bluefonia

​Hm, does not work either. I have send a mail to Aputure support, - will see if they come up with a solution. Will also try Tom Antos.

​Thanks, I will try that, but I´m not sure I get you quite right: Do you mean setting HDMI out on the GH4 to 4.2.2 10 bit and keep it there or GH4 to 4.2.2 10 bit and switch back to 8 bit?

I have tried both Auto, 1080 etc. I have not tried all resolutions, but will try that, thanks

I have received a cheap Aputure VS 2 monitor to test. I can't get in to work with my GH4 camera. When connected the Aputure says "No signal". I have tried different settings on the GH4, but no luck. The VS 2 has the latest firmware and so has my GH4.

Any suggestions to make it work?

​Have you received - and tried - the adapter?

​Yes, - €215,- http://www.ebay.de/itm/161661273094

I also use the Fotga DP500 IIS and can confirm, that it is a really nice follow focus.

I can comment on the Aputure VS 2 during the coming weekend, - I ordered one a few days ago and it should be delivered this Friday,

Like most other monitors it should be pretty much useless due to screen glare when used outside - especially in sunlight.  I have some ideas that hopefully will remedy this issue.

I will be back and tell you how it turns out.

Well, I`m not quite sold to the LCDVFE yet, honestly I'm still doubting. That´s why some inputs from actual users of the product would be very helpfull, - maybealso from a Zacuto user, as I think the twof are very comparable - at least that is what I've read online. One disadvantage of both might be both products are a bit old by no. In the end I might choose not to eat for some months and buy a Sidefinder. 

By the way, is seems the loupe for the DP4 is not available anymore.

I am sure the SmallHD DP4 is a fine monitor. I'm looking for a viewfinder, which can be used in bright daylight and sunshine. I too know the passive LCDVF. I would like to get the 502 inclusive the Sidefinder. It is rather expencive though and I might have a chance to get the LCDVF for 20-25% of the Sidefinder's price. So that´s the reason I hope to get some comments from someone who actually have hands on experience with the LCDVFE, - no offence :-).

I´m considering this for use with my GH4. Does someone here own one or have any experiences with it?

​If you put too much weight on it yes, you are right. That´s the nature of light tripods I guess. As Sekhar is asking for a light tripod for traveling, his is probably not bringing heavy camera gear with him on the trip. I  have used the Velbon with a G6 and a 0,9 kg head with no problems at all. Last week I made some footage at a lake with some swans. I used a 135mm lens and I got very steady and smooth pans. I shall ad that I do not use fast/wip pans, which might cause flexing. 

@Sehkar, - yes, in muddy areas the twist-lock might be a disadvantage, - but you can always bring a cloth or there might be some vegetation or water around :-).

Thanks everyone for the inputs. In the opening post I forgot to mention that an important feature to me is a ball head/tripod. This is my current thoughts :

Berno: From own experience the AS4 is no good and the S6 probably not much better The S8 imight be a good head, but too big for my needs.

Sirui: I have a Sirui monopod w/legs and it is indeed very nice. Their heads are probably fine too, but I have no chance to try one and I can't find any detailed reviews. 

Sachtler ACE: I like the L, but the price is a little steep. The M seems good too, but I¨m not a fan of legs with spreaders.

Miller AIR: Seems very nice, probably in line with the ACE. Really like the legs, - can go low and high. I might be a little apprehensive with no drag control on the head, but if it pans smoothly and - just as important to me - pan starts and stops can be performed smoothly too, - I could probably live without the drag control. I hope someone having hands-on experience with the Miller will comment on this.

Take a look at Velbon Ultra REXI L, - a review here: http://www.ephotozine.com/article/velbon-ultra-rexi-l-tripod-review-16157

It is not carbon but magnesium. I have had it for 2 years and it has proved to be very durable, can go high and very low and is very stable. I have used it with a G6 camera, a Sigma 18-35mm F/1.8 ( pretty heavy lens) and some small rails and a 0,9 kg videohead - in total around 2 kg - with no problems.

