6 Ultra Bright High Nits Camera Monitors for Filming in the Sun

Published:
Updated:

DISCLOSURE: AS AN AMAZON ASSOCIATE I EARN FROM QUALIFYING PURCHASES. READ THE FULL DISCLOSURE FOR MORE INFO. ALL AFFILIATE LINKS ARE MARKED #ad

Editors Choice:

If you’re in a hurry, the SWIT CM-S75C is an incredible 3000-nit monitor that offers a lot of bang for the buck.

You get great build quality and some of the best color reproduction in a monitor. It also ticks all the right boxes when it comes to tools and scopes for monitoring your recordings, supports 3D-LUT monitoring, anamorphic de-squeeze, 10-bit color, 4K up to 30fps (for higher framerates at resolutions 4K and above you need to convert the signal to HD – but most cameras does this today) and takes both NP-F and V-mount batteries.

If you’ve ever tried filming under the midday sun, you’ve probably come across the problem of being unable to see anything on your monitor.

The screen’s glare and the fact that it isn’t bright enough for those conditions can make shooting in the sun a real pain.

Until a few years ago, the solution was to either change the time of the shoot, the location of the shoot, and – when those weren’t viable solutions – put on a sun hood. But even a sunhood can only do so much.

Luckily, today, we get bright monitors with over 2000 nits of brightness that are bright enough for sunny conditions.

So, I’ve done a ton of research and curated this list of the best ultra-bright on-camera monitors for shooting in the sun.

1. Feelworld FW279S 7 Inch 2200nit monitor

The Feelworld FW279S is a great monitor that offers a lot of bang for the buck.

It has a brightness of 2200nits that it achieves through its 2200 cd/m2 backlight.

The non-touchscreen itself has a resolution of 1920×1200 (with 323 pixels per inch), but it will accept signals up to 4K through HDMI or SDI (at 4K, only 30 fps).

It also has a headphone 3.5mm jack (and a built-in speaker), which is nice to monitor your audio even if your camera doesn’t have a headphone output.

The monitor is available in two 7″ versions: FW279 and FW279S.

The differences between the two (besides the price) monitors are:

  • FW279S lets you load LUTs and monitor these if you’re shooting with a flat log profile. The FW279 doesn’t have this option.
  • FW279S has both HDMI and SDI input. The FW279 only has HDMI.

Both monitors have all the tools you need for setting correct exposure and focus, e.g., histogram, false colors, focus assist, and more.

This is a great budget-friendly option (especially if you can live without SDI and 3D-LUT monitoring) that packs a lot of power.

ProsCons
2200nits
Great size and resolution
Accepts 4K input
Lightweight (365g)
All the tools you need
Accepts 4K up to 30fps (for higher framerates at resolutions 4K and above you need to convert the signal to HD)
2200nits
Great size and resolution
Accepts 4K input
Lightweight (365g)
All the tools you need
Accepts 4K up to 30fps (for higher framerates at resolutions 4K and above, you need to convert the signal to HD)

Check the current price on Amazon for the FW279
Check the current price on Amazon for the FW279S

Check the current price on Adorama for the FW279
Check the current price on Adorama for the FW279S

2. ANDYCINE X7S 7 inch 2200nits display monitor

The ANDYCINE X7S is another affordable 7-inch monitor with a high brightness of 2200nits.

The screen has a resolution of 1920×1080 and sits nicely in a rugged aluminum housing.

The monitor has many tools for controlling exposure and focus, like histograms, false colors, zebras, and more.

It also has anamorphic de-squeeze modes (no squeeze, 1.3x, 2.0x, 2.0x mag, and user-defined adjustments between 1.20X and 2.00X).

Another cool thing about this monitor is that it has both SDI in and out and HDMI in and out. So you can use mirrorless cameras like the BMPCC4K or GH5 or bigger cinema cameras like the URSA Mini.

The ANDYCINE X7S takes F970 batteries, which are not included (the battery plate is included and comes installed). But you get both a D-Tap to DC cable and an SDI cable.

You also get a 3.5mm headphone output.

All-in-all, this is a budget-friendly and bright monitor that does the job if you don’t need the ability to monitor LOG-footage with custom LUTs.

