Bright and 702 Bright range is also gone.
It's now only the Super Cheap Action 5 w/Action OS or much more expensive Smart 7 or very expensive Ultra bright series w/OS4.
"The SmallHD Action 5 will most likely be out of Action in 5 months" You should be a journalist! Just saying. :) But yes, I agree
Ive owned the SmallHD focus 5 and it lasted me for 5 years until last week. just got another used/mint condition one off of ebay. i think its their best monitor. it sucks that they recently stopped manufacturing them
100% so good.
Yep. It’s so stupid that they gutted their middle tier. Even the focus line was great. Now it’s $2-4k for a decent monitor because no one else has figured out how to make a decent on camera monitor. Atomos still look and feel like trash….
SmallHD coming in hard with their cripple hammer!!! Could have been an amazing monitor...
I know 🤷🏻♂️
Ninja v is a no brainer now I feel. good monitor and then you have the option to record prores raw if you ever feel the need, and it’s a lot cheaper now.
Ding ding ding 👍🏻
It is 100% artificial segmentation. I'm 'some-what' hoping that they either add the features (soon!) or that they do the more likely option of having a higher end version to replace the 503 that adds back standard pageOS. The latter is more likely, but of course more distasteful in terms of cost/segmentation.
When Portkeys with monitors like the LH5p are beating you, there is a problem.
SmallHD has the best tools. Hands down. But "actionOS" a gimped version of "pageOS" is just not it.
Yessss I agree with you 100%. I completely understand that SmallHD has way better functionality, latency and screen quality than these cheaper brands. But at the end of the day, when those functions aren’t there anymore it’s a tough buy. But I don’t see why it couldn’t be a firmware update.
I totally agree with you bro. Its like they took five steps back.
I have a SmallHD 702 Touch, Feelworld (can't recall exact model), an Atomos Shogun, and an Odyssey 7Q. The 7Q destroys all the other ones except for brightness. The 702 is not usable outdoors and I refuse to use hoods, so unfortunately I don't use the 7Q any more. It's a shame they no longer make monitors. I was really hoping they'd come out with an ultrabright that has the same features and interface of the 7Q.
The 7Q interface is so much better than the others (for my taste). All the virtual buttons are outside of the picture frame and always on by default. The SmallHD interface is annoying because you have to constantly activate the buttons, make your selection and then deactivate it or wait for it to go away. A lot of times you end up accidentally deactivating the button sidebar while you're trying to turn buttons on or off. Super annoying. I admit that the flexibility of the SmallHD system is powerful, but they traded workflow efficiency for flexibility. I prioritize efficiency. I want my waveform, focus assist, and false color buttons to be always-available on/off toggles. Anything more than a single button press is too many. The 7Q's focus tools are WAY better than the others I've used. Very subtle and clear. Most focus assist tools are either too little or too much. I can never trust what I'm seeing. Not so on the 7Q.
Don't get me started on the Shogun. The focus assist is garbage and the interface sucks. That's all I'm going to say about it.
I only use the Feelworld monitor purely for framing on a gimbal, so I'm ok with its shortcomings. Its focus peaking is useless.
I've had to send in my 702 Touch three times for repairs. One time because it got a tiny bit wet in a drizzle of rain. They completely replaced the motherboard. The other two times were because the HDMI just stopped working. As of now, I can no longer cross convert HDMI/SDI, so I need to send it in AGAIN. I no longer trust SmallHD.
As for this Action 5, I agree that it's lame that they actually dumbed it down, but for my needs for a 5" monitor I think I can work with the limitations as long as it has good focus tools. At least as good as the 702 Touch, which are decent but not great. My preferred scope is waveform because I target very specific values per camera. It's just easier to nail the white card value with a waveform.
I know everyone has the Ninja V, but I just don't like Atomos's focus tools. From the reviews I read, it looks like the Ninja V is no better in that regard, so I'm not going to get one.
Sounds like you’ve had a lot of experience with monitors! I agree with you. After using the Ninja V for a while now I can confidently say it’s not the best (as per my review) I actually want to get something a bit simpler and a lot lighter. I’m gonna look into the 7Q because of what you said! Thanks for your comment and spending the time writing it 🙌🏻
The Feelworld Lut6 is super bright 2600nits
hello, good video, I ask you, don't you think that the zebra issue will be fixed with a firmware update? because i have been considering this monitor but i saw the ninja atoms for $399 now i think it would be worth it but if this Small HD Action 5 monitor would add what is missing it would be good, thank you very much for your reply,
I actually think the Ninja V is a better value. Since it came down in price, the extra $150 you get a future-proof monitor that also has recording. I think if you have the budget, I’d go for the Ninja V. I think I am going to save up for it!
