Handheld EVF only at DVinfo.net

James Emory · November 5th, 2004, 10:47 AM

If they could only make this thing wireless. I guess you could get a wireless trasmitter/receiver system and integrate it.

http://www.markertek.com/Product.asp...eItem=PSVM%2D1

Mike Rehmus · November 5th, 2004, 12:26 PM

What a great product to keep the Director away from the camera. I think I need one of these for a lot of reasons including viewing remote camera images

Bet one could hang this on a frame and wear it like a goggle.

James Emory · November 5th, 2004, 01:05 PM

Yes, I thought about that as well. Maybe a hoop that goes around your head like ENT docs wear with that mirror or surgeons with those magnifiers. It could have a small boom with ball joints for adjustment in front of your eye.

Mike Rehmus · November 5th, 2004, 04:48 PM

Just ordered one. Will let you know.

James Emory · November 5th, 2004, 05:07 PM

Please do let us know. That will be interesting to hear about. I wonder how you would frame for 16X9. If you could also post a picture to see the scale of it in your hand that would be great too. Other than keeping the director away and the fact that you don't have to worry about glare, what other uses do you have in mind?

Dylan Couper · November 5th, 2004, 07:34 PM

Thanks for posting that Mike. I'm also pretty interested in what you think of it.

Maybe a review article??? :)

Mike Rehmus · November 6th, 2004, 01:16 AM

2 uses other than for the Director

I wan to use is to use it with my boom and forget the lcd panel that is hard to see and mount.

I want to use it when I set up a back camera on the alter during a wedding. I can easily use the wireless pan and tilt head to set up the shot and now I'll be able to see it with some degree of privacy. I've found a LCD screen in church affairs is enough to draw the attention of people, much to the chagrin of the wedding party.

But just keeping the editor away from the camera will be great. He's always walking into a tripod leg during a shoot and blowing the shot. It's gonna be a long composite video cable.

Actually, the little video transmitter that Markertek has would also be good for that. I could let him wander off quite a ways. Too bad it doesn't have audio.

Mike Rehmus · November 12th, 2004, 01:02 PM

Got it. I think it is marginal at best.

The size is right but it is a slippery item. I've already wrapped it with a rubber band.

Power switch is a momentary push-button so it isn't any good for a hands-free application.

B&W only and fairly low resolution.

A bit too bright compared to my camera viewfinder. Not at all useful for even guessing at exposure.

Fine vertical noise lines in the video . . . may be this copy.

Showed it to my wife. She isn't as picky. I'll show it to my Director but I'd bet this is going back next week.

James Emory · November 15th, 2004, 03:39 PM

Thanks for the review Mike. So for powering on, you have to literally hold down a button? Is the resistance of the button hard or soft?

When you said "Fine vertical noise lines in the video . . . may be this copy", were you meaning that particular unit or model?

Mike Rehmus · November 15th, 2004, 03:51 PM

Yes you have to hold the button down. Fairly soft although I'd not want to hold it for an hour.

The noise lines may be unique to the unit I have. In any case the unit will go back, even if the director likes it. The brightness and the noise are unacceptable.

James Emory · November 15th, 2004, 06:06 PM

To solve the problem of holding it down all the time, you could get an object as big as the button's surface area and tape it over the button securely wrapping it around the unit. This would apply enough pressure to keep it on continuously. As far as the lines and overbrightness, that's not good. What were they thinking?

Bill Pryor · November 16th, 2004, 02:23 PM

I had to do some exterior jib shots last year (10' high jib) and needed a battery powered small monitor. I went to Radio Shack and bought their brightest little hand held TV. It was about $75, I think. I wanted a black and white one, but the color one was actually brighter in daylight. I gaffertape it to the jib all the time, and it's bright enough to use outdoors. Only thing about it is that it has a mini plug, so you have to get a mini to BNC adapter; and it doesn't do 16:9. However, it works quite well for what I needed. It runs on 4 AA batteries.

Mike Rehmus · November 16th, 2004, 11:04 PM

<<<-- Originally posted by James Emory : To solve the problem of holding it down all the time, you could get an object as big as the button's surface area and tape it over the button securely wrapping it around the unit. This would apply enough pressure to keep it on continuously. As far as the lines and overbrightness, that's not good. What were they thinking? -->>>

It acts like it doesn't have a 75 ohm terminator inside. Could be broken.

I tried it out with the director today. He used it twice and then wanted to watch the color LCD on the camera.

