Zacuto Z-Finder 3.2 on LS300 at DVinfo.net

Nick Haman · April 4th, 2018, 03:07 AM

Hey all,
I normally shoot using a Ninja Assassin monitor for interviews and music videos, however I recently had to film an event handheld where that monitor just wasn't suitable. I tried using the in-built LCD for the first time since I bought the camera over a year ago, and damn, I forgot how bad it actually is. The footage I shot looks nothing like what I was looking at. Thankfully, I based my exposure on zebra and histogram, but it would be nice to see a better representation of the final result.

Anyway, I did a quick search and am able to pickup the Zacuto Z-Finder 3.2 EVF Pro for pretty cheap, and wondered how much of a benefit it would actually be in this kind of situation. Does anyone have any experience with one?

Luke Miller · April 4th, 2018, 07:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nick Haman

Anyway, I did a quick search and am able to pickup the Zacuto Z-Finder 3.2 EVF Pro for pretty cheap, and wondered how much of a benefit it would actually be in this kind of situation. Does anyone have any experience with one?

That is what I use. The magnification in the loupe allows me to see much more detail for focusing. The EVF has its own false color, zebras, audio meters, and focus aids, which work well and are necessary since those in the camera don't transfer to the EVF.

Nick Haman · April 4th, 2018, 08:35 AM

Thanks Luke! Am I going to see a big difference in the quality of the image on screen? Do you find you can trust it a lot more for colours and exposure even with all the extra tools turned off?

Any chance I could ask you to share a shot of it and the camera's LCD next to each other showing the same image?

Luke Miller · April 4th, 2018, 05:29 PM

It is not that the Zacuto EVF has a better display than that of the LS-300, but that the magnifying eyepiece allows a much improved (bigger) view of the image being displayed, which really helps with focus The Zacuto display is actually about 10% smaller on the long axis than that of the camera. If you could mount the eyepiece on the camera's LCD you would have similar performance.

Nick Haman · April 5th, 2018, 04:35 AM

I get it, I'm about to go and pick it up.

What I meant was, the image the Assassin gives me is very different to the image the LCD gives me, even though it's technically the same thing. The LCD is much darker, has a green/brown tint and just looks off. I've checked settings and from what I can see, there's nothing abnormal.

I'm hoping the Z-Finder will give me the colours and brightness I see on the Assassin's monitor, which is what the recorded files look like when I watch back later.

Next step is to find myself a little rig now that I don't need to have the actual camera in my face when I go hand held haha. What a can of worms this is going to be.

Luke Miller · April 5th, 2018, 10:51 AM

I think you will be happy with the Zacuto EVF display. I haven't noticed any color issues with mine, but it has the full range of Brightness, Contrast, and Chroma settings should you need to adjust it. If yous doesn't come with a manual let me know and I'll send a link to the PDF.

April 4th, 2018, 03:07 AM	#1
Nick Haman Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Utrecht Posts: 88	Zacuto Z-Finder 3.2 on LS300 Hey all, I normally shoot using a Ninja Assassin monitor for interviews and music videos, however I recently had to film an event handheld where that monitor just wasn't suitable. I tried using the in-built LCD for the first time since I bought the camera over a year ago, and damn, I forgot how bad it actually is. The footage I shot looks nothing like what I was looking at. Thankfully, I based my exposure on zebra and histogram, but it would be nice to see a better representation of the final result. Anyway, I did a quick search and am able to pickup the Zacuto Z-Finder 3.2 EVF Pro for pretty cheap, and wondered how much of a benefit it would actually be in this kind of situation. Does anyone have any experience with one?

April 4th, 2018, 08:35 AM	#3
Nick Haman Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Utrecht Posts: 88	Re: Zacuto Z-Finder 3.2 on LS300 Thanks Luke! Am I going to see a big difference in the quality of the image on screen? Do you find you can trust it a lot more for colours and exposure even with all the extra tools turned off? Any chance I could ask you to share a shot of it and the camera's LCD next to each other showing the same image?

April 4th, 2018, 05:29 PM	#4
Luke Miller Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: King George, Virginia Posts: 112	Re: Zacuto Z-Finder 3.2 on LS300 It is not that the Zacuto EVF has a better display than that of the LS-300, but that the magnifying eyepiece allows a much improved (bigger) view of the image being displayed, which really helps with focus The Zacuto display is actually about 10% smaller on the long axis than that of the camera. If you could mount the eyepiece on the camera's LCD you would have similar performance.

April 5th, 2018, 04:35 AM	#5
Nick Haman Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2016 Location: Utrecht Posts: 88	Re: Zacuto Z-Finder 3.2 on LS300 I get it, I'm about to go and pick it up. What I meant was, the image the Assassin gives me is very different to the image the LCD gives me, even though it's technically the same thing. The LCD is much darker, has a green/brown tint and just looks off. I've checked settings and from what I can see, there's nothing abnormal. I'm hoping the Z-Finder will give me the colours and brightness I see on the Assassin's monitor, which is what the recorded files look like when I watch back later. Next step is to find myself a little rig now that I don't need to have the actual camera in my face when I go hand held haha. What a can of worms this is going to be.

April 5th, 2018, 10:51 AM	#6
Luke Miller Regular Crew Join Date: Oct 2015 Location: King George, Virginia Posts: 112	Re: Zacuto Z-Finder 3.2 on LS300 I think you will be happy with the Zacuto EVF display. I haven't noticed any color issues with mine, but it has the full range of Brightness, Contrast, and Chroma settings should you need to adjust it. If yous doesn't come with a manual let me know and I'll send a link to the PDF.