Portkeys MT22DS, BM7IIDS and LH7P Monitors Now Officially Released

Monitoring NewsNAB 2023

by Jürgen MoorsApril 15^th, 2023

Portkeys has released 3 new monitors: the LH7P Wireless Camera Control Monitor for Sony & Blackmagic cameras for $349, the BM7IIDS Wireless Camera Control Monitor for $899, and the MT22DS Dual Screen Cinema Production Monitor for $1749. All 3 monitors will be presented at the NAB show in Las Vegas. Let’s have a closer look!

Portkeys, a Chinese manufacturer of monitors, EVFs, and other film accessories, is known for creating innovative on-camera monitors with aggressive price/feature ratios. Good examples are the Portkeys BM5 III WR which can control a RED Komodo, and their LH5PII monitor, which is under $400 and also supports camera control. Another example would be the Portkeys PT5 5″ on-camera monitor that retails for just $125.

Portkeys LH7P – 7″ wireless camera control monitor

Let’s start with the LH7P monitor that handles HDMI input/output signals only. It is a 7″ 1920×1080 touchscreen on-camera monitor with built-in Wi-Fi that allows you to wirelessly control Sony and Blackmagic cameras. Connecting to the camera’s generated Wi-Fi network lets you control specific camera parameters. We are only talking about wireless camera control, not wireless video transmission. For a video signal, you will still need a cable between your camera and the monitor.

If you are using a Sony A7 III, A7 IV, A7S III, A1, A9 II, RX10, A7C, FX3, FX30, or A9 II, you can control REC, Iris, ISO, Shutter, Color Temperature, White Balance, EV, Focus Areas, Single Focus, and Exposure Mode.

If you are using a Blackmagic camera like the BMPCC 4K, 6K, or 6K Pro, you can connect via Bluetooth to enable camera control features like REC, Iris, ISO, Resolution, Auto Exposure, Shutter, White Balance, Mode Selection, Off Speed Recording, Project Frame Rate, Codec and Quality, and Off Speed Frame Rate.

The monitor weighs only 236 g / 8,3 oz, has a brightness level of 1000nits, a contrast ratio of 1000:1, and it covers 100% of Rec.709. Unfortunately, the Portkeys LH7P has only HDMI in and out, and no SDI. It draws 9W, you can power it with any Sony NP-F style battery, and it is available in black or white.

Portkeys LH7P – additional features

The Portkeys LH7P also packs some handful features, such as:

• JPG Picture Custom Freeze Frame: just like the MT22DS and BM7IIDS, the LH7P can do a freeze frame in 16:9 1920×1080. After you captured an image, you can compare it to your real-time video with a semi-transparent image on your screen. This could be useful for any match cuts or transition frames, that can be easily created with this feature.

• Vertical Shooting Stretch: upright video formats in 9:16 might not be everybody’s favorite framing format, but with the importance of social media, at times you just have to deal with it. The LH7P offers controllable stretching of images and real-time monitoring of the stretch effects.

• 4K Sampling: the LH7P supports 4K over-sampling to 1080p, just in case your camera can’t perform this internally. The result is a high-resolution and highly-detailed 1080p video signal on your monitor.

• Anamorphic De-squeeze: the LH7P monitor supports anamorphic lens correction in a ratio of 1.00x / 1.33x / 1.42x / 1.50x / 1.60x / 1.66x / 1.85x / 2.00x / 2.35x. Moreover, you can dial in a custom de-squeeze factor ranging between 0.25x and 4.00x.

• Image Crop: this is another very effective feature. You can easily produce a rectangular image crop to check details in specific areas of your image.

• Camera Parameters: if you are shooting with the external monitor on top of the camera, this feature will come in handy to see the most important camera parameters on a bigger screen.

Portkeys LH7P – key features

• Brightness: 1000nits
• Weight: 235g/8,3oz
• HDMI in up to 4096×2160 at 30fps
• HDMI out up to 1080p30
• Custom 3D LUTs support
• Wireless Camera Control for Sony & Blackmagic cameras
• Image Capture and Overlay
• Anamorphic lens correction
• Customized Image Crop
• Brightness and RGB Signal Detection
• Anamorphic Lens Calibration HDMI Output
• Customized Peaking Range (Peaking Frame)

Portkeys BM7IIDS – bright 7″ wireless camera control monitor

The BM7IIDS is a 7″ 1920×1080 on-camera monitor with 2200nits – more than 2 times brighter than the LH7P monitor. It comes with a single HDMI input that supports signals up to 1080p60, 1x HDMI output, dual SDI input (up to 1080p60), and 1x SDI output. You can perform a signal cross-conversion between HDMI and SDI connectors in any direction, so there is no longer a need for an external conversion box.

