05Mar Aputure VS-3 V-Screen Field monitor review
I’ve been testing and using the Aputure VS-3 Field monitor for a few months now and it’s been a reasonably positive experience. The VS-3 sits in a sweet spot between higher end monitors and the sub $200 offerings. Features are pretty good for the price and it’s one of the few monitors that offers up audio level meters in its price range.
As mentioned in the video review I only really have two complaints. First, a monitor this size is a little on the large side for field work and second, the monitor never completely powers down when a battery is installed. If you leave a battery installed, it’ll drain down over night and you’ll need to recharge. Neither one of these are deal breakers, but they are items to keep in mind when hunting for a new field monitor.
The only other monitor that competes with the Aputure VS-3 in this price range is the Lilliput 663 field monitor. It has a slightly higher resolution at 1280×800 and offers up a few more battery options. The trade off is that the the 663 is around 2.4 pounds without a battery installed while the VS-3 is 0.8 pounds, the VS-3 has built in audio level meters (which is a big plus for BMPCC users) while the 663 does not, and from what i’ve seen the image quality is better out of the box on the VS-3 when compared to the Lilliput 663. Still if you need the extra bit of resolution the Lilliput 663 field monitor should probably be on your list of monitors to consider.
I’ve been writing about the VS-3 off and on for the last few months as I’ve been using it. You can check out these links for more images, firmware updates, and first impressions. Over all I think the price to value option the VS-3 offers is what makes it an attractive option as a field monitor.
March 5th, 2014 at 9:55 pm
Hey DJ , I was wondering if its possible In the future for you to give a review for the mustHD field monitor? 7 or 5.6 in would be awesome! Because I really want to buy it but there is literally ZERO video reviews for it! They seem like they have a lot of features for there price range! I’ve been looking at different brands but still can’t make a decision. Is the color accuracy okay on this one or does the picture look a little washed or is it fairly accurate?
March 5th, 2014 at 10:05 pm
I’ll see if I can get a model in for review. As for the picture quality of the VS-3 I’d say it’s much closer in color accuracy than the 663, but it’s a little more vivid than the actual image.
March 5th, 2014 at 10:18 pm
Awesome! And OK I’ll take that into consideration. Thanks for the quick reply!
March 6th, 2014 at 8:39 am
I actually just ordered the 5.6 inch mustHD last week. It is supposed to be delivered next week. After I have time to check it out I’ll try to let you know what I think.
March 6th, 2014 at 2:04 pm
That would be great !
April 27th, 2014 at 12:13 am
Jordan,
Did you get it? How is it?
Aren’t you using it with a D800 by chance?
Jaime
March 6th, 2014 at 10:08 am
One other thing ppl should be aware of is that this monitor will not work with Panasonic cameras such as the GH3. I had to send mine back.
March 6th, 2014 at 10:35 am
I didn’t know the GH3 had incompatibility issues with it’s HDMI out. Have you run into that problem with other monitors?
March 6th, 2014 at 2:16 pm
No. I ended up going with a 5.6″ Marshall and it works fine. Quite a bit pricier though. I was bummed because the Aputure was the only low priced monitor with audio meters.
March 6th, 2014 at 4:19 pm
The V-LCD56MD is pretty nice and I almost bought one, but I got a great deal on a used smallhd DP6 panels. The audio meters are all done in software, i’m kind of surprised more manufactures aren’t adding them.
March 12th, 2014 at 2:55 pm
Hey there. We heard about the GH3 problem too, but after some homework we learned that it was a firmware problem. Getting the latest firmware in your camera will restore compatibility with the VS-3.
March 6th, 2014 at 2:46 pm
Hi,
has anyone solved a problem with this monitor and Sony FS700R camera, when shooting High fps? When camera is recording HFR to card, the monitor doesnt show the slowmov footage, but it’s black and only status bar is shown. Kinda sux having it as a preview monitor.
Regards
March 7th, 2014 at 6:18 pm
The VS-3 can show the slowmov footage when playback. I think maybe you should set the HDMI output, since it can not support 720，24p，25p，30p.
March 8th, 2014 at 12:29 pm
I do not know what I did, but it works now. I didn’t change anything with the output.
April 27th, 2014 at 12:12 am
Deejay,
The pixels on the screen can actually be seen on your video. That cannot be HD, they can almost be counted!
April 27th, 2014 at 1:11 am
Screen resolution is 1,024 x 600 and it’s a 7 inch monitor. So the on screen display is a scaled 1080p.