The Portkeys LH5P II is our 5.5-inch on-camera entry-level model into the world of wired and wireless camera control. However, no corners have been cut with a bulletproof all-aluminum housing and toughened glass in front of the display, a daylight-viewable touchscreen, four user-assignable function buttons that can even start/stop camera recording, and a full suite of professional monitoring tools. With a weight of only 285g/10.05oz (without battery), the LH5P II is a lightweight addition to your camera rig, but it adds many useful features to make your life on set easier.
The LH5P II has a maximum brightness of 2,200 nits, so shooting outside in full sunlight is easy. The 10-bit (8+2 FRC) panel makes color reproduction more accurate with a rich level of color details and no color banding. Also, each Portkeys LH5P II display is factory color-calibrated and covers 100% of the Rec.709 color space and 85% of the DCI-P3 color space.
The Portkeys LH5P II features a 5.5-inch display with a FullHD 1920 x 1080 resolution, a large 178ยฐ viewing angle, and a 1000:1 contrast ratio. The monitor features one 4K HDMI input and one 4K HDMI output that can take signals up to 4K DCI at 24p, 4K UHD at 30p, or FullHD 1080p at up to 60p.
At the back of the LH5P II, youโll find a built-in Sony NP-F-style battery plate that can power it for hours thanks to a low power draw of only 13W.ย
Also, the 5-pin aviation 7-24V power input at the bottom of the monitor and the included D-Tap to 5-pin aviation cable allow you to run your monitor via an external battery for unlimited time. Lastly, this 5-pin aviation power port can also be used to power small camera accessories (max. 5V 1A).
When it comes to monitoring your video signal, the Portkeys LH5P II has all the professional monitoring features you can expect from an on-camera monitor, including:
- 3D LUT monitoring. You can load custom LUTs via the USB port at the bottom of the monitor and the included USB key.
- A high-precision Waveform, Histogram, and Zebra tools. You can monitor the video signal before or after the 3D LUT.
- ARRI False Color mode and user-defined mode. When you use the user-defined mode, you can freely set the IRE values.
- A new Peaking algorithm to help you nail focus easily.ย
- Cropping feature to precisely zoom wherever you want inside the image.
- Framing guides, grids, aspects, and Auto image flip.
- Image Capture and Image Overlay. Image Capture takes a snapshot of the HDMI video input (combined with a LUT if desired) and saves it to the monitorโs memory. Then, you can set the transparency/opacity of the Image Overlay. This feature is helpful for shot matching (continuity) or a quick overview of the dayโs shots.
- Anamorphic image de-squeeze with all the standard ratios (1.33x, 1.5x, 2.0x) and the possibility to enter a custom aspect ratio from 0.25 to 4.0x.
- Sharpness, chroma, brightness, backlight, tint, and color temperature adjustments.
The Portkeys LH5P II can also control many cameras wired/wirelessly:
- ย The removable 2.4 GHz WiFi antenna at the back of the monitor can connect wirelessly to Sony cameras, including the Sony A7S III, A7M IV, A7M III, A1, A9I, A9II, A7C, FX3, RX10, RX0. You can change your camera settings directly from the monitor and even touch to focus. Also, you can assign the โ+/-โ keys to adjust your ISO/Aperture/Shutter/Zoom/Frame Rate settings. Furthermore, one of the F1-F4 function keys can be assigned to start/stop recording.
- The monitor supports Bluetooth connection and camera control for Blackmagic Design users with the BMPCC 4K, 6K, and 6K Pro.
- Wired control is also available for multiple Sony, Canon, Panasonic, BMD, and ZCAM E2 cameras.
- If you use a TILTA Nucleus N/M wireless follow focus, the BM5 III WR supports wired control of your motors. The focus scale can even be displayed on the display.
* Wireless control does not mean wireless video transmission; the video signal cable still needs to be connected.
Lastly, the optional REC Key can be connected to the Portkeys LH5P II, giving you an extended recording switch.
