It is just so frustrating not being able to view the LCD in bright sunlight.

And seeing the prices of these aftermarket LCD viewfinder hoods doesn't help matters.

I would love to see a video optimized DSLR from Canon with no mirror and in place of a optical viewfinder/prism--install an electronic viewfinder.

Of course, the Panasonic GH series 4/3 cams already do that, but for the added cost on the camera itself, it would be so much cheaper. C'mon Canon, we need this!

Delkin Devices Pop-Up Shade Snap-On Pro for Canon EOS DC550D-P -


$20 isn't that much.

I prefer the Zacuto Z-finder but it's a different animal and works incredibly well outdoors when I shoulder mount the t2i.

I'm in the same boat. Did some outdoor shooting over the weekend. Get it home on the Mac and PRESTO! Out of focus...cuz I'm practically blind and couldn't see the LCD well enough. I will have a viewfinder of some sort this week or next.

Yes the hoodman loupe i bought was useless as far as fixing it to my 550 went[returned it]so i too am struggling in bright light,i doubt the cheap delkin shade can be bought here.

Checked and they are but i am cautious after previous purchases, this is cheaper though.

I have a Delkin shade and they are ok, better than nothing. The main problem is that although it keeps the light off the screen its still possibly shining in your eyes.

I looked at the Zacuto Z-finders but they are far too expensive for what I needed, in the end I got a LCDVF and it is fantastic. The magnetic fitting is very good, nice and stable but very easy to remove also. The screen looks very sharp. The only downside is the eye piece can mist up, but I'm sure I can find something to cure that.

could you show me a link of the LCDVF you have, and what percent would you say the delkin shade helps filming in bright light.Thanks if you can

Yes the hoodman loupe i bought was useless as far as fixing it to my 550 went[returned it]so i too am struggling in bright light,i doubt the cheap delkin shade can be bought here.

Checked and they are but i am cautious after previous purchases, this is cheaper though.

Hoodcrane works very well, or the Redrock accessory.Either will easily attach the Hoodman loupe to your camera for perfect focus in bright outdoor conditions.

The LCDVF is here - LCDVF (http://www.lcdvf.com/)

I bought it in the UK from here - Professional Cameras, Professional Advice, Professional Service - LCDVF 3/2 - Loupe for 550D / T2i (http://www.videogear.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=1142)

More expensive than the Delkin shade but much more effective. Its hard to say how effective the shade is, not much help for focusing but shades it enough for framing.

Thanks for the links.. the LCDVF is pretty awesome looking and seem like it would function the best.

I'm also thinking that a do-it-yourself paper bellows hood might be a solution too.

Have to figure out how to fold one, or buy one pre-made.

thick black cloth velcroed to the VF or home made hood would work as well. It's a time tested method of seeing dim images in bright sunlight.

The LCDVF is here - LCDVF (http://www.lcdvf.com/)

I bought it in the UK from here - Professional Cameras, Professional Advice, Professional Service - LCDVF 3/2 - Loupe for 550D / T2i (http://www.videogear.co.uk/index.php?_a=viewProd&productId=1142)

More expensive than the Delkin shade but much more effective. Its hard to say how effective the shade is, not much help for focusing but shades it enough for framing.

Thanks it looks great but does it have focus adjustment,i use reading glasses and cant see in focus closer than 30cm,if not this where i may be stuck with the shade, i have contacted the makers and no doubt they will let me know as well,but idealy this is what i want one that fixes to the camera so easily but can be used with correction.

The LCDVF has no dioptre adjustment (unlike the Z-finder or Hoodman). I am pretty short-sighted & found it almost impossible to use either with or without my glasses or contact lenses. However the upside of being as short-sighted as me is that when I take my glass off I can focus on objects as close as 10cm(4") so can see the screen well without a loupe when I get that close. With the moderate correction given by reading glasses you should be fine with the LCDVF & it is a well made piece of equipment although do order direct from LCDVF (http://www.lcdvf.com) or one of their authorised distributers as cheap knock-offs have already appeared on eBay at half the price of the genuine article.

realy doubt it because without glasses i have no focus until 4mtrs, with my glasses focus starts at 28cm, i am going to ring the camera firm but i fear the worst, if so this is a shame as the hoodman had good adjustment but no decent way of fixing.
Edit no its no good for me but they say there may one coming out with similar fixing to the camera and with eyesight adjustment.

realy doubt it because without glasses i have no focus until 4mtrs, with my glasses focus starts at 28cm, That is a bit more severe than normal age related long sightedness. My wife complains that there is no problem with her eyes it's just that her arms are not long enough now:-)

The opticion told me very few middle aged and older people can see close up,my wife is younger than me and her eyes wont focus close up with her reading glasses worse without ,are we unlucky can people realy get good in focus vision close up i cant remember how mine have changed.

