11Sep Nexus 7 FHD tablet – First Impressions
The 32GB Nexus 7 FHD showed up at the beginning of the week and I’ve just started playing around with it. I held off on posting anything until I could get someone to lend me a working Nexus 7 so I could do some side by side comparisons. So far touch screen response on the new tablet seems snappier and HD video content looks noticeably better. Web browser feels a little more responsive but most other apps seem to run about the same.
Side by side the Nexus 7 FHD is slightly taller and thinner than the original. The front facing camera is also repositioned for a slightly better overall angle for live chats. The side bezel is thinner than the original but the upper bezel is just large enough feel awkward. I’m guessing they needed the extra space to squeeze in the rear camera.
The back view highlights the upgraded rubberized grip on the Nexus 7 FHD (right). If you look close, at the bottom of the unit you can see the stereo speakers, compared to the single mono speaker on the original. The other highlight is the newly included rear facing camera. While I don’t like to take photos or record video with a large tablet, I have seen people attempt it in real life and I’m sure they’ll be happy to have this new addition. Just remember to avoid vertical video syndrome and you should be ok.
Look at the at the charging port, you’ll notice that the original Nexus 7 had the headphone jack located on the bottom. The Nexus 7 FHD now locates the headphone jack at the top of the unit. Also note the slightly different looking charging port, while the new N7 supports the same type of USB charging cable, it also supports slimport HDMI output. A nice feature if you find yourself wanting to use this for video playback in a motel or at a friends house, I suppose you could even game on it if really wanted to.
I plan on sitting down for a few hours this weekend and doing some more side by side testing. I’d like to see how the Nexus 7 FHD handles as a field monitor for the 5d mark III and test it out with the new Gopro and 6d apps. If I get some time I’ll post a video with the test results.
September 11th, 2013 at 8:08 pm
My brother has the original and still likes it quite a bit. I was thinking of getting a new tablet, but it was between a Nexus 10 or a Microsoft Surface. I hadn’t thought of using a N7 as a monitor. If it works really well that may make it a better choice than the 10.
September 11th, 2013 at 8:23 pm
The latest version of DSLR Controller for android is very stable. Very little frame lag, snappy controls and cameras are discovered by the tablet pretty much every time you plug it in. It’s come along ways.
October 8th, 2013 at 2:50 pm
Hi Deejay,
I’m relatively new to dslr video shooting and I never own an external monitor for the camera. Do you think the Nexus tablet is a proper replacement for a monitor (with the advantage of the extra use as a tablet)? Or a dedicated monitor is better? Thanks.
October 9th, 2013 at 11:16 am
Tablets do a pretty good job as a field monitor and camera controller, but I still use a dedicated field monitor on a regular bases. For me, finding the time to mount a tablet and keeping track of the special adapter is the biggest drawback. I tend to use a tablet as a field monitor when it’s just me recording something or if I really need to get the camera into a tight spot. When i’m working for a client I tend to stick with a proper field monitor.
October 10th, 2013 at 2:34 am
So besides the inconvenience of mounting, how would you compare the Nexus with the Viltrox DC-50? Or any other monitor on a budget that doesn’t exceed the price of the new Nexus 7″?
Thanks for your time.
October 10th, 2013 at 7:31 am
If you don’t mind the hassle of mounting, the nexus tablets have much nicer displays then field monitors in the same price range and DSLR controller offers up a lot of control options. Also using a tablet means you can keep the screen on (at the camera) as well as monitoring things with the tablet. The tablet is a much better value over all in that price range.