ProsCons
2200 nits
All the tools you need
HDMI in and HDMI out
SDI in and SDI out
Anamorphic De-Squeeze
Aluminum housing
Accepts 4K up to 30fps (for higher framerates at resolutions 4K and above you need to convert the signal to HD)
2200 nits
All the tools you need
HDMI in and HDMI out
SDI in and SDI out
Anamorphic De-Squeeze
Aluminum housing
Accepts 4K up to 30fps (for higher framerates at resolutions 4K and above, you need to convert the signal to HD)

Check the current price on Amazon

Check the current price on Adorama

3. SWIT CM-S75C 7 inch 3000nit HDR LCD

The SWIT CM-S75C is one of the brightest on-camera monitors available today.

If you’re unfamiliar with SWIT, I can tell you they’re a Chinese manufacturer that makes affordable but high-quality video and film-production products.

Their inexpensive LED lights and batteries (V-mount and Gold Mount) have found their way into big productions.

And the CM-S75C on-camera monitor is no different. The 7″ monitor packs many features for a fraction of the price you’d typically pay.

The 3000nits make the screen visible even under the harsh midday sun. It has a resolution of 1920×1200 and will accept 4K signals (up to 4K30p).

The 1200:1 contrast ratio makes the blacks okay despite the high brightness (a common problem with monitors that have nits above 2000). Also, it can show PQ and HLG.

Color accuracy and color reproduction on the SWIT CM-S75C are among the best and on par with the best Atomos recorders.

The SWIT CM-S75C has all the professional tools you need to set correct exposure, skin tones, and focus.

You can also monitor de-squeezed anamorphic footage.

You can also load your 3D-LUT via the in-built SD-card slot when monitoring flat profiles like S-log, V-log, C-log, RedLog, BMD, etc. And it comes with 30 built-in LOG to Rec709 LUTs.

You control the menus with a handy little joystick next to the screen, as the screen isn’t a touchscreen. So, no greasy fingerprints all over your screen.

The SWIT CM-S75C comes with HDMI ports, but you can also get the SWIT CM-S75F if you need SDI. But then we’re talking a different price tag as well.

You also get a 3.5mm headphone output and an in-built speaker.

There’s a good reason why we chose this as the ‘Editors Choice’.

ProsCons
3000nits
Great build-quality
Excellent color reproduction
All the tools you need
3D-LUT monitoring
Anamorphic De-Squeeze
Can use both NP-F and V-mount batteries
10 bit color (8+2)
Accepts 4K up to 30fps (for higher framerates at resolutions 4K and above you need to convert the signal to HD)

No battery included

Check the current price on Amazon for SWIT CM-S75C.

Check the current price on Adorama for SWIT CM-S75C
Check the current price on Adorama for SWIT CM-S75F

4. Portkeys BM5 5.2 Inch 2200nit monitor

The first 5″ monitor on this list is from Portkeys.

It’s also the first monitor with a touchscreen, which is both good and bad.

The good thing is that it allows for a more intuitive user interface.

The bad thing is that the screen is prone to get greasy fingerprints all over it.

But luckily, it also comes with four function buttons on top that you can customize. And you get a menu button and an exit button on top. So you can operate the screen without fingerprints, which is nice.

The screen itself has a resolution of 1920x1080p and is daylight viewable with 2200nits. The contrast ratio is 1000:1, which isn’t quite enough to render deep blacks. But none of these ultrabright monitors does that.

Luckily, this little monitor has all the tools needed for correct exposure, so that shouldn’t be a problem. And, of course, you get tools for focus, zoom, etc.

You also get 100 sets of LUT Cube files for monitoring LOG formats.

The power port on the back can your camera with a dummy battery.

Also, you’ll find a Focus Puller Interface on the back that can control and power the Tilta Nucleus N and M Focus Follow.

If you need the latter two options, get the right camera for your camera and focus puller control.

You also get an HDMI-in port, SDI-in, and SDI-out (so it does HDMI-in to SDI-out!), and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

And the housing is all aluminum, so it’s built rugged.

It uses Sony NP-F970 batteries that are not included.

Another nice feature is that you can get a Bluetooth module that allows you to wirelessly control many things depending on your camera’s Bluetooth functionality.

So, for instance, if you own a Blackmagic camera, you can start/stop recording, control the menu system, the tint, white balance, etc. This is cool if you’ve rigged out your BMPCC4K, 6K, or Z-cam and have a big V-mount battery blocking the screen.

