ZILR 12G SDI Cable Launched – Perfect for Onboard Monitors

Camera Accessories

by Olaf von VossMarch 9^th, 2022

Australian camera accessory manufacturer ZILR now offers a brand new 12G SDI cable in addition to their high-quality HDMI cables (and powering solutions). Although it is just a regular SDI cable, this premium 17.7″ cable might be perfect for connecting onboard monitors to your rig.

SDI cables aren’t exactly expensive, and many of us (myself included) have made our own from 75-Ω cable by the meter and a crimping tool. Does that lead to high-quality connections? Well, not always.

The same goes for cheaply purchased no-name SDI BNC cables. I don’t even know how many of them have gone belly up during a job over the years.

ZILR has a solid reputation with their high-quality HDMI cables, so it is quite fitting that they venture into new waters with the introduction of these headlining ZILR 12G SDI cables.

ZILR 12G SDI cable

Since these new cables are specification-compliant 12G SDI cables, you get what you expect: a 17.7″ (45 cm) SDI cable with rugged BNC connectors. The full specs include:

• 4K @ 60Hz for resolutions up to 4096×2160
• Full HD 1080p
• 45 cm / 17.7” cable length
• Up to 12Gbit/s bit rates
• Supports 12G / 6G / 3G / HD / SD
• Cable thickness of 3.0 (+/-0.15) mm
• Shielding: Copper Braid >85%
• Wire Gauge: 28AWG
• Coaxial Type: RG-6
• Insulation Type: Polyethylene 80p
• Connectors: Gold Pin Connection 15u”
• VSWR (Voltage Standing Wave Ratio): 1.5D-2V
• Frequency: DC to 12 GHz
• Maximum Impedance: >75 Ohms

The plugs are quite thick, but not thicker than the BNC sockets themselves, so there should be no problems with spacing here.

Since these ZILR 12G SDI cables support resolutions up to 4K DCI @60Hz, they seem perfect for any camera / onboard monitor combination. In my opinion, half a meter is the sweet spot for connecting a monitor to a given rig. It may sound a bit long, but anything shorter than that, and you’ll quickly get into trouble with cable management and monitor positioning.

More lengths will likely be coming over time. When purchasing one of these ZILR 12G SDI cables, you’ll get a protective pouch with it.

Pricing and availability

This new cable sells for $19.99, which isn’t the cheapest option, but since ZILR already has high-quality HDMI cables in their lineup, I think it’s safe to say that these new SDI variants will be of very decent quality as well.

For more information, you can visit ZILR’s website.

What do you think? Would you give such cables a go, or do you prefer other makes/models or even DIY ones? Share your experiences in the comments below!