I am looking at two Sony viewfinders:
HDVF-C30W
HDVF-C35W

Would like to hear from people who have used both and which they prefer?

I have had the opportunity to look through the 3.7" and it looks great. I know the 2.7" has the same resolution but that is a lot of area to loose.

So is size the only real difference?

I have been to the Sony site and reviewed all the specs.

The other catch is I have found a C30W used but have not found a C35W used yet.

Is this for your 350? If so don't you like the stock VF?

Is this for your 350?

No!

Mike do you have experience with the two viewfinders?

Sorry Mike quick answer last time I was running out the door.

No the 350 view finder is great. This is for another project.

I've only ever used the older C30W and newer C35W. The new C30WR is supposed to be very nice. The old C30W was really, really easy to damage by pointing it at the sun, even just for a few moments during a pan. The C35W is more robust in this respect, but watch out for used finders with pink blotches (sun damage).
The C35W is certainly a nice finder. I would not buy the old C30W as it's too susceptible to sun damage for my liking. There is not much difference in the performance.

Good input thanks Alister. What do you use on your 700?

HDVF-20A. If I keep the PDW-700 I will be trying to get a C35W, but I also want a new wide lens and at the moment I don't have the budget for either.

There was no way I was going back to a B&W viewfinder when I was configuring my F800, so I went for the C35W. I'll never regret that decision. Of course, it helped that I found a great deal from Sony's BPC Value website for a b-stock unit. At the time, they had 6 of them for $5,500 a piece, which is about 1/2 the normal price. All gone now, I'm sorry to say.

Do you know the 35 can be easily plug retro-fitted to a 2700 or 3700 varicam?

Doug I would by the C35W for that price today.

I used both.

a) C35W... is a very sharp 3.5" Viewfinder, and its versatily because you can dismount the loupe and fold the lcd towards you (use it as a fold out LCD screen).

b) C30W is a 2.8" VF, but its exactly half Full HD (960x540) - so no resizing necessary. Used in 1920x1080 this VF is even more sharp than the C35W.
Because of its design it cant be fold out, but you can dismount the loupe in a way that you can still see onto the mirror (without the loupe) - so its ease to use it similar to the c35w.
Beneath b/w function the c30w can also insert grayscales (with selectable color area - instead of zebra for example) and colour peaking - unfortunately different to the one used in the EX1...

Both VF feature zoom in (focus mag.) middle/upperleft/upperright/lowerleft/lowerright.

If I could choose from both I´d like the c30w a bit more.
The 35w makes a good pic and if you like the fold out mechnism its the better choice then.

If you try one of them be sure to go into the pdw700/800 VF menu and dial down "VF DETAIL" (internal peaking for VF output) at -60 to -80.
If you do so, the VF signal is virtually noisefree - do any peaking on the VF knobs itself.

Best regards

ULI

Uli thank you,

That is exactly the info I was looking for to help decide on one or the other.

With the C30W it was the C30W not C30WR correct?

When you say dial down the "VF DETAIL" does the peaking still have your choice of color outline on what is in focus? Not sure what you meant when said it is different then the EX1 peaking.

Thanks for your help.

Uli I had a chance to check out the peaking so I now know what that is about.

So you would go for the C30W even though it has the screen burn out problem and the C35W does not? I am down to a day of making my decision and the 35 is a little bit more.

I have been using a PMW-350 in Africa for the last 3 weeks and I have to say, it does not have the quality and features of the HDVF-30WR or HDVF-35WR but it is still a good one and is incredibly convenient. With it, I color balance the camera to my taste and to the picture tone I like. It's going hard to transition back to the F800 and a BW viewfinder. I am hooked, may have to make a purchase soon...

Thierry.

With it, I color balance the camera to my taste and to the picture tone I like. It's going hard to transition back to the F800 and a BW viewfinder.


Thierry,

I couldn't agree more. I have the 35W on my F800 and I rarely ever use a "normal" white balance anymore. Back in the days of using a B&W viewfinder I always played it safe if I didn't have a color monitor to check the shot. Now I have the freedom to be much more creative with the white balancing and push the envelope a bit. What I see in the VF is pretty damn close to what I see in post. So, I could argue that my raw footage is better than it would be if I was still using a B&W viewfinder. That is a significant benefit.

Thierry, Doug's viewfinder convinced me to spend the extra money. I ordered mine today.

Thierry send me an email if you are interested a demo HDVF-C30. I know where there is one at a good price.

I have been using a PMW-350 in Africa for the last 3 weeks and I have to say, it does not have the quality and features of the HDVF-30WR or HDVF-35WR but it is still a good one and is incredibly convenient. With it, I color balance the camera to my taste and to the picture tone I like. It's going hard to transition back to the F800 and a BW viewfinder. I am hooked, may have to make a purchase soon...

Thierry.

