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SmallHD DP6 Monitor and the Oracle “SmartLapse” System

DP6 and the Oracle "SmartLapse" System

As we blaze the cinematic trail we are always on the lookout for the best gear possible. Recently the guys over at SmallHD sent us the brand new DP6 Monitor.

Initial Thoughts on SmallHD DP6 Monitor

We haven’t had time to put it through any grinding tests but so far it looks pretty useful. For its lightweight size (5.6″), it’s a powerhouse.

SmallHD DP6 Monitor Features

  • Offering 1280 x 800 resolution
  • HDMI in
  • Component in
  • SDI in/out
  • USB in (makes those software/firmware updates easy)
  • Mounting points on all sides
  • Several power options

Ours shipped with the Canon 5D battery mount which accepts two 5D batteries and keeps the monitor lightweight. This is far better than mounting a heavy Anton Bauer battery to the back of the monitor. But since they also offer a D-Tap cable, you can easily plug this into some other power source, such as an external AB system. The battery mount is easily removed and swapped out so having a large variety of battery options is just a matter of a new mount.

The monitor offers plenty of user-definable presets to set up quickly and easily.

SmallHD DP6 Monitor Modes such as:

  • Focus Assist
  • Color bars
  • 1:1 pixel mapping
  • Image flip

There is actually so much inside the menu that we are going to have to spend some more time before we really know what combinations work best for us. In the brief time that we had a camera attached to the monitor, the picture looked pretty good.

We still need to see about calibrating it to the 5D viewfinder and HP Dreamcolor monitor so we know how much we can rely on what we are seeing to judge exposure and color. As we spend more time with the monitor, especially on set, we will have a better idea of what the DP6 really offers, but so far so good.

Photograph Courtesy of Small HD - www.smallhd.com

Photograph Courtesy of Small HD – www.smallhd.com

Kessler Crane Oracle SmartLapse system

Also, I’ve finally had time to un-box the Kessler Crane Oracle “SmartLapse” system. The idea is to attach it to our CineSlider so we can do some WYSIWYG programmed moves and start adding more motion timelapse material to our arsenal.

Filmmakers Academy preaches cinematic quality. The more tools we have at our disposal, the more opportunity we have to go out and shoot something awesome. I’m a big fan of timelapse and love the fact that shooting timelapse with the Canon 5D gives us 4K RAW files.

I remember watching The Assassination of Jesse James recently which has some subtle timelapse transitions. they add so much mood and pass time brilliantly. This is the inspiration I’ll be taking with me as we do tests over the coming months. If you haven’t seen that movie, please find the time to rent it on BlueRay – it’s some of Roger Deakins best work.

The Kessler Crane Smartlapse 101 video by Swiss Filmmakers

As the HD-DSLR market explodes it seems like there are new products launched almost every day. We love innovation and these are exciting times, now we just have to filter out the products that don’t work and focus on the ones that rock. We will be sure to share our thoughts along the way so everyone can ride the wave with us. Stay Tuned.

January 21, 2011/by Shane Hurlbut, ASC
Tags: Canon, Canon 5D, Cinematographer, Cinematography, DP6 Monitor, Education, Kessler, monitor, Oracle SmartLapse system, Shane Hurlbut, SmallHD, SmartLapse
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https://www.filmmakersacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/DP6_splash1-1.jpg 350 487 Shane Hurlbut, ASC https://www.filmmakersacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Filmmakers-Academy-Filmmaking-Courses.svg Shane Hurlbut, ASC2011-01-21 19:40:092022-08-17 19:14:50SmallHD DP6 Monitor and the Oracle “SmartLapse” System
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10 replies
  1. Andrew Wehde
    Andrew Wehde says:
    January 22, 2011 at 7:06 PM

    Hey Shane and Team! I am loving my DP6. I have had it since day one of launch and wont use any other on-board system. I am beta testing 1.3 right now. Lets share our results in terms of calibration. I am by no means a master at it, right now i am working with these settings.

    Cont: 47
    Bright: 48
    Hue: 50
    Sat: 48
    sharp: 10
    gamma: .95

    RGB control:
    127
    124
    137
    127
    125
    135

    Backlight: 100

    • Shane
      Shane says:
      January 24, 2011 at 2:22 AM

      Andrew Wehde, I will try those settings tomorrow. Thank you so much for your insight. That ROCKS!!!!

    • jim bishop
      jim bishop says:
      February 7, 2011 at 6:30 AM

      Hi Andrew

      am just looking thru my DP6 which is fantastic but am failing to find any capability to adjust hue,sat,sharp,gamma and RGB control – please help an obviously technically challenged individual!

      thanks

      • Tim
        Tim says:
        February 8, 2011 at 2:05 PM

        Jim,

        All of those settings are in the first submenu item called “Image”. But, those options won’t appear until a signal is supplied to the monitor. If there is no signal present (ie. a blue screen), those options won’t be available in the menu.

        • jim bishop
          jim bishop says:
          February 15, 2011 at 12:14 AM

          thanks tim – will check it out

  2. Andrew Wehde
    Andrew Wehde says:
    January 24, 2011 at 4:17 PM

    You are very welcome. Whenever i can help, i will…after all you have helped me more times than i can count in terms of leica lens choice and issues! Are you in town anytime soon(chicago) i am looking for some professional advice about 600 ect…. Email me if you have time!

  3. Erik
    Erik says:
    January 28, 2011 at 12:23 AM

    Shane-
    Would love to hear your opinion on the monitor, I am looking for a good, small field monitor for my gear and this piques my interest!

    • Shane
      Shane says:
      January 30, 2011 at 8:49 PM

      Erik, I just field tested this baby on the Nascar commercial and it worked very well. Lighter and the neoprene Hoodman is excellent in keeping sun off of your screen. Highly recommend it. HDMI or HDSDI, you cannot go wrong.

  4. Augusto
    Augusto says:
    February 8, 2011 at 7:24 AM

    Hi all. I am using the DP6 for sometime now…All I can say is that I keep all other monitor to the rental. It is the sturdier monitor I have come across and wouldn´t swap it for any of the “top of the range ones” even the started by “A” ones. ;-)

  5. exchange rate
    exchange rate says:
    August 14, 2011 at 9:45 AM

    Photoshop CS5 was announced this week and we have seen a wealth of new features for photographers, more so than any other version of Photoshop I can think of.

Comments are closed.

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