FU-1000 b/w viewfinder

[Chris Staab]

Does anyone know whether or not the menu options and audio levels will be displayed in the existing FU-1000?? Please....someone have some good news for me. I just bought this viewfinder a short time ago.

[Chris Hurd]

Yes to everything, plus 16:9 is properly letterboxed. So you can rest easy.

[Chris Staab]

That's so good to hear. Now I can be fully excited about the XL2!! Take care.

[Mark Grgurev]

I was looking at accesories for the XL2 on canondv.com and apparently the Fu-1000 is NOT compatible

http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=SNAModelSuppliesAct&fcategoryid=818&modelid=7471

[Yi Fong Yu]

that's quite the surprise... so there is no hi-res viewfinder to pull nice focuses?

[Jean-Philippe Archibald]

It's only an omission, the Fu-1000 is FULLY compatible with the Xl2.

Look in the features list. Near the end you can read "-Body compatible with FU-100 B/W EVF (not with current color EVF)"

You can also look at The watchdog's image gallery. The last pîcture show the dedicated connector for the Fu-1000, wich I believe, provide the 12v power required by the monochrome viewfinder. If I am correct, with the XL2 you don't have to put the adapter between the camera and the battery. A great addition!

EDIT: I just found this on the watchdog's FAQ in the compatibility list: "Q: Will the Canon FU-1000 monochrome CRT viewfinder work on the XL2?

A: Yes, it's perfectly compatible with the XL2; in fact, you no longer need to use the power adapter in the battery well. What's more, the monochrome CRT viewinder will display a properly letterboxed image when shooting in the 16:9 aspect ratio. "

Hope this help,

[Mark Grgurev]

thanks Jean-Philippe

[John Dovydenas]

I was wondering if any of you know if the connection plug on the FU-1000 is some sort of industry standard, or just a canon proprietary jack? I'm referring to the the plug physically connected to the unit, not the one on the XL1 voltage rectifier. I ask because I would like to get a high resolution color viewfinder, and Im wondering if there are any that would simply plug into the XL2? Alternately, does anyone know if there are any high resolution color viewfinders w/ a super video plug, which would be almost as good.
Some of you may suggest I use an external LCD screen. This wouldnt work (for me) as I need the viewfinder (sometimes) for focusing midshot and handheld. My desire for color is somewhat extravagant, as I could use a TV for color balancing, however, I'd like something compact and quick to set up, and espesially for it to be mobile and unencumbered. Plus color is an essential component of creating a composition; the FU-1000 is somewhat disorienting in this respect.
It also occurs to me that even if the plug is proprietary that I could fasion a dongle which would route the proper signals to the right wires. Does anyone know what kind of signal is being sent to the viewfinder? (component? some sort of composite medley?) Any feedback would be much appreciated.

[Chris Hurd]

It's a composite video signal that's fed to the viewfinder, and yes, the EVF connections (for both the color LCD viewfinder and the monochrome CRT viewfinder) are proprietary Canon devices.

[Christopher Go]

I am thinking of purchasing the FU-1000. However, after reading Ken's excellent article on this device, I was wondering about the following as it applies to the newer XL2:

The second caveat is more noteworthy. After using the FU-1000 for a while you may suddenly notice that something’s missing from the EVF indicators: the battery level indicator. Apparently the FU-1000’s voltage adapter also confounds the battery level indicator until the battery is nearly depleted, at which point a flashing battery indicator will appear in the viewfinder. This can lend a new level of excitement to your shooting since the FU-1000’s 12w load will drain your battery quicker than the FU-500’s LCD viewfinder. So be sure to stock-up on charged batteries before a shoot and change them before shooting a long sequence. Even better, use the CH-910 dual battery holder.

Is this still an issue with Canon's latest camcorder? For anyone who has this setup, can you see the battery indicator in the FU-1000 viewfinder? Ken's article can be read here.

[Richard Alvarez]

I just plugged mine in, and I can see a little battery indicator that shows about 1/3 of the batt empty.

[David Lach]

This, I beleive, was only true when using the FU-1000 on the XL1, since it required a voltage adapter. This is no longer the case with the XL2, since the camera converts the needed voltage directly through its prioprietary viewfinder connection. I just finnished shooting my first day with this puppy and I can confirm I didn't get any problem of this nature with it.

I had to rent one for the shoot but I will certainly buy one as soon as I can afford it. What a difference. Resolution to burn and you see the whole frame. It's such a breeze to frame and focus. The first day of shooting of my current project I had to use the standard EVF and with all the complicated shots I had planed, it was close to a nightmarish experience. I will never shoot without the FU-1000 ever again. Worth every penny in my book.

[Christopher Go]

Thanks for the help, Richard, David. I will definitely buy a FU-1000 viewfinder in the near future now that I know I won't have to worry about guessing how much power I have remaining.

[Donald Pittelli]

just added fu1000 to my xl2 . now bare in mind the dirrections that come with it are for a xl1s . so you get this adaptor with it for the power supply . well geewiz it dont fit takes me 20 mins to figure out the xl2 dose not need power adaptor .anyway this b/w unit makes the color finder look like a toy . this thing is sharp easy to focus and has better detail than the color finder .i am very happy with it . any tips on this unit i should know about . thanks dp

[Charles Papert]

Donald:

congrats on your purchase, it's a great piece of gear.

One thing to be careful about are the controls for brightness and contrast on the underside. These can easily be knocked, and if the brightness is all the way down it will appear that the viewfinder is off, and you will spend plenty of time trying to figure out why you don't have a picture. It may even be worth putting some tape over the brightness control once you have it dialed to your satisfaction to prevent this.