Hollyland MARS M1 all-in-one transmitter, receiver, & monitor review

The Hollyland MARS M1 is an all-in-one transmitter, receiver, and monitor solution. It can be used as either a TX or RX unit and it can also be used together with the Mars 300 Pro, Mars 400s Pro, Mars 4K, and future Mars Pro/4K series products.

We have seen quite a few companies bring out monitors with wireless video capabilities and the MARS M1 now joins that growing list of options that are available.

Concept

The concept, like most of the other monitors with wireless video capabilities, was pretty simple. Come up with an on-camera monitor that can also transmit wireless video to two other monitors while also simultaneously sending signals to up to three smart devices.

The Hollyland MARS M1 is in direct competition with the Vaxis Atom A5 and Shimbol ZO600M 5.5″ Wireless Video Transmission Device that I have both previously reviewed on the site. Both the Vaxis and the Shimbol feature very similar functionality to the MARS M1. The big advantage the MARS M1 has over the competition is that has both HDMI and SDI inputs.

Who is it aimed at?
The MARS M1 is clearly being targeted at users who are looking for an affordable all-in-one wireless monitoring solution, with the added versatility of being able to use it as a stand-alone monitor, and send images simultaneously to an app. This could mean anyone from people starting out on a budget, right up to seasoned professionals.

Shooters working on high-end factual productions will often get requests to provide a wireless monitoring solution as part of their kit. My go-to solution is usually the SmallHD Cine7 500 TX and a SmallHD Focus 7 Bolt 500 RX. Even those both these products are a little long in the tooth now, they still serve me well. However, you can get by with a lot more affordable solutions depending on the requirements of the production.

Occasionally I will also use Wi-Fi-based TX units such as the Accsoon CineEye 2S Wireless SDI/HDMI Video Transmitter that can send signals straight to multiple mobile devices.

As I already mentioned, one of the advantages of using something like the MARS M1 over a traditional wireless device is that you can also use it as an on-camera monitor whenever you don’t need to provide a wireless video system. This is likely to make it more appealing than a stand-alone wireless system. Versatility is increasingly becoming more of a factor when people are choosing kit.

Build Quality

The build quality of the MARS M1 is very good. I personally found it to be fairly comparable to the Vaxis A5, Atomos Ninja V, or Ninja V+. In my opinion, it is a lot more solidly made than most 5″/5.5″ budget monitors with integrated wireless that I have come across. It probably isn’t quite as well-made as the Vaxis A5, but it is fairly close.

The entire casing is made out of aluminum and even though it doesn’t weigh that much, it still feels robustly made. Holyland has put a layer of rubber over the top of the aluminum shell which helps protect it somewhat if you were to drop it. I also found that it also helps when you are holding onto it because it becomes easier to grip.