I ended up getting a great deal on the Sony CLM v55 monitor, but there is a cheaper option if you’re looking to save a little money and like the idea of a smaller 5 inch monitor. The Lilliput 5 inch 569GL HDMI monitor comes with an HDMI cable, cold shoe adapter, battery adapter, and screen hood for around $200. On top of that it has a headphone jack with volume control and some nice BNC video connectors built in. The only leg up the CLM v55 has over the Lilliput (looking at the specs) is focus peaking, but i’m sure you can live without that for a savings of $150 to $200. Over all it looks like a pretty good deal.  Here’s a little video demo posted by .

Some of you have asked why I would move from a 7 inch monitor to something smaller. There are actually a few reasons, first I like to travel with a single camera bag if at all possible and although my 7 inch Lilliput monitor does fit in my camera bag, it ends up taking up a lot of space. A 5 inch monitor on the other hand fits nicely into a single lens pouch in my Ape Case. Secondly I usually need a field monitor for its ability to adjust and position not for its size. If I have to back my camera up against the wall or place it on the floor I still want to frame the shot without having to become a contortionist and any size monitor will solve this problem.

A 5 inch monitor is also about double the viewing space of most cameras built in screen and with a resolution of 800×480 you’re getting about the same number of pixels as you do with many of the larger 7 inch model screens on the market. If you have bad eye sight a larger 7 inch or 8 inch monitor might be a better way to go, but for me the easier it is to pack the more it will get used.

If any of you decide to go for the Lilliput 5 inch 569GL HDMI monitor send me some pictures and let me know how it turns out. It looks like Amazon has it for $265 right now, and you can if you don’t mind waiting a few weeks for shipping from Hong Kong. Over all it looks like a good pick for the price range.



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