hi has anybody experimented with a cineroid viewfinder with their xdcam. i have the stock 801 on mine which is a bit useless and i actually find the lcd sharper! i know i could get a dfx-20w which would be better but the cineroid looks a bit more future proof if i was to get a dslr.

The post below isn't from a 330 user but it is about the Cineroid. It seems to be the only HD-SDI game in town at the moment:
http://www.dvinfo.net/forum/show-your-work/501879-shooting-f3-comedy-central.html#post1699546

In addition to the HDMI Zacuto and DP4, I found this one interesting and it's shipping soon according to their an email from them: "Depending on your location LCDVFE should be available to purchase from the first week of December. We will ship to most counties in coming few weeks already."

Kinotehnik - Overview (http://www.kinotehnik.com/products/electronic-viewfinder/overview)

First, I own a PDW330 and a PDW700 with C30WR - fantastic but expensive colour LCD Viewfinder. So I am really spoilt by looking into a crisp colour VF.

I own both the 801 and the DXF20w for my 330, but the DXF20w seems to be broken - pic is way to soft, repair would cost ~1000€.

I recently attached a Blackmagic Design HDcomponent to SDI converter via Velcro on the side (it runs perfectly thru Dtap power from the camera) for livecamera jobs. Now I am thinking of buying an external LCD+VF like the Cineroid, but waiting for HD-SDI Version... dont want to run it via composite.

If powered via camera itself, it could be a great replacement for any s/w tube VF.

Uli

cheers Les for the link i had heard some bad press about the cineroid so i suppose you get what you pay for, and as i mostly shoot news it prob wouldnt last long.

i have the black magic box too Uli, and it is a fantastic bit of kit. i mounted mine in one of the removable pouches you get with a petrol camera glove. hate the petrol cover but the clip on pouches are a great idea, very secure.

I have the new all metal HDSDi Cineroid EVF and while it isn't perfect it's not that bad either. I think it's strong enough to take the bumps and knocks of ENG life, probably better built that the DXF20W VF. The resolution is just high enough, but you'll still need to use peaking. You must consider that the 20W is only 500 lines resolution AFAIK. The Cineroid is 800x600. You can just make out the pixel structure on the screen. I find the Cineroid quite useable on my F3 and EX1. There is a new EVF in development, which is a much better product, but I'm under NDA so can't say much at the moment, except that it won't be available until closer to NAB next year, so if you need something right now, I wouldn't wait. If you can wait, it might be worth holding on a few months.

Thanks for that Alister, its great to get first hand experience from someone who has used the cineroid.

Speaking of hands on experience, a few months ago I had the opportunity to have the Zacuto EVF and the Cineroid (HDMI version) operating on my F3 simultaneously -- right next to each other. There was absolutely no question that the Zacuto was vastly superior. It was sharper, brighter, and you couldn't see the lines of pixels like you could on the Cineroid. The difference wasn't even open for debate. ANYONE would have picked the Zacuto. I ordered one the next day and haven't shot with my F3 without it since. The Zacuto is not as good as the C35W on my F800, but at 1/12th the price, is is impressive.

I'd rather have a viewfinder with SDI connectors, but I wouldn't trade picture quality to get it. My advice to anyone shopping for a viewfinder is to test drive before you buy and come to your own conclusions.