SmallHD Focus 504 Announced – 5-Inch 1000-Nit Monitor With 3G-SDI, HDMI 2.0, and Wi-Fi Camera Control

Monitoring News

by Johnnie BehiriToday

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SmallHD has brought back the Focus name with the Focus 504, a 5-inch 1080p touchscreen monitor in an aluminum body that weighs 310g. It has 3G-SDI and HDMI 2.0 inputs and outputs, a built-in Sony L-Series battery slot, locking USB-C ports, and internal 2.4GHz Wi-Fi for wireless camera control. At $999, it becomes the entry point to SmallHD’s current 5-inch range, but it is far from a budget monitor.

SmallHD has added the new Focus 504 to its online store and to a dedicated Focus landing page. The company describes it as its “smallest, slimmest monitor yet”. The 4.97-inch IPS touchscreen has a 1920 x 1080 resolution (443ppi), a maximum brightness of 1000 nits, and a 60Hz refresh rate. The monitor processes video at 10-bit on an 8-bit panel. Video connections are full-size: one 3G-SDI BNC input and output, and one full-size HDMI 2.0 input and output, with cross-conversion in both directions. A locking USB-C “PVC” port carries power, video, and data, and two more locking USB-C ports supply accessory power and take a USB flash drive. The monitor runs PageOS 6, and an internal 2.4GHz Wi-Fi module is ready for wireless camera control of ARRI, Sony, RED, and Canon cameras. SmallHD says that this function is “coming soon” and that licenses are sold separately.

SmallHD aims the Focus 504 at lightweight camera builds, handheld operation, gimbal rigs, and small productions. The name will be familiar to many readers. The original 5-inch SmallHD FOCUS launched at $499 with a 1280 x 720, 800-nit panel and micro HDMI input, and SmallHD later added SDI, OLED, and Focus Pro versions for RED cameras. The Focus 504 keeps the compact idea but moves up in build quality, brightness, and price.

Body, size, and mounting

The Focus 504 uses an anodized aluminum unibody with a raised protective bezel around the screen. SmallHD lists the dimensions as 136 x 88 x 23.9mm / 5.35 x 3.46 x 0.94in and the weight as 0.31kg / 0.68lb without a battery. That is light for a monitor with full-size SDI and HDMI connectors.

There are four 1/4″-20 mounting points (top, bottom, left, and right), and each has ARRI locating pins. Physical controls are a rear joystick, a back button, and two custom function buttons, in addition to the touchscreen. Operating temperature is 0°C to 40°C / 32°F to 105°F.

The display: bright, but not the brightest in the range

At 1000 nits, the Focus 504 is daylight-viewable in most conditions, but it does not match the 2000 nits of the Cine 5 or the 3000 nits of the Ultra 5. Contrast is 1000:1, and the backlight is edge-lit and adjustable.

On color, the SmallHD material is not consistent. The product text says 100% Rec.709 coverage, while the technical spec table on the same page lists 97% Rec.709. Until SmallHD clarifies this, we take 97% as the safer figure. The monitor stores a 33-point calibration LUT internally, and it supports 17-point user LUTs from removable media. A 17-point LUT can also go downstream on the SDI, HDMI, or USB-C output.

Inputs, outputs, and signal support

On SDI, the Focus 504 accepts 3G-SDI, HD-SDI, and SD-SDI signals in YCC 4:2:2 10-bit, up to 1080p60. The HDMI 2.0 input takes signals up to 2160p30 and 1080p120, and the monitor displays them on its 1080p panel. Both SDI and HDMI have loop outputs, and the monitor can cross-convert HDMI to SDI and SDI to HDMI. This is useful when a mirrorless camera with HDMI only must feed an SDI wireless transmitter or a director’s monitor.

Audio comes in through HDMI or SDI, with metering for up to eight channels and a 3.5mm headphone jack for monitoring.

The USB-C setup is the most interesting change. SmallHD calls the main locking port “PVC” (power, video, communication). According to SmallHD, it accepts power input or output, DisplayPort Alt Mode video input, and USB data, depending on the connected device, cable, and firmware. The two other locking USB-C ports give 5V/1.5A accessory power and USB data. Users can plug in a USB-C flash drive to update firmware, load LUTs, and save screen grabs. A 16GB SmallHD USB-A/C flash drive comes in the box, together with a clear screen protector.

Power options

There are three ways to power the Focus 504:

• a built-in Sony L-Series battery slot
• a locking 2-pin input that accepts 10V to 17V
• the locking PVC USB-C port, at 5V to 20V and up to 25W

SmallHD rates power consumption at 10W for the monitor alone and 35W maximum. The company recommends a 12V to 15V DC supply at approximately 2.5A or more.

PageOS 6, vertical mode, and camera control

The Focus 504 runs PageOS 6, which we covered when SmallHD rolled it out to all current monitors. Users build custom pages from tools such as false color (rainbow, ARRI style, or custom with up to 10 nodes), dual zebras, waveform, vectorscope, RGB parade, histogram, focus assist, and peaking. Other tools include frame guides, pixel zoom up to 8x, image flip and rotate, and anamorphic de-squeeze at 0.75x, 1.33x, 1.5x, 1.66x, 2.0x, and 2.5x. Teradek RT overlays are also on the tool list.

The monitor also has the Vertical Mode portrait interface that arrived with the PageOS update that added Fleet Control and Canon camera control. Fleet Control can also load LUTs.

The Wi-Fi module is the feature that separates the Focus 504 from earlier small SmallHD monitors. SmallHD says that it will let the monitor control select RED, ARRI, Canon, and Sony cameras without a control cable. The spec table names ARRI, Sony VENICE, RED DSMC2, and RED RCP2 cameras (KOMODO and DSMC3), while the marketing text adds Canon, for which SmallHD already sells wired camera control for its Cinema EOS cameras. Note that camera control is not active at launch: SmallHD says it is “coming soon”, and each camera license costs extra. The three USB-C ports also support wired camera control protocols.

Accessories

SmallHD sells a Focus 504 Sunhood for $129. It mounts without tools, has magnetic top and side flaps, and has a microfiber interior that protects the screen when folded down. A replacement bottom flag costs $29, and a spare clear screen protector costs $29.99.

Where does it fit?

In SmallHD’s current 5-inch range, the Focus 504 sits below the Cine 5 ($1,649) and the Ultra 5 ($2,249). The main difference is brightness: 1000 nits against 2000 and 3000 nits. Compared with the original Focus, the price has doubled. Many 5-inch monitors from other brands with similar brightness cost much less, and some of them also record. The Focus 504 does not record video. Its value is in PageOS, the SDI and HDMI cross-conversion, the aluminum build, and the camera control function. The launch also comes after a difficult financial period for SmallHD’s parent company Videndum.

Price and availability

The SmallHD Focus 504 costs $999 at B&H, and €914.71 at CVP.

Are 1000 nits and Wi-Fi camera control enough to justify $999 for a 5-inch monitor, or do you prefer a cheaper monitor-recorder for your handheld rig? Let us know in the comments below!