It has a built-in Wi-Fi module that allows wireless control with RED, Sony and Blackmagic cameras. Canon, Panasonic and Z-CAM cameras can benefit from wired control using LANC cables, multi-control cables, or USB-C cables. Again, this is not a wireless video signal transmission tool, it is only a camera control feature.

Adjustable wireless camera features include REC, Iris, ISO, Shutter, Color Temperature, White Balance, EV, Focus Areas, and Single Focus for Sony cameras such as the A7 III, A1, A9 II, A7C, FX3, A7S III, A7 IV, RX10, FX3, and FX30.

As with the LH7P monitor, the BM7IIDS has the same custom freeze frame feature for match cuts, 3D LUT HDMI output, anamorphic lens calibration, customized peaking range, custom rectangular image crop, and brightness and RGB signal detection before and after loading 3D LUTs. Additionally, it has a false color and ARRI false color feature with customizable overexposure and underexposure IRE scales.

Other additional features include the following:

• Split screen monitoring: you can use two different video sources and several different split-screen options on the monitor. Two screens can use the same 3D LUT file and you can split the screen: dual horizontal, dual vertical, horizontal and vertical, and you can even crop the second split screen from the same source to show more detail. Altogether, this is a really interesting and flexible feature.

• Support for Tilta Nucleus-N/M motors: with the BM7IIDS monitor, you can control the Tilta Nucleus-M and Nucleus-N lens motors with a wired connection between the monitor and the motor, while also displaying the focus scale.

Portkeys BM7IIDS – key features

• Brightness: 2200nits
• 1x HDMI Input up to 1080p60
• 2x SDI Inputs up to 1080p60
• 1x SDI Output
• Signal Cross-Conversion between HDMI and SDI
• Custom 3D LUTs
• Wireless Camera Control
• Image Capture and Overlay
• Anamorphic De-squeeze
• Factory Color Calibration
• Brightness and RGB Signal Detection
• Customized Image Crop
• CNC Aluminum Alloy All-metal Shell
• Anamorphic Lens Calibration HDMI Output
• Customized Peaking Range (Peaking Frame)
• Wired Control for Tilta Nucleus-N/M Motors

Portkeys MT22DS – 21,5″ Dual Screen Production Monitor

The MT22DS monitor features a 21,5″ 1920×1080 display with a brightness of 1000nits and a contrast ratio of 1000:1. It covers 100% of Rec.709 and it features two SDI and single HDMI in/out ports with the ability for a signal cross-conversion between HDMI and SDI connectors in both directions. Also, it packs two 48V XLR phantom audio embedded SDI output connectors, two 12-24V DC inputs, a USB-A, and a headphone output jack. The monitor supports 3D LUTs, which must be loaded via a USB stick and an optional Vesa mount is also available.

As with the BM7IIDS monitor, it has the same split-screen monitoring features, custom freeze frame feature for match cuts, 3D LUT HDMI output, anamorphic lens calibration, customized peaking range, custom rectangular image crop, brightness and RGB signal detection before and after loading 3D LUTs. It also has a false color and ARRI false color feature with customizable overexposure and underexposure IRE scales.

Other features include:

• Wireless video transmission + power support plate: the MT22DS lets you attach an additional N-PF battery-supplied wireless video receiver on the back of the monitor. A Sony V-mount battery plate or an Anton Bauer Port-AB mount plate is also available on the rear side of the monitor.

• Customized peaking range: you can choose a certain peaking frame for regional peaking of your shot.

Portkeys MT22DS – key features

• Brightness: 1000nits
• 1x HDMI Input up to 1080p60
• 2x SDI Input up to 1080p60
• 1x SDI Output
• 1x HDMI Output
• Signal Cross-Conversion between HDMI and SDI
• Custom 3D LUTs
• Time Code
• Anamorphic De-squeeze
• Waveform Output
• Folding Holder
• Vesa Holder
• Dual Screening
• Image Capture and Overlay
• Factory Color Calibration
• Brightness and RGB Signal Detection
• CNC Aluminum Alloy All-metal Shell
• Wireless Video Transmission Power Supply Plate

Pricing and availability

If you are planning on heading to this year’s NAB Show, these 3 new Portkeys monitors will make their debut in Las Vegas. Pricing is as follows:

• LH7P – 7″ wireless touchscreen camera control monitor for $349 (black) or $399 (white)
• BM7IIDS – 7″ wireless touchscreen camera control monitor for $899
• MT22DS – 21,5″ dual screen cinema production monitor for $1749

For more information, please visit Portkeys’ website.

What do you think about these new Portkeys budget-friendly monitors? Would you like to use them to control your camera? What features are most interesting to you? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!