Hello,

I am contemplating of buying a Weefine WED-7 External Monitor for underwater videography (my new camera will be Sony FX3).

If anyone has this monitor, could you please share your experience? 

Many thanks!

I have a Kraken 5.5 monitor I am happy with. For me the 7 inch monitors would add too much bulk to my already bulky rig(Nauticam with Fuji X-T3).

I was also considering upgrading to a 7” but I saw one in person and it is really huge. I don't know.
IIRC the Weefine 7” has a brightness of about 500 NIT. Classic value of the older generation of monitors. 
I would look for a last generation 5" monitor with at least 1000 NIT brightness. Especially for you, diving in tropical waters.
Lately I bought a new 1000 NITS monitor to use for land shooting and I am delighted. It is priceless to shoot in bright light and not need the sunshade.

 

I have both the 5" and 7".

 

I use the 5 with my GH5s and the 7 with the Z8 as there were blackout on the 5" with the Z8 each time after I stopped recording video (the photo mode has not this issue but it's a Nikon issue as it also affects other brand of expensive monitors...). I prefer the 5 as it is more compact despite the total lack of controls except on/off. The 7 is a classic cheap monitor with many options/buttons such as flip screen, etc... Brightness was okay in shallow waters in Lembeh but not exceptional but still very usable. The 2 x 18650 batteries in the Weefine 7" are enough to do 3 x 70min dives. The design of the 7" has slightly changed I think in 2023 with a better shade, new cables. 

 

Weefine cables were previously junk as they tended to break easily. They have a new design that seems better but still the cable is thin in comparison to Nauticam (which also used to break). Time will tell how durable they are

Edited November 13, 2024Nov 13 by eocean-eu

I have had WED7 2 years ago and used it on 40 dives. It was probably early unit and it was piece of junk. Yes once the HDMI cable was replaced with newer version I could finally see the image. But then the unit started to act erratically, the buttons were responding like on random basis. There was no way to update the firmware so I returned the unit. The screen wasn't really usable in shallower depths. Also buoyancy is less then optimal - it is a brick and need a lot to compensate.

 

@DiversLens since you mentioned FX3 I am guessing you are serious about video work and will want to shoot Slog3 and perhaps deliver in HDR. I am shooting A1 - different sensor, perhaps similar philosophy but IDK. With A1 I am shooting based on waveform on my Shinobi monitor interpreting clean HDMI log signal into HDR HLG. This gives me maximum brightness keeping the waveform just at the top. At bright scenes my A1 monitor is unreadable while Shinobi shows beautiful scene. 

 

So to sum this up if your intentions are similar to mine then you have currently only two options for UW monitors - Shinobi/Ninja and SmallHD Ultra5. These Weefines and Supes won't work as they do not have HDR Log interpreting - but I would be happy if owners of recent versions would prove me wrong.

 

Either way good luck, I am in awe what A1 sensor can produce.

 

P.S. since I am also shooting stills I am contemplating to sell my Shinobi setup and splash for SmallHD - just because their PageOS and Nauticam interface might allow me access settings underwater or even create dedicated presets for stills and video. I can't see Shinobi on Nauticam website anymore. only Ninja. So my Shinobi setup might be for sale. But need to put my hands on SmallHD first.

On 11/14/2024 at 4:24 AM, RomiK said:

I have had WED7 2 years ago and used it on 40 dives. It was probably early unit and it was piece of junk. Yes once the HDMI cable was replaced with newer version I could finally see the image. But then the unit started to act erratically, the buttons were responding like on random basis. There was no way to update the firmware so I returned the unit. The screen wasn't really usable in shallower depths. Also buoyancy is less then optimal - it is a brick and need a lot to compensate.

 

@DiversLens since you mentioned FX3 I am guessing you are serious about video work and will want to shoot Slog3 and perhaps deliver in HDR. I am shooting A1 - different sensor, perhaps similar philosophy but IDK. With A1 I am shooting based on waveform on my Shinobi monitor interpreting clean HDMI log signal into HDR HLG. This gives me maximum brightness keeping the waveform just at the top. At bright scenes my A1 monitor is unreadable while Shinobi shows beautiful scene. 

 

So to sum this up if your intentions are similar to mine then you have currently only two options for UW monitors - Shinobi/Ninja and SmallHD Ultra5. These Weefines and Supes won't work as they do not have HDR Log interpreting - but I would be happy if owners of recent versions would prove me wrong.

 

Either way good luck, I am in awe what A1 sensor can produce.

 

P.S. since I am also shooting stills I am contemplating to sell my Shinobi setup and splash for SmallHD - just because their PageOS and Nauticam interface might allow me access settings underwater or even create dedicated presets for stills and video. I can't see Shinobi on Nauticam website anymore. only Ninja. So my Shinobi setup might be for sale. But need to put my hands on SmallHD first.

Thank you for your reply, useful information and recommendations.  I see that my options are quite limited (and more expensive).  Do you have a YouTube Channel, where I can see your videos shot on A1?

On 11/13/2024 at 10:48 AM, eocean-eu said:

I have both the 5" and 7".

