Custom Eyecup for the C100

[Andrew Alden Miller]

I've created a custom solution to the C100 eyecup issue, and I wanted to share it here ahead of a Kickstarter campaign. Pictured below is a casting from a handmade mold, of which I have a few really solid copies. The next step is to make a high-pressure, high-heat mold for mass production, which will have to appeal to Kickstarter if I'm going to be able to produce this in quantity.

I'm posting this here so I can get initial reactions and feedback. This is a very simple solution, and I designed it to be exactly what I want as a C100 user. My criteria were that it must provide a comfortable third-point of contact, it must connect securely to the camera, it must block out light, and it needs to be simple and affordable. I think we've achieved that with this latest prototype. I use it on every shoot and wouldn't think of using my camera without it!

Any thoughts or questions are welcome. I'm especially interested in identifying a price point that works for users, and I'd love to get in touch with any bloggers who have an interest in the C100 specifically. Getting this thing priced right and getting the word out is crucial, particularly because the eye cup only works with the C100 (which makes for a relatively tiny market).

Thanks ahead of time for your thoughts. I'll try to answer any questions ASAP, although I'm off to shoot on the Mississippi river all next week, so bear with me for the week of 2/10 - 2/16.

[Andrew Maclaurin]

Looks good. I guess 20-30 euros would be what I'd be willing to pay

[Andrew Alden Miller]

Thanks Andrew, that's very helpful to me.

If the market will bear something close to your numbers, I think we'll be able to do this. We haven't yet nailed down our plan for overseas shipping - so if anyone has insight on that please share it!

[Steve Mims]

This looks great!

The tiny viewfinder on the C100 really is usable and this would help a great deal by keeping out light.

Great design. If it was $40.00 or so I think that would be a fair price.

Good luck,

Steve

[Andy Wilkinson]

Looks great to me too! Price ballpark mentioned above is fine. Please get a plan for overseas shipping when you start making them :-)

[Andrew Alden Miller]

That so much Andy and Steve. Very helpful.

I'll get to work on the overseas shipping plan!

[Drew Curran]

Count me in for a kick starter campaign! It looks great and looks like it works a treat. Any idea how it performs when wearing glasses?

It's what canon should have included with the c100 in the first place.

[Andrew Alden Miller]

Thank you Drew! It is indeed what the eyecup should have been in the first place, which was exactly what I was after with this project.

I don't wear glasses, so I can't really say how effective it is or is not. I suppose that all depends on the glasses, but I can say that the eyecup is pretty traditional in design and probably works similarly to what you might expect. I'd love to get a prototype to a blogger who can give us an objective opinion on that and any other questions.

[Darren Levine]

can you detail the advantages of this over some of the other solutions, such as the zacuto replacement eyecup, or the microplush cup that people are successfully using?

[Andrew Alden Miller]

Sure Darren, I'll do my best.

I haven't used a Zacuto replacement eyecup so it's difficult for me to give an opinion on that. I have used a microfiber pad, which I found did help to improve the original eyecup's shortcomings. Compared to both of these, I think my solution distinguishes itself in that it's custom designed to fit the C100's eyecup. Where any of these other solutions are trying to adapt existing products to fit the C100, mine was created to fit the C100 perfectly.

As you can see from the pictures - it looks like it belongs on the camera. Because it is form-fitting, I'd wager the connection with the camera is more secure than any other solution currently out there. The lip of the camera's OEM eyecup fits perfectly within a groove inside of my eyecup. Certainly it is an improvement over a microfiber pad. That pad falling off in the middle of a run and gun shoot was a problem for me, and I'm sure any other user would be familiar with that.

Having not used the Zacuto, I don't know how effective that is. I can tell you that mine fits perfectly, so the operator can apply as much pressure as desired, really getting that third point of contact in just the same way you can with the C300. The outside edges of my eyecup rest on the outside of the eye socket, the eyebrow, and the cheekbone. It's strong, but has a good amount of flex, making it quite comfortable. At least that's how it fits on my face!

I'd would say it has a distinct advantage over the Z-Finder, and not just because it's hundreds of dollars cheaper. Without throwing too much salt on any company or product, I think mine works perfectly. Hopefully we can get some objective, third party opinions involved as we get ready to launch a campaign here in a short while.

Thanks for checking it out. I hope that's helpful, and let me know if I can answer any more questions.

[Slavik Boyechko]

So awesome! Hope the kickstarter campaign is succesfull. I'd be willing to pay $40 for one (but would probably pay whatever it costs).

[Andrew Maclaurin]

I´d also say that you probably need to move quickly on this type of thing as it won´t take your competitors very long to fill the void.

[Andy Wilkinson]

I got my C100 in Nov 2012. Those "competitors" have already had 15 months and we have seen nothing! I think the main reason is the very small niche market as outline by Andrew at the start of the thread, i.e. too small for anyone except a C100 owner, just like him, to be too bothered with.

That's not saying that I don't want to have my hands on one as soon as possible! I already feel I want to buy Andrew a beer for getting this on the table (it will have to be a cyber beer, unfortunately....sorry Andrew).

I also often, but not always, wear glasses so will be interested in how that goes too.

Really looking forward to getting one of these Andrew so the very best of luck with it and keep us posted on progress.

[Andrew Alden Miller]

Thanks very much Slavik! And thanks everyone. I'm very glad I posted this here as your feedback and support is extremely helpful. A round of virtual beers on me!

Andrew I definitely have been concerned about letting this information out and do want to move quickly. In fact, the first meeting I had on this project was just about a year ago and it's been everything I can do just to keep my mouth shut. I haven't even been very successful really, as a lot of folks around Austin know something about my project (which I'm calling the C-Cup, by the way). Incidentally, I'd like to have been much farther along by now, but my partner in this, the guy with the manufacturing know-how, suffered some health-related setbacks to the extent that we nearly had to drop the project. Fortunately, I've had an early prototype for 6 months (works great) and my partner is feeling better than ever.

Over the last year, as Andy points out, I've learned that the market for this is extremely small. I simply don't think it makes economic sense for an established company to have one of their engineers/designers spend time on a project like this, which is why all we're seeing is existing products being adapted to fit the C100 - if anything. The market is so small that it doesn't make sense to patent this, as one might normally do. Fortunately, the combination of CAD programs, 3D printers and the advent of crowdsourcing make this possible (not to mention a strong Texas heritage of trading favors for liquor). I think that's pretty cool, and while it's possible to make a few bucks on this, it's the tantalizing thought of being able to fix my own camera, and yours, that's driving me on this. I know, I know - a real hero.

In any case, the Kickstarter is just about ready to go. I'm going to wait to launch until I get back from a doc shoot next week, as I understand running a Kickstarter is a very hands-on process and I'll be incommunicado until 2/17. Another week will also allow for me to get prototypes in the hands of a few people, which will generate some objective opinions and perhaps even yield further improvements to the design before we move into manufacturing. When I do launch the KS, I'll be sure to post here first, and to include a handful of early-bird options for you guys.

Thanks again!

[Drew Curran]

Andrew

Don't be shy about using twitter to run the kickstarter campaign. I've watched many campaigns become successful through social media. I follow a lot of c100 users who would definitely support this. Retweets and shares will help.

Looking forward to it. Keep us posted.

Drew.