@@BryceKoebel Exactly now there is $399.00 only that you have to buy the ssd separately but you can record from the camera and then when you buy the ssd it is used to record but I think it is a better option as you say to be prepared for the future in fact the Nianja Atomos pluss is at 599.00 which is an option to consider as well
They don’t even sell it now
Does the SmallHD Focus 5 have False Colors?
Agree. It’s a very bright screen indeed but lacks most of essential tools to nail the exposure, which is a complete deal breaker.
Doesn’t even have a simple battery life indicator, it’s incomprehensible in 2022. What a weird basic product.
The Atomos Shinobi is a much better option for professional work, has absolutely every tool you will ever need on set, and 1000 nits of brightness is more than enough even under direct sunlight.
And it’s like 4 years old 😂 some tech is going backwards I swear.
bryce what are your thoughts on this monitor compared to a monitor like the atomos shinobi? I am looking to get my first monitor so that I can shoot more videos and show more of the shots instead of having someone I shoot look at the small on-camera LCD display. when I first saw the reviews of the action 5 I did like the fact that there is an option of vertical frame lines for social media content but compared to the shinobi having some of the features that the action 5 does not, then is it worth it buying it just because of this feature and its "simplicity"?
That’s a great question Marcelo. I personally think you’ll get more value out of the Shinobi. Especially if you want the keep the monitor for years to come, you’ll find the features it comes with to meet your needs. The SmallHD is still good, but more expensive than the Shinobi which doesn’t make it a good value.
@@BryceKoebel yes I thought the same thing. Thank you for your feedback
No problem! Thanks for the comment
Agreed. There are better monitors that are less expensive from other companies. This just feels like they are filling a "gap" in their lineup but not really taking it seriously.
Thank you!! I felt the same way, I was excited and in the market for a new monitor and this was a TOTAL LET DOWN. I went with a desview r72 which had like 3x as many features and less money AND a larger screen. Rip small HD gone the Apple route
Yeah it’s super lame honestly.
Excellent video - very informative. But one request - drop the background music - it simply drove me nuts.
Thank you! I will work on making it less distracting in future videos 🙌🏻
I am wondering how the Action 5 compares to the Atomos Shinobi? The Action 5 has got better display brightness, but way less features than the Shinobi. It seems like the Shinobi is a very popular (and good) option, but this will be my first monitor.
Are there any direct comparisons or reviews? They are similarly priced, but I would like to get the better of the 2.
If it’s your first monitor, maybe try the Action 5 because it has a very simple layout. But I know you can get the Shinobi for much cheaper
I agree! What the Hell happened to Small HD and who on earth can afford the higher priced versions anyway unless it's for corporate use and funded by such.. My older Focus 5 still works like a charm, but every time I pick it up this travesty hits me square in the face with my anger. I even took their links off my blog and website..
It’s a shame. Such a good company before they changed their business model. I think they gave up on being a consumer brand and focussed on media companies that can actually afford it. It’s crazy that a company like Atomos can make monitors that are feature rich and powerful for a fraction of the price.
Debating between this or saving more money and buying an Atomos Ninja
It was so sunny outside I couldn't see my camera monitor. What's the best monitor for a really sunny day?
Desview R6 has a 2800 nit screen which would be plenty bright.
Not sure if you review your videos before posting (with the music), but I found the background music distracting, too repetitive. Sometimes music isn't necessary...
Thanks for warning me. I was about to just buy this, but with no zebras it's a non-starter.
It's called a cripple hammer. Their budget items are lacking features because they want you to buy those features in their high end monitors. If a $300 monitor had everything a $1200 monitor has I'm guessing not many people would buy the more expensive one. Canon does this to it's cameras. Doesn't always make sense when your competition is including those features in the same price range but I'm guessing they have a spreadsheet somewhere to back their decision up.
Is it true that it can’t accept 4k 60? Because that would be a major problem. Even beginners are shooting in 4k60 these days. For me personally I just want a plain no frills monitor that’s bright, my camera does all the false colour etc. but no 4K 60 is blowing my mind.
So there’s a bit of a misunderstanding with that. It does accept it, but it doesn’t display it. Like it shows 1080 60p but it’s still recording 4K 60. It’s weird haha but it definitely can do it. I think that’s the difference between the Ninja V and the V+ is the new one can do 4k 120p
@@BryceKoebel I see my Focus 5 was the same. Guess it doesn’t matter at all then haha.
