I finally ditched my SmallHD monitor and switched to the Hollyland Pyro 5 as my onboard monitor. This happened on a real-world job—getting contracted to DP a new sports docu series on the University of Michigan’s baseball team—and for the first time in about five years, I left the SmallHD behind and ran the Pyro 5 on set. After using it for the first time in the field, I walked away with a few clear wins that matter when you’re moving fast and trying to stay sharp. First, the daylight visibility surprised me—in a good way. I was honestly a little nervous because I hadn’t tested it outside beforehand (probably not the smartest move), but it performed exceptionally well in broad daylight. I could confidently check focus and composition without needing a hoodman, and the 1500 nits of brightness helped cut through glare and reflections. Second, the ultra-low latency and touchscreen response made a huge difference for a run-and-gun sports doc environment—toggling focus peaking, 3D LUTs, waveform, and ripping through menus felt instant with no lag. Third, the build quality and design are just better for how I work: ports and inputs on the back, tons of connectivity, and none of the awkward SDI corner placement that used to annoy me. Even though it’s built with wireless capabilities in mind, I’m personally using it as my go-to onboard monitor for shoots on location and in my studio.