 

I use the 5 with my GH5s and the 7 with the Z8 as there were blackout on the 5" with the Z8 each time after I stopped recording video (the photo mode has not this issue but it's a Nikon issue as it also affects other brand of expensive monitors...). I prefer the 5 as it is more compact despite the total lack of controls except on/off. The 7 is a classic cheap monitor with many options/buttons such as flip screen, etc... Brightness was okay in shallow waters in Lembeh but not exceptional but still very usable. The 2 x 18650 batteries in the Weefine 7" are enough to do 3 x 70min dives. The design of the 7" has slightly changed I think in 2023 with a better shade, new cables. 

 

Weefine cables were previously junk as they tended to break easily. They have a new design that seems better but still the cable is thin in comparison to Nauticam (which also used to break). Time will tell how durable they are

Many thanks for your feedback!  Maybe having spare cables is a good idea. Brightness is of concern for me as well.

On 11/12/2024 at 10:36 AM, Davide DB said:

I was also considering upgrading to a 7” but I saw one in person and it is really huge. I don't know.
IIRC the Weefine 7” has a brightness of about 500 NIT. Classic value of the older generation of monitors. 
I would look for a last generation 5" monitor with at least 1000 NIT brightness. Especially for you, diving in tropical waters.
Lately I bought a new 1000 NITS monitor to use for land shooting and I am delighted. It is priceless to shoot in bright light and not need the sunshade.

 

With my vision, a 7" would be a better option, but unfortunately they all come with 500 NIT.  I have to see if a  5" monitor would be acceptable to me.

On 11/12/2024 at 8:10 AM, Tobyone said:

I have a Kraken 5.5 monitor I am happy with. For me the 7 inch monitors would add too much bulk to my already bulky rig(Nauticam with Fuji X-T3).

Thanks for the information.  Is the brightness acceptable?

1 hour ago, DiversLens said:

With my vision, a 7" would be a better option, but unfortunately they all come with 500 NIT.  I have to see if a  5" monitor would be acceptable to me.

 

I don't know what you imply with "with my vision" but if you suffer like me and many aging people of presbyopia, you'll still need some corrective lenses on your mask because whatever size of screen you'll get, it will be blurred. I have prescription lenses and one day I forgot my mask and borrowed a standard mask. Manual focusing on subject even with peaking enabled was complicated... 

 

Regarding the cable, having a spare set is to me important to have for any distant trip. 

Edited November 15, 2024Nov 15 by eocean-eu

1 hour ago, eocean-eu said:

 

I don't know what you imply with "with my vision" but if you suffer like me and many aging people of presbyopia, you'll still need some corrective lenses on your mask because whatever size of screen you'll get, it will be blurred. I have prescription lenses and one day I forgot my mask and borrowed a standard mask. Manual focusing on subject even with peaking enabled was complicated... 

 

Regarding the cable, having a spare set is to me important to have for any distant trip. 

I am looking for that option as well.  I saw some kind of flip lenses that I am investigating now.

4 hours ago, DiversLens said:

I am looking for that option as well.  I saw some kind of flip lenses that I am investigating now.

As a sidenote, if you want to try it "on the cheap", just buy a pair of the strongest cheap reading glasses you can find (usually +3 or +4), remove the arms and replace with a strap.

My vision is dropping fast as well, but I've been using this system for 2 years for shooting macro to supermacro video, and it's fine.
What I really like about this system is that the readers can be moved up or down (I usually have them low when I'm spotting, and covering the field of vision when I'm shooting), and removed as well (I just fit them on the mask at depth).

And it's super cheap as well. Just make sure you have a clip on the reader's strap so you can clip them to something when not in use.

This is what my current kit of DIY readers look like:


 

There's also a thread on the subject here

 

cheers

I could see it in bright sunlight in a pool. The brightness is more than adequate. I use diopters in my mask to see almost correctly, I have some astigmatism, which is not corrected for. I have had luck putting reading glasses on the outside of the mask, I have a flip mechanism I 3D printed. After some experimentation a +1 over my normal reading glasses worked.

I tried inside the mask, but it was too much of a pain in *** to clean mask.

11 hours ago, bghazzal said:

As a sidenote, if you want to try it "on the cheap", just buy a pair of the strongest cheap reading glasses you can find (usually +3 or +4), remove the arms and replace with a strap.

My vision is dropping fast as well, but I've been using this system for 2 years for shooting macro to supermacro video, and it's fine.
What I really like about this system is that the readers can be moved up or down (I usually have them low when I'm spotting, and covering the field of vision when I'm shooting), and removed as well (I just fit them on the mask at depth).

And it's super cheap as well. Just make sure you have a clip on the reader's strap so you can clip them to something when not in use.

This is what my current kit of DIY readers look like:


 

There's also a thread on the subject here

 

cheers

This is great idea! And thank you for the link!

32 minutes ago, Tobyone said:

I could see it in bright sunlight in a pool. The brightness is more than adequate. I use diopters in my mask to see almost correctly, I have some astigmatism, which is not corrected for. I have had luck putting reading glasses on the outside of the mask, I have a flip mechanism I 3D printed. After some experimentation a +1 over my normal reading glasses worked.

I tried inside the mask, but it was too much of a pain in *** to clean mask.

Thank you for your advise!