[GregL65]

With a K-5 II, what are my options for viewing the liveview display on my smartphone screen?

Are there more/better options with newer bodies?

[aaacb]

With newer models you have the ricoh image sync app, it gives remote control with live view. I think you can find in the app description which models are supported, i use it with k1ii and griii.

[Adam]

With a K-5 II, what are my options for viewing the liveview display on my smartphone screen?

Not many unless you find a crazy way to feed HDMI output into the phone.

Are there more/better options with newer bodies?

Yes- with all recent bodies (2016+), you can use the Image Sync app to view live view over wi-fi. Details below:

Pentax K-S2 Review - Wi-Fi Features | PentaxForums.com Reviews

[GregL65]

Not many unless you find a crazy way to feed HDMI output into the phone.

What about this? Any reason it wouldn't work on a K-5 II?

You Tube

You Tube

Even for newer bodies that can use the Image Sync app you mentioned, this method would have the advantage of not requiring wi-fi.

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Last edited by GregL65; 02-11-2021 at 12:56 PM.

[stevebrot]

What about this? Any reason it wouldn't work on a K-5 II?

How to use your phone as a HDMI Video Monitor - YouTube

Even for newer bodies that can use the Image Sync app you mentioned, this method would have the advantage of not requiring wi-fi.

As long as you are happy with the limited resolution of the rear LCD, it should work. I have tried something similar in the past and still have the various adapters required, but it is not something I have interest in doing again.


Steve

[GregL65]

As long as you are happy with the limited resolution of the rear LCD

Thanks, but why would it be limited to the rear LCD resolution? He's using it on a Sony a7iii, which has the same rear LCD resolution as the K-5 II; 921K = 640×480. But he says he's getting HD from that camera's HDMI port onto his "Huawei Mate 20 Pro" phone, which has a resolution of 3120 x 1440.

He says in the video that to get HD from the Sony a7iii to the smartphone he had to use an app called "Endoscope HD Camera", which as far as I can tell has 1080p = 1920 x 1080 resolution.

[UncleVanya]

Not all hdmi output is equal. I recall a 645d or 645z review where they tried to get high quality video and after issues with in camera recording they attempted the hdmi feed but it wasn’t very high quality. I think you can try it - and it may help - but I would not be certain of the outcome until tested.

[stevebrot]

Thanks, but why would it be limited to the rear LCD resolution?

Because HDMI out from live view is a dump from the live view buffer, even in movie mode. At best that is 921Kpx into a 3:2 ratio. How this is displayed on the monitor device is negotiated between the camera and the monitor. With my K-3 attached to my HD TV, things are pretty jaggy. The TV reports 780P into 16:9 with the camera in movie mode.


Steve

[clackers]

Thanks, but why would it be limited to the rear LCD resolution?

The display coming out of the HDMI port is only the rear panel's signal, not the signal onto the sensor.

[GregL65]

The display coming out of the HDMI port is only the rear panel's signal, not the signal onto the sensor.

Is it surprising that the guy who made the video is getting 1920 x 1080 from the HDMI port of a camera that has a rear LCD resolution of 921K = 640×480? Or is that an expected difference between Sony and Pentax?

[stevebrot]

Is it surprising that the guy who made the video is getting 1920 x 1080 from the HDMI port of a camera that has a rear LCD resolution of 921K = 640×480? Or is that an expected difference between Sony and Pentax?

No, it is not surprising at all. Sony* supports clean HDMI out based on direct sensor output, something that no Pentax camera offers;** so yes, that is one of the differences. Unless the guy in the video is demonstrating with a Pentax camera, one can pretty much assume that the feature is specific to the camera they are using.

Added: The question, "Can I use my smartphone as a field monitor" comes up with some regularity on these forums and the answer is always, yes, but you might be happier with a real monitor tested and equipped to work with your camera and even then, the resolution is limited to the live view buffer size (~1037 Kpx on the K-3). That will support a monitor resolution somewhat less (say 1028 x 720 = 921.6K pixels) for video recording.


Steve

* Not the camera in the video. I think he is shooting a Lumix/Panasonic, but same story.

** Much requested, but so far, not granted.

[GregL65]

No, it is not surprising at all. Sony supports clean HDMI out based on direct sensor output, something that no Pentax camera offers

Thanks, I'm glad to be clear on that now.

the live view buffer size (~1037 Kpx on the K-3). That will support a monitor resolution somewhat less (say 1028 x 720 = 921.6K pixels) for video recording.

I'm confused about your math here. The K-3 lcd screen has 1037K dots, not 1037K pixels. At 3 dots per pixel, that's about 346K pixels. Given the K-3 lcd screen's 3:2 aspect ratio, that works out to 720 x 480 pixels:

SQRT(~346K x (3/2)) = 720
SQRT(~346K x (2/3)) = 480

[stevebrot]

The K-3 lcd screen has 1037K dots

Dots and pixels are analogous to each other and inter-convertible for all practical purposes when talking displays (not so with printing).* I probably should have simply done the math and converted to bytes. In any case, if you want to try your phone as a wired monitor, go for it. The parts are cheap and it may well serve your needs. A 5" monitor will set you back $130 USD.


Steve

* It gets sort of confusing when talking linear resolution because that is often enough DPI while PPI is also used, sometimes in the same documentation. My film scanners do DPI in the set-up but output in pixels. Go figure.

[GregL65]

Dots and pixels are analogous to each other and inter-convertible for all practical purposes when talking displays

Thanks, but given that the context is displaying on a phone or tablet screen whose resolution in pixels is understood to be in terms of each pixel being a set of three dots -- one red, one blue, and one green -- I don't see that dots and pixels are the same thing in this context.

When the guy who made the video said he was able to display at 1080P resolution, he was talking about 1920 x 1080 sets of 3 dots, not 1920 x 1080 single-color dots.

The dot/pixel terminology may get fuzzy in some contexts, but regardless, the K-3 lcd screen has 1,036,800 single-color dots, and only 345,600 sets of 3 dots.

345,600 sets of 3 dots at 3:2 comes out to 720 x 480 sets of 3 dots. If I'm not mistaken, that's the relevant resolution when considering displaying on a phone or tablet screen with a resolution given in "pixels" which are understood in that context to be sets of 3 dots, where one dot in the set is red, one is blue, and one is green.

[stevebrot]

Thanks, but given that the context is displaying on a phone or tablet screen whose resolution in pixels is understood to be in terms of each pixel being a set of three dots -- one red, one blue, and one green -- I don't see that dots and pixels are the same thing in this context.

You and Google are at odds...ditto for the Wikipedia. As for the guy who made the video; he may have been able to pipe 1080p across USB to his phone...red herring. You should be able to manage 1080p as well with your K-5II, though in playback mode. I suggest you actually give it a try and if it works super well, post a new thread in the field accessories forum where it will likely generate a ton of comments.


Steve