Martyn, your welcome to have my Delkin shade if you want, I don't think I will use it now I have the LCDVF. Just pm me your address and I'll post it to you.

The opticion told me very few middle aged and older people can see close up,my wife is younger than me and her eyes wont focus close up with her reading glasses worse without ,are we unlucky can people realy get good in focus vision close up i cant remember how mine have changed.If like me you are short sighted i.e. need glasses for distance vision then you gain in middle age as the age-related long sightedness is counterbalanced by the short sightedness. When my vision is corrected then I cannot focus so close but without glasses it's fine. I gave up wearing contact lenses full-time a few years ago as I started to need to wear glasses for reading & other close work. I actually find it easier to just take off my glasses & hold the book close-up. It does mean that I can focus up very close on a DSLR LCD. I have even experimented with a contact lens in my left eye so I can keep an eye on the action that I am filming while leaving my right eye uncorrected & focused on the LCD.

Martyn, your welcome to have my Delkin shade if you want, I don't think I will use it now I have the LCDVF. Just pm me your address and I'll post it to you.

thanks a million ,you could send on your best wide angle as well if you like i bet you dont use it either,seriously thanks your a gent i have sent a pm of my address.

If like me you are short sighted i.e. need glasses for distance vision then you gain in middle age as the age-related long sightedness is counterbalanced by the short sightedness. When my vision is corrected then I cannot focus so close but without glasses it's fine. I gave up wearing contact lenses full-time a few years ago as I started to need to wear glasses for reading & other close work. I actually find it easier to just take off my glasses & hold the book close-up. It does mean that I can focus up very close on a DSLR LCD. I have even experimented with a contact lens in my left eye so I can keep an eye on the action that I am filming while leaving my right eye uncorrected & focused on the LCD.

We have different problems i think Nigel my vision is 100% perfect from just over one mtr to infinity closer than that its blurred without glasses.

Martyn, your welcome to have my Delkin shade if you want, I don't think I will use it now I have the LCDVF. Just pm me your address and I'll post it to you.
Hi Jon.
What is the LCDVF like for short sight, I have +2 on my glasses, I know there is no diopter adjustment on the LCDVF, would you say there is much leaway ?

My great grandfather was a photographer of some note. Like other photographers of the time he used to cover himself and most of his camera with a sort of big black blanket in order to focus. See how far we have come.

Hi Jon.
What is the LCDVF like for short sight, I have +2 on my glasses, I know there is no diopter adjustment on the LCDVF, would you say there is much leaway ?

Hi Colin, sorry can't help you there as I'm not short sighted.

What is the LCDVF like for short sight, I have +2 on my glasses, I know there is no diopter adjustment on the LCDVF, would you say there is much leaway ?The leeway will depend on your eyes & not the actual dioptre correction. +2 is pretty moderate short sight but as you get older then the ability of you to adjust your eye decreases. It becomes 'stiffer' & it is this failure of accommodation that may prevent you focusing on the LCD screen. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Accommodation_(eye)

I've been really pleased with the cavision viewfinder with the T2i plate. It's not a zacuto but does the job. Not adjustable magnification, but I have bad close-focus issues and I can focus like a champ. Swings away with the turn of a lock knob, too. Great price for what it does.

If I remember, the Cavision loupe has no dioptor - the Hoodman does at a cheaper price. Unless your eyes are 20/20...Cavision is useless.

I don't wear glasses, so the LCDVF is perfect for me. I love it.

Hi Jon.
What is the LCDVF like for short sight, I have +2 on my glasses, I know there is no diopter adjustment on the LCDVF, would you say there is much leaway ?

From the product description: No diopter correction (still usable from +0.5 to -2)

If I remember, the Cavision loupe has no dioptor - the Hoodman does at a cheaper price. Unless your eyes are 20/20...Cavision is useless.

Nope, just a ton of magnification - and I'm far from 20/20.

Hoodman is cheaper, and it's great if you like to wrap your camera in rubber bands (or use that terrible redrock plate). Cavision has a really useable, swing-away mounting system - and it looks great on my rig, which does matter to me. The first spot I shot with it is running on Comedy Central/etc, I've used it on every commercial gig since. I can press every button on the camera and the baseplate clears the battery door. I could have purchased the Zacuto but I don't like their glue-it-on solution. the Cavision never leaves my rig.

The only issue one might have with the Cavision is it has some barrel distortion - if I was doing something like architectural films, I might shop around some more.

