Deal Alert: SmallHD Ultra 5 Drops to $1,399 at B&H

What Is the SmallHD Ultra 5?

The SmallHD Ultra 5 is a 5" ultra-bright on-camera / on-rig monitor designed for
serious cinema work. Think of it as a compact brain for your camera department: daylight viewable, built
like a brick, and deeply integrated with camera control for ARRI, RED, and Sony VENICE bodies (with the
appropriate licenses and cables).

Key Specs at a Glance

• Display: 5" touchscreen, 1920 × 1080 class panel
• Brightness: up to 3000 nits – genuinely daylight viewable
• Color: 10-bit processing, full Rec.709 / DCI-P3 coverage depending on mode
• Inputs/Outputs: HDMI 2.0 & 3G-SDI in/out with cross-conversion
• Power: locking 2-pin power input (10–34V) with optional Gold/V-mount plates
• Control I/O: Ethernet and USB for camera control workflows
• Software: PageOS 5 with waveform, EL Zone, false color, LUTs, peaking, and more
• Build: rugged aluminum chassis with multiple 1/4"-20 mounting points

In other words: this is a monitor meant for real productions, not just a bright consumer screen.

Why This Deal Is Actually Good

At $1,399, the Ultra 5 slides into the same price conversation as many mid-tier 7" monitors
and even some of SmallHD’s own Cine and Indie series. But you’re getting:

What You’re Getting for $1,399

• True daylight visibility: 3000 nits is no joke — it’s brighter than most 1000–1500 nit
  monitors and absolutely usable in direct sun without a hood.
• Camera-control ready: With the proper licenses and cables, you can control ARRI, RED, or
  Sony VENICE from the monitor itself, cutting down on extra boxes and UI clutter.
• Serious I/O: HDMI and SDI in/out, cross-conversion, Ethernet, locking power – it’s built
  to live on a cinema build, not just a mirrorless hot shoe.
• PageOS 5 toolset: EL Zone exposure, waveform, vectorscope, advanced false color, LUT
  support, focus aids, and customizable pages.

If you were cross-shopping a Cine 5, Indie 5, or similar, this sale pushes the Ultra 5 into
“spend a bit more, get a lot more monitor” territory.

Who Should Grab the Ultra 5 at This Price?

This isn’t really a casual YouTube monitor. It’s built for crews who are on set regularly and need something
that won’t fall apart on a heavy production schedule.

Great Fits

• Focus pullers: Pair it with wireless video and you’ve got a daylight-viewable 5"
  focus station with proper scopes and overlays.
• Owner-operators with cinema bodies: ARRI / RED / VENICE shooters get a monitor that can
  double as a camera control panel and stay in the kit across multiple bodies.
• Gimbal ops: Small, bright, and robust enough to live on a Ronin 2, RS 4, or Movi where
  weight and visibility both matter.
• Director’s handheld / village: With wireless video, the Ultra 5 makes a fantastic small
  director’s monitor, especially on cramped locations.

Probably Overkill For

• Beginners and hobbyists: If you’re not charging for your work yet, you can get by with a
  cheaper 1000–1500 nit monitor.
• Pure studio shooters: If you almost never fight the sun, you may not need 3000 nits and
  can save money with a more modest panel.

Ultra 5 vs Other SmallHD 5" Monitors

Inside SmallHD’s own lineup, the Ultra 5 sits above the Cine 5 and Indie 5 as the no-compromise 5" option.

• Ultra 5: 3000 nits, HDMI/SDI, Ethernet, camera-control options, full PageOS 5, rugged build.
• Cine 5: 2000 nits, strong feature set, but not as bright and not as deep on I/O for control.
• Indie 5: 1000 nits, solid for smaller mirrorless rigs and indie budgets, but not on the
  same level for harsh daylight or camera-control workflows.

With the sale price, the Ultra 5 is now much closer to those monitors than it usually is, which is why this
discount stands out.

Should You Jump on It?

If you’re already in the SmallHD / Teradek / cinema camera ecosystem, the Ultra 5 is one of
those pieces of kit that will probably outlive your current camera. It’s bright enough for any exterior, it
speaks the same software language as other SmallHD displays, and it’s built to be bolted onto real rigs.

At $1,399, the value proposition flips: instead of justifying why you’re spending so much on a
monitor, you’re justifying why you’d wait and risk paying full price later. If you’ve rented the Ultra 5 before
or have been on the fence about upgrading your on-camera monitor, this is the moment to seriously consider
buying instead of renting.