Viltrox DC-50 monitor  (2 of 9)

The Viltrox DC-50 5 inch monitor showed up this weekend and I’ve just had a chance to unbox it and take a closer look. The DC-50 looks a lot like the Sony CLM-V55 from a distance but when you take a closer look it’s easy to see the differences.

Viltrox DC-50 monitor  (4 of 9)

The most noticeable difference is the build quality. Controls on the Sony CLM-V55 (left) including the power button and selector wheel feel responsive and easy to operate. The Viltrox DC-50  (right) on the other hand has a small on/off switch and the selector wheel feels cheap and is a little hard to use. You’ll also notice that the Viltrox DC-50 is slightly thicker than the Sony CLM-V55, which is strange since it feels lighter than the V55. The Viltrox DC-50 also has an easy to adapt DC power input, while the Sony CLM-V55 uses a 3 pin plug on the bottom of the unit.

Viltrox DC-50 monitor  (6 of 9)

The Viltrox DC-50 (right) actually has more input choices then the Sony CLM-V55 monitor. You can select between HDMI, mini HDMI, and composite inputs (yellow jack). The rubberized plastic protecting the input ports on the V55 feels like it’s made out of a much higher quality material, but both covers seem to snap into place firmly. You’ll also notice that the V55 has rubber grommets over screws used to hold the monitor together, while the Viltrox DC-50’s screws are exposed.

Viltrox DC-50 monitor  (8 of 9)

The battery plate on the Viltrox DC-50 is actually better designed than the CLM-V55. The quick release switch on the DC-50 easily ejects the battery and feels like it’s almost spring loaded, will the battery plate on the V55 requires you to hold the release switch and slide the battery out by hand. The speaker is in the same place on both units and everything else on the back in pretty much identical.

Viltrox DC-50 monitor  (7 of 9)

Both units have a flip out sunshade, but the Sony CLM-V55 has stronger springs and pops out as soon as you start to open it. The Viltrox DC-50 still opens in the same manner, but sometimes it requires a little assistance to full extend. It’s also easy to see that the NO SYNC screen is green on blue on the DC-50, while it’s white on black with the CLM-V55.

Viltrox DC-50 monitor  (9 of 9)

The Viltrox DC-50 (right) has it’s headphone jack on the bottom of the unit, while the Sony CLM-V55 has it’s DC power port in the same location. From this angle it’s a little easier to see the size difference between the two monitors. The DC-50 is larger, but the CLM-v55 is heavier.  I’ve only had a few hours to play around with the display, but from what I can tell so far both screens are of the same quality. It took slightly different settings to get the Viltrox DC-50 to match the look of the Sony CLM-V55, but once I got things dialed in it was hard to tell the difference.

I’ll post a full review once I’ve had to chance to spend some more time with the Viltrox DC-50. I still haven’t played around with the focus peaking or the 1:1 picture mode. So far I would say the build quality isn’t as good but the display is pretty much identical to the Sony CLM-V55. From my first impressions of the monitor I would say the Viltrox DC-50 is a pretty good value for the price. I was pretty surprised at how good the display itself actually looked.

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