When I use a loupe on film, or use a magnifying glass, I never see the need for an adjustable diopter, and I need readers for reading and never long to turn a knob on those - magnification is magnification, I can see every pixel and have had zero focus issues. After my first daylight shot without a loupe, I'm in focus heaven, for under $200. Awesome little piece of gear, and like most Cavision stuff the baseplate is covered with tapped holes for adapting to whatever rig you come up with. I've used it on three different rod systems with no issues.

"Useless" - that's funny.

Have you looked at the Hoodman Pro Cinema Kit? It seems to do away with the rubber bands.

Cheers

.

FWIW I have both the CAVISION and Hoodman setups. And use both although the CAVISION stays with my 7D because it's not as quickly adjustable as the Hoodcrane is.

I am nearsighted and at 72 wear trifocals but find that with either system above I use the "baseline" (distance) portion of my eyeglass lens to focus with. The CAVISION while having no diopter adjustment still poses no problem for corrected eyesight.

For simplicity purposes, so I use either system the same way, I have the diopter adjust for the Hoodloupe (with the 3X eyepiece in place) set for the "baseline" portion of my eyeglass lens. The Hoodman setup generally stays with my T2i.

Both systems do the job and do it well.

Have you looked at the Hoodman Pro Cinema Kit? It seems to do away with the rubber bands.

I looked at their info for that piece, but needed a setup before the "crane" was available.

I've never shot with the crane, but I it seems to me the cavision's got a simpler elegance - the crane looks like a complex answer to a simple problem. And honestly, I rarely even use the "swing out" function, but even with it, the attachment method is very unobtrusive and looks pretty slick.

My point was more that adjustable diopters haven't been necessary for me - and my eyes are pretty bad up close.

Lots of folks on these forums toss around words like "useless", "unprofessional", etc... (but then a lot of those guys have PVC pipe shoulder mounts) (painted black, of course). When "simple" gets the job done just as good, I'm usually there.

I'm also thinking that a do-it-yourself paper bellows hood might be a solution too.

Have to figure out how to fold one, or buy one pre-made.

Going DIY I made this;

DIY Loupe/Finder for VDSLR - DVXuser.com -- The online community for filmmaking (http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=185852)

Hope it helps.

Nope, just a ton of magnification - and I'm far from 20/20.

Hoodman is cheaper, and it's great if you like to wrap your camera in rubber bands (or use that terrible redrock plate). Cavision has a really useable, swing-away mounting system - and it looks great on my rig, which does matter to me. The first spot I shot with it is running on Comedy Central/etc, I've used it on every commercial gig since. I can press every button on the camera and the baseplate clears the battery door. I could have purchased the Zacuto but I don't like their glue-it-on solution. the Cavision never leaves my rig.

The only issue one might have with the Cavision is it has some barrel distortion - if I was doing something like architectural films, I might shop around some more.

When I use a loupe on film, or use a magnifying glass, I never see the need for an adjustable diopter, and I need readers for reading and never long to turn a knob on those - magnification is magnification, I can see every pixel and have had zero focus issues. After my first daylight shot without a loupe, I'm in focus heaven, for under $200. Awesome little piece of gear, and like most Cavision stuff the baseplate is covered with tapped holes for adapting to whatever rig you come up with. I've used it on three different rod systems with no issues.

"Useless" - that's funny.

Useless unless the magnification is perfect for your eyes. In your case, it must be, but most people with glasses need a dioptor to adjust to their individual vision.

I tried Cavision loupe with hardware from B&H - it didn't fit on my T2i. The Hoodcrane is completely adjustable for any camera, and works perfectly. It's great that it swings away and back at will.

In any case, glad Cavision works for you - for me it was useless in many regards.

Useless unless the magnification is perfect for your eyes. In your case, it must be, but most people with glasses need a dioptor to adjust to their individual vision.

I tried Cavision loupe with hardware from B&H - it didn't fit on my T2i. The Hoodcrane is completely adjustable for any camera, and works perfectly. It's great that it swings away and back at will.

In any case, glad Cavision works for you - for me it was useless in many regards.

B&H should have known - for the T2i, you need a spacer plate - the LCD is positioned differently than the 5D. With the plate it's a perfect fit.

The issue with my eyes may be that they're just jacked. Even with bifocal contacts I can't focus closer than 10" or so. I've played with a hoodman and used various handheld loupes - when I'm at around 3x, everything's fine.

I haven't seen Cavision adding more spacer plates for their system though; I'm using Nikon lenses that I've owned for years on my T2i - I make a chunk of my living from stills and the D90 makes me very happy as a still shooter. Crossing my fingers for the rumored D95 - week or so and we should know. Would love to see the D90 "look" with less jello, manual controls, and a codec that (at least) matches Canon. But so far I hear nothing about 60fps at 720 - I use the T2i slowmo often.