The thing is impossible to get here in Europe for a normal price even lol there is no point in buying this here for the price it costs to get it imported and delivered here.
I know! It sucks. If you notice though, the Atomos Ninja V recently went on sale. Its now 27% cheaper
I own the focus 5 and i love it but i need an in and out feed ...........looked at the action 5 and was not happy at all its horrible smh @smallHD ....great video let the people know............................Btw there is no monitor that is 4K ..the company's or misleading af .........when it says 4K it means it will except a 4K feed but 7inch and 5inch monitors are all 1920x1080 ..you want 4k you got to go bigger................ive been using the Swit 7inch 3000 nit and i love it its just not a touch screen .....Osee T5 and T7 is the same monitor ....look into them........ all pro features. Cheers!!!!
Can you touch and focus?
Don’t think so
I had a feelworld and it is junk. Mine would never connect to camera if it did then it would never stay on or repower on after cut off.
best most honest review I've ever seen in my life.
Keep it up
Thank you 🙏🏻 ☺️
So, you “reviewed” this monitor based on some pics and w/o physically testing it?
I mean I never said I was reviewing it. Just a first impressions video 🙂
@@smaruzzi Well, he also was given his for free and has a relationship with the company.
@@BryceKoebel Ya. Not easy to find balanced and objective product reviews.
@@smaruzzi I agree man. I try to be balanced because I don't want to seem inauthentic. But sometimes people just enjoy the product and see past the shortcomings.
I am shopping for a monitor. Learning and studying. Is it possible that since todays cameras like my GH6 and others have all these features built in? I mean my GH6 has everything except false color. I understand that Panasonic Cameras let you output hdmi pretty much any and everything to a monitor. Are you familiar with the GH6 and on camera monitor.
Hey I’m not familiar, but I do know that you probably don’t need all the features of a ninja V. You could get away with something simpler from Feelworld or Desview. But I know the Shinobi has some great value as well
@@BryceKoebel I think you are answering someone else. Your answer has nothing to do with my question. ?
Haha I tried to answer it but I’m having trouble understanding what you’re asking. What exactly is the issue?
@@BryceKoebel Well let me try again. Will I be able to see my wave form zebras and other GH6 tools on the action 5 and be ale to use the false color as well. If this is the case then the action 5 will be good for me because I'll have the false color(which gh6 does not have) and also have wave form and zebras (which gh6 does have) So I'm hoping I can use all these tools and see them on the action 5. Since I don't know much about using external monitors I figured I better find out if this can be done.
Yoooo yep that should definitely be fine. I know it’s different on Sony cameras because when you use an external monitor, your camera monitor turns off. So as long as your GH6 monitor doesn’t turn off during recording you should be fine. Then yeah this monitor might be perfect for you
brooo, small hd was bought by manfroto people, along with wooden camera and wirelesss bolt, etc they bought everything, its basically corporate manfrotto now, even sachtler and oconnor and vinten they made them one tripod with three names, it s corporate shame
Super lame. I miss my SmallHD focus 5 😭
@@BryceKoebel here in europe still in stock new focus 5. What happened to yours ? Why u did nit look at the ninka or shinobi
@@rumorscameras Long story short - Mine broke when my tripod fell one time. I ended up getting the Ninja V because I wanted to try the recording, but then I stopped using recording because it was a pain and felt redundant. I am thinking of selling it and getting maybe something from Hollyland or Osee Tech? We'll see
so did u buy the ultra5 on discount from bandh
can you calibrate the color on this monitor?
I actually have no idea. Maybe? The old ones you could
Thanks for saving me 329.00
You’re welcome 🤣
SamllHD took down the new Action 5. So it not available.
I just looked on the website and it’s still there?
@@BryceKoebel Oh okay, must be the email link that I got they were offering 20% discount they took down! Anyway I didn't buy the Action 5, I'd end up getting the Feelworld 6 plus series II.
I tried to like the Action 5. But every moment using it is a reminder that being cheap isnt in the smallhd DNA. They should just stick with what they know, quality. The software is a hack and I'll put money on a bet the software guys feel like they need shower every time the Action 5 program manager comes around with another "lets gimp this" idea. Want to leave out waveform and histogram ok but zebra?
Yeah honestly when your monitor has less features than your camera, you know something is wrong
What were they thinking? I think they should re-code this lame version of the OS its running and have a section where you can set it to advanced if the user wants and than that should unlock all the features the orig FOCUS 5 had. I think if they do not do that they are being very stupid. They need to listen to what their users want and expect and not just save it for there monitors that are now $1000+ which seems to be what they have done for example the indie 5 you would think that would be priced more in between when surprisingly it is not. I personally hate companies that do this sort of thing where they put out something new that is far less then what the original at a lower cost offered. I hope they rethink what they did and offer a firmware update that adds all the features missing. I think the community should put pressure on them to make a firmware update that address what is missing and if not all those that feel they are not getting what they paid for should promptly return it for a refund, maybe then they will put more thought into it.