But you can also control cameras like the GH5 using a simple cable.

ProsCons
2200 nits
Excellent build-quality
All the tools you need
Bluetooth functionality (optional)
HDMI + SDI in and out
Control and Power to Tilta Nucleus-N&M
A lot of mounting options
Comes with both DC Plug and D-Tap power cables
Comes with a hardcase
A bit bulky/thick
Only 8 bit color space
Sometimes you need to buy your control cable separately
No battery included
No L-bracket included
No anamorphic De-Squeeze
Noisy fan at mid- an high settings
Doesn’t support 4K signal – so make sure you camera can send a 1080p out while recording in 4K (most camera can).

Check the current price on Amazon.
Check the current price on Amazon with the BlueTooth module included.

5. ikan SX7 Saga 7-inch 2000nit monitor

The Ikan Saga SX7 7″ monitor is a mix between an on-camera monitor and a traditional field monitor.

It’s a rugged build monitor with an aluminum chassis and gorilla glass. But this also makes the monitor heavy, so it’s better used as a field monitor on its stand if you use smaller cameras.

The screen has a brightness of 2000nits, which is plenty for most viewing conditions. The contrast ratio is 1200:1, which is okay.

The IPS screen has a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels and is viewable from wide angles.

The screen isn’t a touchscreen, so you find buttons for control on top of the camera.

It has all the necessary tools for dialing the correct exposure and focus, like false color, waveform, histogram, RGB parade, zebras, peaking, and vectorscope.

You also get audio monitors.

The Ikan SAGA SX7 has both HDMI in and out and SDI in and out. So whether you’re using mirrorless or DSLR cameras or bigger cinema cameras, you can connect them to the ikan.

You also get the ability to use 3D Luts if you’re shooting LOG footage.

The S7X supports both V-mount and DV batteries, and it comes with a V-mount battery plate attached and a dual Sony “L” battery adapter.

You also get a mini-XLR to P-Tap power cable for a secure connection and a headphone output.

ProsCons
2000 nits
HDR Preview
All the tools you need
HDMI in and out
SDI in and out
Rugged build
Price
Heavy (2 lbs/0.91 kg)
No buttons on the front for easy access to most used settings

Check the current price on Amazon.

Check the current price on Adorama

6. TV Logic F-7H mk2 7-inch 3600nit field monitor

The TV Logic F-7H 7″ mk2 field monitor is the brightest on the market today, with an impressive luminance of 3600nit!

Remember that this monitor is a field monitor more than an on-camera monitor. That means extra weight and no battery plate.

The screen has a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels, and TV Logic has listened to the feedback from the user so that the mk2 version has a far less reflective screen than the first iteration.

The contrast ratio of 1200:0 is okay, but at 3600 nits, you won’t get deep blacks.

Another nice feature of the MK2 version is the addition of four function buttons on the front of the screen, giving you quick access to the preset modes.

You also find function buttons at the top of the monitor, a menu scroll wheel, and an exit button. So – as you might have guessed by now – this isn’t a touchscreen.

It comes with both HDMI in, HDMI out, SDI in, and SDI out, and, of course, it offers HDMI-SDI cross-conversion. You also get a headphone jack, and you can see the audio levels on the screen.

The monitor comes with all the professional tools you’d expect from a field monitor, including Blue Only / Mono, Focus Assist, H/V Delay, H/V Flip, Luma(Y’) Zone check, Time Code Display, Vector scope, Waveform, and more.

It also has LUTs for monitoring flat profile recordings from every major camera manufacturer (LOG-C, S-LOG, RED Gamma, etc.).

It will also accept Arri Alexa metadata over SDI.

As a final touch, it supports several formats for anamorphic De-Squeeze.

ProsCons
Price
No wireless option
8-bit color
No deep blacks
Weight (1.76lb/800g)
No battery plate
Price
No wireless option
8 bit color
No deep blacks
Weight (1.76lb/800g)
No battery plate

Check the current price on Adorama.


Author

    by
  • Jan Sørup

    Jan Sørup is a indie filmmaker, videographer and photographer from Denmark. He owns filmdaft.com and the Danish company Apertura, which produces video content for big companies in Denmark and Scandinavia. Jan has a background in music, has drawn webcomics, and is a former lecturer at the University of Copenhagen.

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.