[Silicone] I bought 2x for my Canon c70's, I have them paired with the Wooden Camera Hinge for the c70, the custom function buttons adds great speed to my work flow.

[Silicone] First off, the SmallHD PageOS operating system is by far the best I have used and is why this system is worth a significant premium over monitors with similar*cough* specs. If you need easy access to a fully customizable array of professional tools INSTANTLY, there really is nothing like it. I strongly suggest reading the full PageOS manual and also looking at some of the Exposure Tools tutorials. The fully customizable false color exposure assist that has multiple presets you can flip between is a fantastic tool worth fully exploring.

This is my third SmallHD monitor, and every one has been great. The design evolution is really obvious, and attention to the details is great. The Ultra is built like a tank and pretty heavy, so keep that in mind when chosing a mount. I use a magic-arm, or a SHAPE pushbutton monitor bracket. Don't cheap out on the mounting.

Image quality is quite good, with nice color gamut. (Note: Color has some shift in high-brightness mode, but if you need it that bright you arent judging color visually). Standard brightness mode is really really bright. More than I need in 99% of situations. High Brightness mode is visible in extremely bright conditions, like desert/beach/water, but you will still want a proper hood.
Note: the SmallHD hood is not adequate, just too small, and the open bottom for touchscreen access makes it ineffective. Considering the monitor has full physical buttons and does not NEED to be operated as a touchscreen, a full four sided soft hood would work way better.

Overall I am very satisfied.

[Green] The original focus monitor was a game changer. This opens doors to bigger productions, higher production value, and convenience when working with a gimbal or a crew. It's not cheap, but it levels you up.

[0.015 lb] Good replacement antenna. No issues.

[Silicone] Bought this during a B&H flash sale. It has all the good features and high NITS that you'd expect from a monitor at this price point. I like having the inputs/outputs on the bottom rather than the side. The battery plate integrates nicely on the back. If you use it with a Canon R5C as I do on occasion, you can power the monitor off a small gold mount or v-mount battery and use the power tap to power camera with a dummy battery. Will also convert HDMI in to SDI out which is useful for multi-camera setups going into the same monitor.

Niggling complaints: If light weight is important to you, this is kind of heavy compared to some other models. Also, I wish SmallHD would put their recessed anti-twist holes at the same distance as ARRI does.

[Green] When you choose SmallHD, you probably want the functionality more than the low price. So I'm not going to complain about the price.

I have both Indie 5 and Ultra 5. Unlike Indie's 1000 nits, Ultra's 3000 nits is perfect for any scenario I need. The aluminum body also helps with cooling. (The Indie has a plastic back.) If you're as curious as I was about the location of its fan, it's tucked away in that concave and convex structure on the back. You can't see it in the pictures on the site, but it's there. Indie is 1.6A, and Ultra is 2.1A. I plan to test how much more power the Ultra consumes than the Indie.

In addition, the physical buttons give it a huge improvement in operation. Physical buttons can jump to the different windows faster on set. Both monitors have a slight lag in switching windows side by side, but the Ultra's physical buttons made the lag perfectly acceptable. The other three custom buttons also work well in the new system.

The most distinctive feature of Ultra, and the biggest difference between it and Cine and Indie, is the power supply plan. Ultra is designed entirely for cinema cameras. It can only be powered by a 2-pin Lemo cable. I see a lot of complaints about the thickness of Cine and Indie. The thickness of Ultra is reduced due to being batteries-free. You also get this by around 100 grams more weight. But 100g on a cinema camera never being a problem. You know what I mean.


I hope this review helped you to make your decision.

[Silicone] I love these monitors! I use them with my Z-Cam E-2 for pulling focus when on a gimbal. As well as a directors monitor for clients. Great entry to wireless video. Almost no latency between these monitors.

[0.015 lb] The Tx monitor is light enough to carry on a gimbal. The Rx monitor (directors monitor) has a perfect size for a small crew production. The battery life is almost 3 hours, it has cero latency, the wireless video transmission is instantaneously. The monitor has all SmallHD menu capabilities while the Teradek is all you need for a 500 feet wireless video. I use it with my gimbal and a Redrock follow focus. Very portable and easy to use.

[Green] Fits & works well but easy to break

[Green] Antennas are fragile things in a mobile environment. Extras are good for peace of mind on a job away from a studio.