A few months ago I reviewed the Hollyland Mars 300 and at the time I proclaimed it as the best budget wireless system available. And for the most part, I still think that’s true. But now, Hollyland has just launched the Mars 400s which has slightly more advanced features than the Mars 300. There’s a bunch of review videos on YouTube that go over all the features but most skip over the latency. I’ll be honest and say yes absolutely there is latency but let’s face it, if you wanted 0 latency you’d be spending over 1500 dollars for a Teradek Bolt. What I’ll do is go over the Pro’s and Con’s of the Mars 400s so you can decide if the amount of features it has for $650 is worth the compromise of latency.

The Hollyland Mars 400s has a good weight to it, great for portability.

But first why would you need a wireless transmission system? Well having a director’s monitor is always helpful, even on small shoots because it allows anyone, not just a director, to have an extra set of eyes on what’s happening on screen. I’ve found that most people, not just filmmakers, can often spot things in the frame that you wouldn’t notice which is always helpful. And since the 400s is aimed at the prosumer crowd, this system is ideal for small shoots rigged onto your main camera or a gimbal setup.

The Mars 400s mounted with the Fuji XT3. A simple setup for monitoring tracking shots.

So let’s start with the Pros. The Mars 400s has a similar build as the 300 but with a few key differences. It has an OLED screen, an HDMI and SDI port and the ability to monitor using a mobile device which in my opinion, is it’s best feature. The OLED screen is clear and much brighter than the 300 and also has an option to scan for the best channels with the least amount of interference. The option to use either HDMI or SDI is also a plus. With cinema cameras, SDI is the preferred method of output but for small mirrorless cameras, HDMI is the only choice. The best feature by far is the ability to add 4 additional monitors using the HollyView mobile app. While connecting to the app, you can also choose scene modes to prioritize video quality, low latency or the balance of both when there’s interference.

The HollyView app is pretty robust for a wireless HDMI app.

Now the HollyView app is interesting because it doesn’t just provide a display but also a number of features typically found on cinema apps such as Waveform, Histogram, Focus Peaking, Zebra, Magnify, False Color, MonoColor and 3D LUT. This effectively empowers all crew members or even a client to monitor the shoot in real-time and increase collaboration, communication and efficiency.

With the HollyView app you can create multiple sources of monitoring with smart phones or tablets.

Now let’s talk about the Cons of the Mars 400s which for most filmmakers will be the latency which doesn’t have as much lag as the Mars 300 but is still very noticeable. As I mentioned, if you’re looking for 0 latency, you’re better off looking at the Teradeck. I wouldn’t recommend the 400s for critical situations like pulling focus or transmitting sensitive footage that would require encryption. And your mileage will vary in terms of how much lag you receive depending on your model of camera and whether you're using the HDMI or SDI ports. As far as distance goes, I’ve never had much range issues with the Mars 300 and the same goes for the 400s. But if you are worried about dropouts, I’ve tried attaching larger, RF antennas like what you’d find on wireless routers and they work like a charm.

The Hollyland Mars 400s is perfect for filmmakers on a budget who don’t want to spend over $1,000 on a wireless transmission system.

Overall, the Hollyland Mars 400s is a definite upgrade from the 300 and worth the current retail price of $650. It’s best feature is the multiple wireless video transmissions you can provide on set. Since everyone has a mobile device, it really empowers your crew to be more active participants during the shoot by providing the critical feedback you need when you’re on a tight schedule. If you aren’t budging on having 0 latency on set, I suggest you look elsewhere but if you’re willing to compromise a little bit of lag for some pretty useful features at an affordable price, then the Hollyland Mars 400s is the way to go.

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