Jonathan Young, DoP / Lighting Cameraman reviews the Hollyland 600

Jonathan Young, DoP / Lighting Cameraman has recently returned from Southern Bangladesh after filming in the Royhinga refugee camps. With him was a Hollyland 600, and now he has written a review. "I have just returned from a tough shooting assignment in Southern Bangladesh. Filming took place in the hot, humid Royhinga refugee camps. I took the new 600 Wireless RX and TX unit with me. I was expecting some of the usual difficulties that are associated with Wireless Video Sender systems but I can honestly say I had none of them with this unit. In the field, I switched on the units, they locked up to the video signals within 3 seconds and that was it! The picture was solid and stable from the word go, no wavering about whether it was going to fade or not. The units have performed flawlessly on the road. And I like to think that I properly stress tested them. The video sender units were attached to a camera and monitor system, which was thrown in the back of the 4x4, driven for several hours and bounced along poor roads, carried along through the camps by hand (and on occasion dropped due to sweaty hands). On the few occasions the picture dropped out, it was at some distance with vehicles, buildings, large groups of people crowded with around us with the aerials of the TX often lower than the RX. Once the signal was clear enough to be picked up again, the monitor just came back to life. I didn't have to switch on, switch on to reset the system like some other sender brands. I was also expecting the aerials to break given the abuse I had been dishing out, hand carrying the camera around the camps, entering low settlements, but again no, they held their own. The only weak spot in the whole system is the quality box the universal ball joint mount. It isn't strong enough to stand the rigours of the field. Apart from that, the units have been great, I haven't had to look at a menu / set up once. It really is plug and play. If ever there was a good use of the phrase 'does what is says on the tin' this is it."