yo, honestly I feel u so much on this because I literally went through the exact same struggle with my R6. I tried going cheap at first with some random 500-nit screen and basically couldnt see a thing outdoors... it was such a waste of money tbh. trying to judge C-Log3 on a dim screen is basically impossible because everything looks like grey mush until you get it into post and realize ur exposure was way off. So yeah, for ur budget, here is what I recommend based on what I have actually used:

• Atomos Ninja V 5-inch 4K HDMI Recording Monitor: This is basically the industry standard for a reason. I have used it for a year and the OS is super intuitive. It handles 1000 nits well but unfortunately it drains batteries like crazy... I mean seriously, you better have a bunch of NP-F970s ready. Also, if you want to record ProRes RAW you gotta buy an SSD which adds to the cost.
• PortKeys BM5 III WR 5.5-inch Touchscreen Monitor: I actually switched to this one recently for outdoor gimbal work because it hits 2200 nits which is insane. You can actually see it in direct sunlight without a hood!! Plus it has camera control so u can trigger recording from the monitor. But, the UI is kinda janky compared to the Atomos... I had issues with it crashing once or twice during a shoot which was super annoying and not as good as expected for the price. In my experience, if youre doing heavy gimbal work, the PortKeys is probably better cuz of the insane brightness, but the Atomos is more reliable for color accuracy and the monitor tools are way easier to use. Just make sure ur using high quality micro-HDMI cables because those ports on the Canon are sooo fragile!! gl dude!

Seconding the recommendation above! In my experience, 1000 nits is basically the bare minimum for sun. If you wanna save cash, I highkey suggest the PortKeys LH5P II 5.5 Inch 2200nit High Brightness Monitor. It's like $399 and super light for gimbals. Or check the Feelworld LUT5 5.5 Inch 3000nit Ultra Bright Field Monitor for about $200. Both are great budget alternatives and wont drain ur camera battery if u use external NPFs.

Unfortunately, you really gotta watch out for the signal lag and connection stability with those micro-HDMI ports first. I have had issues where the cable slightly wiggles and the whole feed just dies, which is honestly so frustrating when you are mid-take. If you dont use a proper locking cage, you are basically asking for a broken port... its literally a nightmare. For your situation, I would suggest looking at 5-inch options from brands like SmallHD or maybe some of the pro-tier OSEE gear. The problem is that most sub-700 monitors claiming high nits have terrible color calibration for log workflows... it is NOT as good as expected at all. You will find that the colors shift toward green when you crank the brightness for outdoor shoots. Also, be prepared for the weight; even light monitors feel heavy on a gimbal once you add a beefy battery. Just stick to 5-inch screens to keep the gimbal motors from stressing out. Hope that helps.

Just found this thread today. Honestly, you gotta be really careful with the R6 II because that micro-HDMI is so fragile... I have seen so many people snap them. If you want something solid that wont break the bank, you might want to consider the Godox GM6S 5.5 Inch 4K HDMI Touchscreen Monitor. It is 1200 nits and fanless, which is huge if you are recording audio close to the camera. A few things for your DIY rig:

• Get a SmallRig Micro HDMI to HDMI Cable 2957B because it is thinner and puts less stress on the port.
• Make sure to use a cable clamp with whatever cage you have.
• Look at the Desview R6 UHB 5.5 Inch 2800nits Touchscreen Monitor if you are doing a lot of direct sunlight stuff, its like 2800 nits. I would suggest checking the mounting points too, because some of these cheaper monitors have weak threads. Just be gentle with the connections and you should be fine. Let me know if you have more questions about the setup.

Building on the earlier suggestion, if you really want to nail exposure for C-Log3 without guessing, you need proper tools! Honestly, after years of shooting, I've realized that the software interface is just as important as the screen brightness. I am absolutely obsessed with the SmallHD Action 5 5-inch Daylight Viewable Monitor right now. It is legit the most reliable piece of kit in my bag.

• 2000 nits means you dont need a sunhood even in high noon.
• The PageOS toolset is way more intuitive than the weird menus on cheap monitors.
• It is super lightweight so it wont kill your gimbal motors. If you want something that doubles as a backup recorder, the Blackmagic Design Video Assist 5-inch 12G HDR is incredible too. The color accuracy on these is just on another level compared to the budget stuff. Whatever you pick, please dont forget to buy a high-quality Kondor Blue Braided High Speed Micro HDMI to Full HDMI Cable... cheap cables are usually why people experience lag or signal drops in the first place!

> If you dont use a proper locking cage, you are basically asking for a broken port... its literally a nightmare. ^ This. Also, coming back to this an hour later, Kev is 100% right about the micro-HDMI being the weak link on the R6 II. I've tried many setups and the stress on that tiny port is real. If you want reliability, I'd look at the OSEE T5+ 5.5 Inch 1000 nits Field Monitor. It isn't as pricey as a SmallHD, but the build quality is surprisingly decent for the price. It has a great toolkit for C-Log3 exposure. If you need even more brightness for high noon, the OSEE G7 7-Inch 3000-Nit Ultra Bright Monitor is amazing, tho it might be a bit heavy for smaller gimbals. My biggest tip: whatever you buy, get the SmallRig Camera Cage for Canon EOS R6 Mark II 4159 and their HDMI cable clamp. It fixes that wiggle issue completely. I honestly wont shoot without a clamp anymore because losing a feed mid-take is the worst feeling ever.