Review of the Portkeys LH7P touch screen monitor with camera control

In this video I take a look at the Portkeys LH7P touch screen monitor. The reason I wanted to try this monitor was because of its ability to control many of Sony's Alpha and FX series cameras via WiFi. This control not only allows you to change the camera settings but it also allows you to use the monitors touch screen for touch to focus and focus tracking. I put it to use when shooting the circus performances at the Glastonbury festival and it worked really well.

00:00 - 00:10 Introduction
00:10 - 00:45 why I wanted to try the LH7P - touchscreen control
00:45 - 01:25 inputs and features
01:25 - 01:38 touch to focus
01:38 - 03:00 Pairing the monitor to a Sony FX3 (other cameras are very similar)
03:00 - 03:40 Controlling the camera from the monitor
03:45 - 04:15 Switching between touch focus and the monitors touch menus
04:15 - 04:57 Controlling touch tracking AF from the monitor
04:57 - 05:20 using manual focus
05:20 - 05:41 Other AF settings
05:41 - 06:00 Other features - peaking, zebras, false colour, LUTs
06:00 - 06:23 The top of the monitor
06:23 - 06:47 The bottom of the monitor
06:47 - 07:26 Lack of tracking box on the monitor screen
07:26 - 08:10 Build quality and summary

[thestonesteels]

THANK YOU for making this video. Your instruction is the most recent and I wouldnt have been able to connect successfully if it werent for this. Thanks again!!

[YourStoryStudios]

Very helpful review! Greatly appreciated.

[wilmatthews]

This is a solid review. I find these reviews to usually overlook mentioning which firmware version is currently on devices-- this is massively helpful bc functionality can change a lot depending on firmware version.

[micp]

This is a trusted source. Always value your views Alister.

[MartinLisius]

Great insight. Thank you for posting, Alister! Question. Will this work with the FX9? Sony decided to stop supporting the FX9, so the new M&C app doesn’t work with it. I’m trying to find a way to have touch focus on an external monitor with the FX9. Either via a capable monitor or an app and iPad. The touch focus needs to be pretty quick with little latency. Will this work on the FX9 or is there an option out there?

[jerrahcom]

Thanks for the review, one of the best I've found on Youtube so far. I saw on a forum comment someone complaining about the fan noise from this monitor. Are you able to confirm whether or not the monitor has a fan, and whether it is audible?

[Slabysz]

As always Alister great information. I’m assuming the 5 inch has the same issue as the 7 inch? Does it? The main issue that I’m concerned about is the focus tracking. Will it actually do focus tracking, and you just don’t see the box, or is the entire function, not available on the monitor? Thanks!

[tonyio]

Hello, i have purchased this monitor. Is there any reason my monitor is displayed the full 7 inch display? It’s only showing the camera display view from the camera it’s, in the center of the monitor with black edges around it. Any suggestions?

[MotocrossFilmmaker]

Will this work with the Fx6? Been searching for a Monitor that will allow touch focus etc for the Fx6.

[SocietyFilmsCo]

I like portkeys products. I just wondered the lag on WiFi or Bluetooth? Can you use it wired via HDMI too? I use an fx3 and bmpcc6k pro and handheld so needs to be responsive. Thanks

[Dolcevita-it]

I think the Portkeys is a good product, but the only drawback is the inability to control focus or other features via cable. Relying solely on the WiFi connection makes me feel uncomfortable during a shoot.

[DrLproductions]

the only reason why I am not jumping on this right now is because, this monitor isn't bright enough. 1000N is really not that great for outdoor use. I live in a very sunny state and it is always bright out here. You need at least 1500+ to even use a monitor outdoors, and yes I am a wedding / vehicle film maker so most of my work is outdoors.

[twbrkfd]

It is a nice product, but unfortunately the communication with the camera is a kludge. What it should be is a facsimile of the camera's screen. Sony should fix the communications so it DOES do output of the tracking, etc. and the camera's other bells and whistles. What PortKeys has done is create their own set of menus to execute Sony's camera functions...a kludge. In addition the display is 1000nits...not enough these days. Desview's 7inch monitor is at 2800nits. I'll wait until the native screen is displayed on the external camera monitor or just buy a simple HDMI camera monitor like the Desview instead of the half baked LH7P.