Silly question: External Monitors?

[FowlersFreeTime]

Hey its been a while since I've asked a dumb question, I got one for you all today.
One of my gripes with the A6700 is the low resolution EVF and rear screen, they make manual focusing a bit challenging sometimes. So, would using an external monitor yield a bigger more detailed preview? By this I mean run the HDMI out from the A6700 and into something like a 5 or 7 inch monitor (such as the video folks usually use). In short, would the resulting preview be bigger and more detailed than the rear screen?

 

[Richard A]

I don't think that is a silly question. How often do you use manual focus? I would have thought that having an external monitor that size attached to your camera would make it a bit unwieldy. My RX100MVII has the same resolution viewfinder and a lower resolution screen and I can't say that I really have any problem manual focusing with it. Not that I use manual focus a lot.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Oh it was more a "thinking out loud" moment. I use manual focus sometimes on flower photos, and always when taking pictures of the moon, but that's hardly worth the expense or inconvenience of mounting a monitor.
But in theory it would work?

 

[Richard A]

In theory it would work. I believe there are some things that can't be output by the HDMI socket but I couldn't tell you what they are in stills camera mode.

 

[Unframed Dave]

Don't you use focus magnifier?

I find it very useful, like having 20 years taken off my eyesight.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

Don't you use focus magnifier?

I find it very useful, like having 20 years taken off my eyesight.

Oh absolutely! Even with focus magnifier though, sometimes I don't get as sharp a focus as I want. Part of that is probably focus peaking display overlapping the lines I try to focus on. Maybe time to schedule an eye exam LOL

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

something like a 5 or 7 inch monitor

I've sometimes wondered about using a phone. What do people think of that?

 

[Unframed Dave]

Oh absolutely! Even with focus magnifier though, sometimes I don't get as sharp a focus as I want. Part of that is probably focus peaking display overlapping the lines I try to focus on. Maybe time to schedule an eye exam LOL

Or lose the focus peaking?

 

[Richard A]

I can't say that I'm a huge fan of focus peaking. I have it turned off by default.

 

[Phil Vetra]

I've sometimes wondered about using a phone. What do people think of that?

I think that won't work as I can't see my phone in sunshine.

 

[Thad E Ginathom]

I can't see my phone in sunshine.

Oh, good point... are monitors much brighter?

 

[Phil Vetra]

In the camera there is settings for sunshine and it works well. I use it all the time when I can't see the screen. It's in Monitor Brightness - Manual or Sunny Weather.

 

[jacobomerced]

Hey its been a while since I've asked a dumb question, I got one for you all today.
One of my gripes with the A6700 is the low resolution EVF and rear screen, they make manual focusing a bit challenging sometimes. So, would using an external monitor yield a bigger more detailed preview? By this I mean run the HDMI out from the A6700 and into something like a 5 or 7 inch monitor (such as the video folks usually use). In short, would the resulting preview be bigger and more detailed than the rear screen?

QQ, did you get the external monitor? I have been looking at various external monitors, but am not sure what to get. I have read that on Sony cameras you don't get all the functions that the monitors bring. And I didn't find any specific thread for external monitors working on Sony cameras.

 

[FowlersFreeTime]

QQ, did you get the external monitor? I have been looking at various external monitors, but am not sure what to get. I have read that on Sony cameras you don't get all the functions that the monitors bring. And I didn't find any specific thread for external monitors working on Sony cameras.

No, in the end I decided it wasn't worth it for my limited uses.