Ikan has built an excellent reputation for providing high quality tools and accessories at reasonable prices. Their new VX-9 8.9” LCD monitor continues this tradition.

Anyone who has ever shot using an external monitors knows that an accurately calibrated external monitor provides much more accurate framing, focus and exposure determination than the camera’s LCD screen. jib or Steadicam shooting makes external monitoring absolutely essential. And DSLR shooting can benefit greatly from an external viewing device.

The question is always how large a display is needed and is practical. I suppose that is driven by a number of factors. A 9" display is a bit large to mount on top of small to medium size camcorders for hand-held work. For tripod work, I find the popular 5-6" displays too small. All things considered, I believe that Ikan chose the proper size to introduce a monitor of its specific feature set at the reasonable price point of $1,149.

The VX-9 is a plastic-cased LED monitor which has maximum versatility through the inclusion of every possible I/O option. Up to this point, all LED monitors included component video inputs as well as SD options such as composite or S-Video. From that point, users could opt for those standard I/O’s and either SDI or HDMI. The VX-9 includes both SDI and HDMI. Note that there is a single SDI channel both in and out (loop through) while it only accepts HDMI in.

The VX-9 also provides more power options than most of its competitors. It can be configured with Canon, Panasonic, Sony DV or Sony BP-U battery plates (one battery and plate is included with the unit). Additional plates are $29.95 each. For an additional $149, V-mount or AB-mount plates are available. The VX-9 ships with an AC adapter with pin connector for the adapter or third-party battery as well as a standard 4-pin XLR connector for 12v-20v sources.

My test unit shipped with a Sony plate and third-party compatible battery and charger. The plate screwed securely with supplied hardware to the back of the monitor. But the feel is definitely plasticy and I did not feel very secure attaching and detaching battery. The mount itself required some alignment and pressure to mount battery and the connection to the monitor felt like too much pressure could snap it. Personally I would think that power from an external source would be a more secure situation.

Front controls include input selection controls, two programmable function keys, aspect ratio selection, menu button, and knobs for bright/contrast/chroma/tint. The large real estate provided by a monitor of this size means the controls can be clearly marked and easily used without being cramped.

The VX-9 has a native resolution of 1024 x 600, not as high as other competitors but with the combination of its LED backlighting and 1:1 aspect ratio option selected on the front panel, I have found the monitor more than adequate for composing a shot, checking focus, and setting exposure in coordination with options afforded by camera or external metering.

Among the other options available through the menu are over/underscan and split screen/freeze frame. This latter option is again most useful for comparing shots and matching exposure and other user parameters.

Finally, Ikan was thoughtful in providing standard 1/4-20 mounting holes on every possible side of the monitor to mount it in ways that probably Ikan engineers have not yet considered.

Like any professional device, the VX-9 may be calibrated to bars (external source only) with the aid of a blue only “gun.” It is here that I experienced some strangeness with the unit. Taking bars from a Sony EX-3 to monitor via SDI, I followed standard procedures for lowering chroma, brightness, setting pluge lines, matching bars, turning on blue only, etc. But after following all proper calibration procedures, I could not get a color display to return. It was only after power cycling the monitor that I could again obtain a color image. So I then basically calibrated using color bar feed from camera with the old “experienced eyeball” approach. I did feel confident that my calibration is accurate and is far different from monitor as received which definitely was too light in gamma.

The VX-9 autosenses everything from SD to 1080p24 and I fed it both from SDI of camera as well as HDMI output of my Matrox MXO2 MiniMax attached to MacBook Pro. That becomes, by the way, an added use for a small monitor. Since I do edit in the field and compress for web using the Matrox portable device, the addition of any HDMI monitor can assure accurate NLE monitoring. Pixel response was fast without ghosting, motion artifacts or blur. The included small articulating arm held quite firmly and was simple to attach to monitor and then mount on camera hot shoe.

LED monitors as a whole suffer from narrow viewing angles. That unquestionably is the case with the VX-9. You really need to be dead center on the monitor to view it. Even the slightest off axis angle made it unviewable.  The backlighting made the image quite bright and it was even useable outdoors in the shade. The addition of some form of hood would produce useful viewing outdoors. Ikan does not currently offer such a product but I suspect that something could be sourced through a third party like Hoodman.

I’ve used the VX-9 on several shoots as well as on a test edit on the notebook computer with the Matrox device. Feel and performance are adequate for what one is paying. Would I compare this to a monitor with metal case and costing three times as much? No. Could I afford that monitor? No. Could I afford the Ikan and would it do a better job for me than the camera LED alone? Absolutely yes. That’s the light in which most products should be considered and with the wide range of LED monitors on the market, that’s how the VX-9 should be considered.

It lacks scopes, which higher end devices have. Some of its lower end competitors offer peaking or false color to help with exposure. But these competitors are more expensive than the Ikan and one needs to weigh whether they are really worth several hundred dollars.

The Ikan VX-9 represents tremendous value in a monitor that combines large screen area, sharp resolution, universal inputs, and diverse power options. It is another of those products that lowers the price of entry for professionals seeking to expand their tool box with accessories that enhance the ability to achieve the best possible images. Its low price comes at the price of resolution and bullet-proof construction. Still, when balancing all of these variables, professionals who otherwise would not be to shoot with external monitoring now have the chance to own a credible unit that will work with any camera out there.

Ikan VX-9 Monitor

SCORE: 

PROS: Large screen area, both HDMI and SDI interfaces, multiple aspect ratios including 1:1, versatile mounting options, wide choice in power options, user programmable function keys, blue only mode

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