I have ordered my EX-3 and it should ship tomorrow, so I should get it within a week or so. While I am waiting, I am hoping someone can answer a question about its viewfinder.

Specifically, if I want to shoot in the 1080p mode, but only want to use 810 lines (so, 1920x810 for a 2.37:1 result) of what it records, is there a way for me to tell by looking in the viewfinder where the top and the bottom of my 810-line image is, so I can frame it properly?

Also, would the result still be considered HD? Would it look good when transferred to 35 mm film? I realize there are many factors determining whether the result looks good, but for this discussion I am simply concerned with a sufficient resolution.

Adam

There are no user definable boxes markers on the EX3 viewfinder. To get an exact line I would setup a framing chart, determine my frame on the computer, and tape the lines on the VF. I've had a number of rental clients do this in the past for jobs that want a 2.35:1 frame.

To answer your second question, HD is most easily defined as video that is higher resolution then standard definition NTSC or PAL video. So 810 lines would be considered HD for sure, especially with it being higher res then 720 HD video.

Thanks, Andy. I appreciate the quick reply.

It's very close to 80%, so I use the top and bottom of the 80% safety marker for this sort of thing. 2.37 works out to 75%, so factor that in.

Thanks, David. So, there is an 80% marker? Yes, 75% is quite close to 80%. And if my calculations are correct, on a 3.5" 16:9 viewfinder, the difference would be about 2.18 mm, or 1.09 mm on the top and 1.09 mm on the bottom.

That helps a lot. Thank you.