You mentioned concerns about getting good black levels with the 350 and highlight problems in bright contrasty scenes Thierry. Have you come to the conclusion that these are not too importand now? I've almost decided on a 2700 varicam, but the colour VF of the 350 is a definite positive to consider. I can't find a single user report on the Panasonic AJ-CVF100 colour viewfinder, even though it's been out for months.

Unlike the PDW-700/F800, I think getting the PMW-350 to perform at its best takes a bit of scene file tweeking. I am now using two different scene files. One using a Hyper Gamma curve with a bit of color saturation for GVs (B-Roll in American.....) and an other one a little more punchy with deaper black for interviews.

Thierry

You are generally happy with the 350 Thierry? I see you use 700's as well. My choice because of price, is down to the 350 or the 2700 Varicam. 10-bit AVC but 720, versus 1080 but CMOS.....

Thierry if you are going to buy a color VF for your F800 I would recommend the HDVF-C35W. I know it is silly amount of money but having spent most of today using it for the first time I glad I did not buy a B+W VF. Also a nice spot to put my short shot gun mic on the side bracket. Luckily I found a demo one in Germany through a kind sole from the forum who lead me to the deal.

I had a big shoot with my 700 last week. I hadn't used it for a while, I've been using the 350 a lot. It was a shock going to a mono VF and on reviewing my footage it's a all a little under exposed, I put this down to switching from the color VF on the 350 to the mono VF on my 700. I so regret not specing the kit with a C35W.

Alister I knew after the EX1 and EX350 I could not go to a B+W VF. The C35W is a nice step up from the 350 VF being sharp, accurate, peaking, and the focus assist is amazing,

I've used the C35W many times and like it very much. Just wish it was cheaper!

Keep searching Alister I found mine 45% off as a demo still with warranty in Germany. They are out there and who knows what you might find at NAB.

First shots today with the F800 after going through most of Doug's Field Guide. Really is an amazing camera.

Hi Paul,

you went for the 35. Did you test the 30 too?

Uli

Hi Uli,

No I did not test the 30. I found the 35 and 30 both used and they were the same price so I just went for the 35. I do know where there is a used 30 if you are interested?

Well I'm eager to see who is going to launch what at NAB, I think there might be one or two surprises. I'm traveling more and more so really keen to reduce the size and weight of my kit, yet I don't want to compromise on quality. I'm also doing a lot more 3D, which means 2 of everything, so I need to keep costs down as well.

I'm possibly going to have a full kit re-think after NAB, maybe starting from scratch.

Alister will be interested to see what you choose.

I could not be happier with my F800. Great CCD picture, optical disk rule, amazing camera functions/options, and tough industry standard 2/3" body. I think I will be set for a bit with my choice. But I would not want to have to lug two of everything around.

Speaking of reducing the size of the travelling kit, I can't find a single U.S. domestic air carrier that officially permits a carry-on bag the size of the Kata TCCT, even in the collapsed configuration.

Collapsed and with the trolly removed the TCCT is 22"x13"x8" which certainly meets most airlines regulations. The normal maximum allowed carry on size limit is 22"x18"x10" . I just checked this on the BA and AA web sites, Continental and United are 22"x14"x9". Some airlines have an additional limit where H+L+W must not exceeding 44" which the TCCT just meets at 43". It is a little bit of a squeeze to get it in to a bag size checker as it tends to need to be squashed length wise as the expanding end piece needs to be squashed flat, but it does fit.

Collapsed and with the trolly removed the TCCT is 22"x13"x8" which certainly meets most airlines regulations. The normal maximum allowed carry on size limit is 22"x18"x10" . I just checked this on the BA and AA web sites, Continental and United are 22"x14"x9". Some airlines have an additional limit where H+L+W must not exceeding 44" which the TCCT just meets at 43". It is a little bit of a squeeze to get it in to a bag size checker as it tends to need to be squashed length wise as the expanding end piece needs to be squashed flat, but it does fit.

Almost all the U.S. domestic airlines specify 22 x 14 x 9, or 45 inches linear, with a few exceptions. According to the Kata specs, 22 x 13 x 8 are the internal dimensions of the main compartment. Does the outside dimension shown include the trolley? So you're saying it can be squashed down to basically allow shoehorning into the 22 x 14 x 9 box?

The link below lists most U.S. airlines. The info shown is not always correct, but it includes a convenient link to the carry on baggage policy for each airline, which does have the current carry on size and weight limits.

Airplane Carry On Rules by Luggage Online (http://www.luggageonline.com/about_airlines.cfm)

I've just measured mine, with a PMW-350 inside, but VF removed so basically in its collapsed state the external dimensions are 22" (and a tiny bit) x 14" x 9", so it is regulation size with the trolley removed. I have had it in a British Airways size checker, it was a tight fit but it went in.

That's good enough for me. I'm ordering it now.