My longest lens is a Yashica ML 135mm. I would like to experiment with a 200mm. How good is a Canon FD 200mm F/2.8? Or maybe - although not as sharp - a Canon FD 70-200mm or Tokina RMC 70-200mm F/4?

​No. If you want that you need to get NeatVideo or this one, which is cheeper, $29.99: https://itunes.apple.com/dk/app/photon-pro/id912539173?mt=12

You can get more info here: http://www.fcp.co/final-cut-pro/articles/1490-photon-pro-a-29-99-noise-reduction-plugin-for-final-cut-pro-x

@The Chris:

I could go to $1.000 if necessary, but if I could keep it lower, that would of course be nice. The Benro S8 is too big for my needs. Furthermore - according to my research - it needs more weight  than my gear will ever weigh to be correctly balanced. The same goes for the Manfrotto 504 HD, - too big. And for some reason I don't quite have confidence in the smaller 502.

@Sekhar: 

I can get a brand new ACE M for $615, but I think I prefer the legs on the ACE L, which also has light for the bubble plus some improvements on the head. But the L is double the price of the M. Would you have gone for the L instead of the M if you should make the decision to day?

I'm researching an upgrade from my present head and tripod, which is a Weifeng 717AH. This was my first head/tripod which i bought around 3 years ago and it is actually a pretty decent set up, but now it is time to get something better. By better I mainly mean better options for drag/tilt control and balancing. The panning on the 717is actually good and smooth, but with fixed drag and rather stiff.

I use a GH4, most heavy lens is a Sigma 18-35 F/1.8 and occasionally I use Fotga rails and FF too, - in total max. 3,5 kilos. So I don't need or want a too big head. My research until now have led my to the Sachtler ACE series - M or L - and Miller AIR. I like legs without spreaders best, - can go pretty low - but makes the system more expensive as it excludes the ACE M. As I understand, opposed to the ACE, the Miller head has fixed drag and balance, but maybe better legs. Well, I also read somewhere that Miller's EU service ain't the best and parts are expensive.

Any experiences, suggestions, advices or alternatives will be much appreciated...

​I actually have a EI-717 head, - the Weifeng edition, - and the legs. My first head/tripod purchase. You are right, the head is a bargain and better than most other low/midrange  heads inclusive Manfrottos i.m.o..

​I'm beginning to accept that this is how it is going to be for me too. So now I'm starting my search for an upgrade to my head and tripod. I have some questions for that, but it will be in this new thread http://www.eoshd.com/comments/topic/8620-miller-or-sachtler-headstripods/

​Agree

@tupp :The RRS head looks really nice, - but the price is also a little too nice for my budget :-). In my country you even have to put 25% sales tax on top of the price. The other two heads, - well, I don't think they will work for me. Anyways, thanks for the suggestions.

Maybe I better get used to put "things-on-top-of-things" if I want to use Arca/Swiss as my general system.

​Yes, here it is: http://try.colorgradingcentral.com/colorfinale/

Besides curves Colorfinale also has LUTs, 6 vectors, color wheels. You can put in as many layers as you like. There is a 7 days free trial version. 

I forgot to mention I use GH4 and G6 cameras, so the Kessler head is much too large. The Kesser Qwik release looks nice, - a bit pricy though. At the moment I`m using Arca/Swiss plates bought on the net and they work very well.

I have two tripods, one slider and three heads with three different mounts. Right now I´m a bit tired of adding "things-on-top-of-things" to get the same system on all heads. Well, the Benro S4P is Arca/Swiss, but the head is - as I mentioned earlier, - useless for panning.

Looks like a new Panasonic G7 is real, - according to this: http://www.personal-view.com/talks/discussion/12408/panasonic-g7-topic-4k-monster-or-gh4-for-poor/p2