The new Aputure Full HD Monitors bring more affordable options to an already competitive market. A quick look online for 7-inch external monitors will bring up a long list of offers of varying prices, features and resolutions, with most affordable options falling into the 800 x 480 category. Once you filter out your search to HD monitors only, you will find the list is populated mostly by products in the 4-digit price range. Enter Aputure, the Chinese manufacturer that brought us the affordable Amaran range of LED light panels as well as the innovative DEC Wireless Remote Adapter. The new Aputure Full HD Monitors – a recent upgrade to their VS line – offer HD resolution at a very competitive price. These new FineHD incarnations bring several improvements over the previous VS-1 and VS-2. In addition to the leap in resolution to HD, both models boast improved Fine IPS screens with better contrast and brightness. This is useful for challenging outdoor shooting environments. A battery level reminder, input selection and shortcut functions are other improvements at the operating system level. These Aputure Full HD Monitors start with an RRP of under $200 with the VS-1 FineHD. But in terms of features, the improved resolution is pretty much it. This, of course, may be all you need as an alternative to the LCD screen on your camera. But if you require any kind of assist functionality, then the VS-2 FineHD is worth looking at. At an RRP of $279 you get the same HD 7-inch screen, plus features such as histogram, focus peaking, zebras, false colour and audio level meters. You also get a battery to use with the included Sony NP-compatible plate. Some features lacking in these models are support for LUTs, HDMI output and SDI support. But products offering these features at this resolution cost many times more, so it is easy to forgive the “basic” functionality at this price point. Even the VS-1 FineHD doesn’t seem so basic if you can output the assist functions you may have available in your camera to the larger display of the Aputure. For shooters wanting to invest in their first field monitor who are happy to compromise some of the higher-end features, HD resolution just got a lot more affordable. Check out the monitors on their site – we will post links to B&H once the items become available for pre-order. What do you think? Will you up your game this year with an external HD monitor?

Canon has just released its latest camera in the Powershot line – The Canon Powershot G16. I know what you’re thinking; this is a fixed lens, small sensor compact still cameras. Why are we talking about it? Well, there’s a few interesting features in G16 specification list that are quite exciting in terms of video. Some that we’ve never