A quick question: in order to record 4K/HDR/4:4:4 footage would you shell out €115 for a coiled HDMI 2.0a cable that is 30cm-60cm long? Or would you opt for a thin, flexible cable of let’s say 150cm that is certified for HDMI 2.0b but costs €25.95? I don’t know about you, but given that I can roll up the latter to a lightweight loop, yet use that same cable to put my video monitor/recorder in a secure location while operating my camera at a distance, I wouldn’t hesitate for a moment. I tested the RU Connected thin cable with a Shogun Inferno, recording 4K/60 in V-log (Rec.2020, aka “HDR”) and was very happy with it.
RU Connected is a Dutch company that operates its own web store – they sell cables all over the world – and which manufactures high-quality cables at a decent price. The philosophy of the RU Connected founder is that a cable shouldn’t be more expensive because of the marketing behind it. Consequently, when you order one of their cables, you won’t get a beautifully designed box, there won’t be satin paper for packaging and you won’t spend an arm and a leg on what essentially is a shielding tube with some copper wire inside and a plug at each end.
Having said that, RU Connected doesn’t skimp on the cable itself. The shielding is of the highest quality, the copper wire is oxygen-free, the connectors or plugs are made of highly conductive materials and the shipping box it comes in ensures the cable won’t bend or break during transport. The only thing that’s missing is the marketing theatre we’ve grown accustomed to from some other premium cable manufacturers in the world.
The “Dunne HDMI Kabel” – Dutch for “Thin HDMI Cable” – can be had in lengths of up to 2.5 metres. It’s a 4.3mm thick cable with no outside reinforcement to keep the cable as flexible as possible. That’s in contrast to RU Connected’s flat HDMI cables, which come with a woven wrapper sheeting and 45mm metal connectors that give the cable extra strength and rigidity, but makes it less useful for shooting film and video.
The connector of the Dunne HDMI Kabel, on the other hand, is only 18mm, has gold-plated contacts and is made of CNC-machined aluminium. Although the cable has no rigid outside sheeting, it has double shielding against interference, which I immediately noticed as there was no influence of an old magnetic recorder I deliberately put next to it. My iMac’s display went all over the place, but the Shogun’s rendering remained spotless.
I tested the cable with a camera on a 200cm slider, first with the Shogun mounted on the camera. For that to be efficient, I rolled up the 150cm cable to a loop of just 10cm – not less to make sure I wouldn’t put too much stress on it. Then I tested the cable by unmounting the Shogun and placing it underneath the slider with the cable unrolled.
Both methods worked perfectly. Now there’s one thing I couldn’t find out yet, which is how long it will take before the cable breaks under repeated rolling/unrolling, but given the price you could easily buy two of them — one permanently rolled up and the other extended – and still be a lot cheaper off than when buying a coiled cable that doesn’t extend over 60cm.
Visuals Producer 