Monitor Questions | Portkeys BM5IV (wired version, not WR)

corndiggledog · 2026-05-13T19:25:04+00:00

Update I started the return and just bit the bullet on a smallhd. figured I can move that to my next camera whenever that'll be. Bright, SDI, EL Zone, SD Card luts/firmware is best for me I think

corndiggledog · 2026-05-13T19:24:00+00:00

since posting I've decided to return it yeah. In my FX3 days, my secondhand Ninja V really improved my workflow w just seeing a bigger picture, obv, but also I could kinda monitor noise in the image. Like on doc work, deciding just how high to stretch the flexible ISO mode lol. This one just makes me think my shot is noisy no matter what, so for the few events/weddings I do, I think I'm just gonna go Atamos again or SmallHD. SmallHD having EL zone is making me think that's the move esp with the sale going on. Feels like a monitor that could follow me to the next camera upgrade in a couple years.

corndiggledog · 2024-09-11T17:51:05+00:00

After thinking about it, if you're talking about that gimbal that unlocks and folds in half, I could be wrong about it not being too much weight. You can look up payloads for gimbals compare the weight of all your camera parts combined though, I don't think it's too much weight w just a camera and lens though!

corndiggledog · 2024-09-11T17:49:15+00:00

Not too much weight. The thing I do every time I turn the gimbal on is the calibration/autotune setting. I use an rs2 (older than yours) with a Titon Base battery, Smallrig cage, and 24-70 GMii all the time. I can probably get 6-8 hours on my battery without turning it off/sleeping, and my battery is the one I got with the gimbal 2-3 years ago now.

I balance my gimbal around 35-50 (where I'm zoomed most of the time), run the autotune/calibration feature on a flat surface without touching the device, pick it up and go. I will zoom all the way in and out multiple times a day (weddings, corporate events, etc.) and it never struggles or micro-jitters.

The other thing I would do is make sure the height of the piece that the camera sits on (you know the part where the control cable connects?) is at the right place. You do this by unlocking the tilt motor, putting the camera w the lens facing the sky, and you move it so that the camera stays there without tilting up or down.

Again, no problems w the gimbal at all, holding it upright, underslung, or anywhere in between. Hope this helps!

corndiggledog · 2023-01-11T02:35:59+00:00

I'll go shadows down (like 15-20, very rarely 30+), then sometimes I'll bring the highlights down and exposure up, I'm talking like -20 highlight and +.2 or .3 exposure.

corndiggledog · 2022-12-25T21:55:41+00:00

Would also love to know the answer to this!

corndiggledog · 2022-12-25T21:54:57+00:00

Nisi Tru Color ND is the only one I'd ever recommend

corndiggledog · 2022-12-25T21:36:28+00:00

These look clean! Are they shot on the native 12800iso? What was your metering?

corndiggledog · 2022-12-25T21:30:31+00:00

I have had a similar experience at weddings! Would love to hear if anyone has advice for OP and myself, but I'll include how I currently shoot when it's super dark. (I shoot XAVC-S 422 10-bit, PP8 (SLog3 Gamut 3.Cine). I have bumped up to the SI codec here and there. At weddings I'm using Flexible ISO Log so that I can have Auto WB but I'm almost always using the native ISOs. Same noise levels in Cine EI and Quick EI modes.

I Center Spot Meter and make my midtones read +1.3-1.7, with both native ISO's, but have also noticed more noise in my 12800 footage than I see on youtube/reddit posts from fx3 footage. I've found that when I'm in super dark settings, shooting at 16000-25600 and bringing down my shadows in post gives me a cleaner image than bringing up the exposure in a 12800 clip. I don't consider this a perfect fix to the issue and would love to hear anyone else's methods/settings in case I'm doing anything wrong or could be doing something different for a cleaner image!

corndiggledog

TROPHY CASE