I did an impulse buy when I saw another youtuber say only great things about it haha. Oh well, I'll keep my focus 5 as well.
Did you return it?? Let me know how it is if you end up getting it 👍🏻
@@BryceKoebel It will arrive soon, I imagine it's going to be ok for what I need it to do, bright reliable monitor but hopefully they'll fix / add some features in an update.
I hope it goes well. Sad it’s not sold in Canada to be honest. But I’ve also considered the Shinobi but not sure
@@BryceKoebel It arrived today, here is my quick review:
Compared to the focus 5
Pros
- It's bright.
Cons
- It doesn't show the red box when recording.
- No waveform (which I always put at the bottom left of the screen.) False colour is not something I want to constantly tap the screen to turn on and off when I am trying to view the shot.
- It doesn't have focus peaking (sharpening) only colour highlighting.
- No Zebra (which I always leave on)
These features are mainly a big problem if you are shooting on a Sony mirrorless camera which I am.
My monitor has some light leaks around the perimeter when you are on high brightness and the image is underexposed or the monitor is on but unplugged which I am not sure is a defect with my model, I will check with SmallHD.
If they can fix these things that will make it a much better monitor, SmallHD please release a firmware update with some of these features.
Shoot… Yeah I definitely use all those features as well and have a Sony camera 😭😭😭
The action is made in china and you can find the exact same product on amazon. SmallHD just slapped their logo on it. Pretty stupid move for SmallHD to offer such a terrible product when they have a reputation in the industry for quality products. Makes me second guess their whole line up now.
I have a new Atomos Shinobi I'd be willing to send out for you to test/review if you want. Located in Southern Ontario. Let me know, dawg!
Wait what are you serious?? 🤯 hit me up on IG @wonderbryce
Successor NOT Predecessor
Tomato Potato
@@BryceKoebel Ha! errr, sure :)
Was really hoping this was click bait…damn danny
😂😂 unfortunately no
SmallHD monitors are being bought by the same people who blindly buy RED cameras because it's popular... meanwhile you can get amazing images from so many other systems for much, much less. Yes, there's benefits to these systems, but they're gouging because they see they've gotten popular.
I think you were spot on when you said they’re like apple now haha, Small hd got acquired by Videndum recently along w/ teradek and now they’re just taking advantage of their premium reputation/name with inflated prices. Also the marketing behind all their “cheaper” products are tagged as indie/for the content creator feels silly. It feels like they’re way more money oriented than consumer oriented. 🥲
I own both 503 and 703 they should not cost as much as they do lmaooo. And you really don’t need 2200 nits in 95% of situations.
Haha thanks and yes I 100% agree with you. But dang, I didn’t know they aren’t even the same company anymore! That’s lame. I miss my Focus 5 because it was so good.
Have you ever tried the Indie 7? I’m curious about that one but it’s also hecka expensive. I actually just picked up the Ninja V *SPOILER* 😬😬
@@BryceKoebel Yeah! I've used the indie 7 but I think the shogun 7 or even the new shogun 7 connect might be a better option. The screen glare on the indie 7 is pretty crazy and along with being capped at 1000 nits makes it difficult to use in exteriors. The battery consumption on all the small hd smart monitors is not efficient and they get super hot after a couple hours of shooting and I've heard of them just randomly dying/ being constantly serviced at rental houses which isnt good. Also the hardwired ethernet camera control for these smart monitors is pretty overrated, I think a lot of DPs and ACs forget Arri and Red cameras can be controlled wirelessly via bluetooth on your phone.
Also Ninja V is good! I also really like the PORTKEYS BM5WR 5.5", I use it over my 503 when I shoot blackmagic or komodo bc it can wirelessly control camera functions and has 2200 nits brightness and hdmi/sdi loop out.
Crazy. My friend was using a Komodo and I think the 502 with it d-tapped to a v-mount battery and it definitely got lots of battery! But yeah if it has camera controls it will drain that battery quick.
Have you seen the new DJI wireless monitoring system? It’s so cool! I’m definitely not at that level of gear yet so the Ninja will be just fine. I almost got the Shinobi but the recording features on the Ninja came in handy. I’m really enjoying it so far! It’s only 1000 nits but I think that’s enough for me.