It's been said the HD100 viewfinder is a bad one and not reliable for focus. I have no experience with JVC cameras other than the DV500. Is the HD100 viewfinder worse than the stock DV500 viewfinder (VF-515) or in the same level?

It's been said the HD100 viewfinder is a bad one and not reliable for focus.Where exactly has that been said? Post the link, please. Thanks in advance,

Based on peoples complains about the resolution, being a color LCD rather than a B/W CRT etc, read all over the net including here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?p=357451&highlight=viewfinder#post357451

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=50430&highlight=viewfinder

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?p=352852&highlight=viewfinder#post352852

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?p=348028&highlight=viewfinder#post348028

http://www.dvxuser.com/V3/showthread.php?p=296234&highlight=viewfinder#post296234

Michael, while I have other issues with the JVC (but have only had about 8 hours with it total, 2 hours of filled tape) the viewfinder didn't strike me as particularly problematic at all. Maybe if I'd have spent more time with it, I'd have noticed, but on a boat on a bay in Australia, I shot quite nice footage with it, and obviously was looking thru the viewfinder the entire time.

Why not stop and think for even one second.

What HDV camcorders -- or DV camcorders -- under $7K have CRT viewfinders?

If you can't come with any -- what has your question got to do with the HD100?

I cant make the comparison that you are seeking because this is the first JVC I have ever bought.

But the viewfinder looks fine to me. I certainly would not have picked it as problematic.

As an aside, I actually do find the focus assist thingy pretty useful.

Rob

I have to agree too, no complaints about the viewfinder... Or do we just not understand your question, Michael?

The viewfinder seems fine as far as LCD screens go, but its not as sharp as the 115 viewfinder though. This is why focus assis is so great, it really works.

Well, I think none of you understood my question, but Guy. I was just trying to have a reference point to how the HD100's viewfinder is, and the only JVC camera I had used was the DV500.
Thanks Guy, so the 115(I thought it was 515, or is there another JVC viewfinder with this number?) is sharper than the HD100 viewfinder? The 115 is barelly good enough for the DV500 SD shooting.

115, 515, I never can remember off the top of my head.

The CRT 515 is going to be higher res being a CRT, but the LCD has its advantages.

Its the usual trade off. A CRT would cost a lot more, be BW only so offer no focus assist and suck a lot more power. A lower res LCD with focus assist is going to be a better solution than a CRT viewfinder short of a very high res expensive unit.

I had the impression the focus assist thing was a function o the camera, rather than from the viewfinder itself.
The focus assist has to be really miraculously good, because as I said, the DV500 viewfinder was barely good/sharp enough for SD. If the HD100 is even softer, the focus assist better really make a difference.

The focus assist is processed by the camera but displayed on the viewfinder. It requries a colour display as it displays the image in Black and White but solours the edges of objects in focus in colour (one of a few you can pick from).

Hence a pure BW viewfinder won't be able to support focus assist.

Personally I wouldn't say the viewfinder is soft. As an LCD it is sharp to the pixel level but it is of limited resolution.

I see how it works now. Thanks for clarifying that.
So the question here is whatever a sharper B/W CRT would be better than a LCD with focus assist. Trust your eyes with sharper CRT or the focus assist for critical focus?

Anyone can make a comparison of the HD100 VF to the Z1U VF? Most of us who don't have the camera (yet) would probably get a pretty good idea.

it is the VF115 indeed, no 515...

Problem is, even if they made a CRT viewfinder, the couldn't make it sharp enough for HD, so you would need some sort of focus assist anyway.

And since that feature works so incredebly well, it's nice that it is a LCD in colour, so you can judge white balance at once....

When shooting HDCAM without a field monitor, the only way you have to judge focus is by the peaking on the viewfinder. The B&W crt finder, while showing oodles more lines of resolution than say, the HD100 finder, still doesn't even come close to showing what a camera like that records.

So it's still a little bit of a crapshoot, and eventually you learn to find the focus point in the middle of the peaking "peak" without the benefit of a field monitor.

The HD100, while having a horrible pixel count, still allows you to get good focus with Focus Assist. FA is just an evolution of peaking, but it's tuned really well...you have to play with it to fully appreciate it.

It still doesn't change the fact that the finder/LCD on the JVC is going to scare people by it's low pixel count. Once you get used to the idea that you can NOT count on the regular color image in the finder/LCD for focus, you'll be fine. I keep a hot finger on the FA button at all times.

I keep a hot finger on the FA button at all times.

So your 'return'-button on the lens is set to focus assist then as well?

I tried to keep it clear for use as RET, but I'm finding I just need FA more, and for all ways that the camera gets held. So yeah, I recently put it on FA.

By the way, I only tried it on blue, but you seriously need to get used to that. I thenik I'll switch to red because it's hopefully better visible...

I tried to keep it clear for use as RET, but I'm finding I just need FA more, and for all ways that the camera gets held. So yeah, I recently put it on FA.

Is there a RET in the body as well? For those shooting with Mini35.

Is there a RET in the body as well? For those shooting with Mini35.

Nope. None.

What a pity :(

I noticed a delay on both the viewfinder and LCD when making fast movements. I found it a bit anoying, does anyone else notice the same? About the resolution I think its ok, I would prefer a B&W CRT but the FA works just fine.

I disagree with most members here about the way the focus assist works. I have checked it and it also leaves a lot of lines on subjects/objects that are out of focus. So it is not easy to see what is in focus. And I do not mean the depth of field, I mean really stuff that is out of focus. It works that way because it looks for focus on lines. Test it for yourself put a man in front of luxaflex and you will notice the camera focus assist is telling you the focus is also on the window....This is ofcourse an easy example but any strong vertical/horizontal line will give you this problem. So the idea is right but it could work better and it would then not be so annoying to watch. That is for me also a big issue, there is already enough information coming through the viewfinder and all the red lines are not making it easier to concentrate on issues that are also important. On a good black and white viewfinder you can see much better what is in focus...Peaking works better, this system of jvc could work better...

I think the emphasis is the "assist" part of the focus assist. I only put it on occasionally when I am not sure that I have critical focus. I suppose it is indeed a bit of compromise because the cost of a professional viewfinder would be prohibitive.

I have noticed that it does not work all that well in lower light.

Nevertheless, I generally find it useful.

Rob

Something that just came to mind. How the focus assist works with a mini35?

Something that just came to mind. How the focus assist works with a mini35?

Works great. It's ABSOLUTELY necessary if you don't have a first class focus puller.

Trust me, I know this! :-)

Thanks Nate. That's great news. I almost thought it wouldn't work, because you are not really focusing the relay lens, but the one in front of the GG. For some reason I thought it could be a problem. Glad it's not :)

No, it's not a problem. Focus Assist works by highlighting high-frequency detail, so whether it's coming from the mini35 or through the normal camera lens, what the CCDs see is equally applicable to Focus Assist.