It is going back.

November 5th, 2004, 10:47 AM	#1
James Emory Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,892	Handheld EVF only If they could only make this thing wireless. I guess you could get a wireless trasmitter/receiver system and integrate it. http://www.markertek.com/Product.asp...eItem=PSVM%2D1

November 5th, 2004, 12:26 PM	#2
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	What a great product to keep the Director away from the camera. I think I need one of these for a lot of reasons including viewing remote camera images Bet one could hang this on a frame and wear it like a goggle. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

November 5th, 2004, 04:48 PM	#4
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Just ordered one. Will let you know. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

November 5th, 2004, 07:34 PM	#6
Dylan Couper Wrangler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Vancouver, British Columbia Posts: 8,314	Thanks for posting that Mike. I'm also pretty interested in what you think of it. Maybe a review article??? :) __________________ Need to rent camera gear in Vancouver BC? Check me out at camerarentalsvancouver.com

November 6th, 2004, 01:16 AM	#7
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	2 uses other than for the Director I wan to use is to use it with my boom and forget the lcd panel that is hard to see and mount. I want to use it when I set up a back camera on the alter during a wedding. I can easily use the wireless pan and tilt head to set up the shot and now I'll be able to see it with some degree of privacy. I've found a LCD screen in church affairs is enough to draw the attention of people, much to the chagrin of the wedding party. But just keeping the editor away from the camera will be great. He's always walking into a tripod leg during a shoot and blowing the shot. It's gonna be a long composite video cable. Actually, the little video transmitter that Markertek has would also be good for that. I could let him wander off quite a ways. Too bad it doesn't have audio. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

November 5th, 2004, 01:05 PM	#3
James Emory Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,892	Yes, I thought about that as well. Maybe a hoop that goes around your head like ENT docs wear with that mirror or surgeons with those magnifiers. It could have a small boom with ball joints for adjustment in front of your eye.

November 5th, 2004, 05:07 PM	#5
James Emory Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,892	Please do let us know. That will be interesting to hear about. I wonder how you would frame for 16X9. If you could also post a picture to see the scale of it in your hand that would be great too. Other than keeping the director away and the fact that you don't have to worry about glare, what other uses do you have in mind?

November 12th, 2004, 01:02 PM	#8
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Got it. I think it is marginal at best. The size is right but it is a slippery item. I've already wrapped it with a rubber band. Power switch is a momentary push-button so it isn't any good for a hands-free application. B&W only and fairly low resolution. A bit too bright compared to my camera viewfinder. Not at all useful for even guessing at exposure. Fine vertical noise lines in the video . . . may be this copy. Showed it to my wife. She isn't as picky. I'll show it to my Director but I'd bet this is going back next week. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

November 15th, 2004, 03:39 PM	#9
James Emory Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,892	Thanks for the review Mike. So for powering on, you have to literally hold down a button? Is the resistance of the button hard or soft? When you said "Fine vertical noise lines in the video . . . may be this copy", were you meaning that particular unit or model?

November 15th, 2004, 03:51 PM	#10
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	Yes you have to hold the button down. Fairly soft although I'd not want to hold it for an hour. The noise lines may be unique to the unit I have. In any case the unit will go back, even if the director likes it. The brightness and the noise are unacceptable. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!

November 15th, 2004, 06:06 PM	#11
James Emory Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 1,892	To solve the problem of holding it down all the time, you could get an object as big as the button's surface area and tape it over the button securely wrapping it around the unit. This would apply enough pressure to keep it on continuously. As far as the lines and overbrightness, that's not good. What were they thinking?

November 16th, 2004, 02:23 PM	#12
Bill Pryor Contributor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Kansas City, MO Posts: 4,449	I had to do some exterior jib shots last year (10' high jib) and needed a battery powered small monitor. I went to Radio Shack and bought their brightest little hand held TV. It was about $75, I think. I wanted a black and white one, but the color one was actually brighter in daylight. I gaffertape it to the jib all the time, and it's bright enough to use outdoors. Only thing about it is that it has a mini plug, so you have to get a mini to BNC adapter; and it doesn't do 16:9. However, it works quite well for what I needed. It runs on 4 AA batteries.

November 16th, 2004, 11:04 PM	#13
Mike Rehmus Wrangler Join Date: May 2002 Location: Vallejo, California Posts: 4,049	<<<-- Originally posted by James Emory : To solve the problem of holding it down all the time, you could get an object as big as the button's surface area and tape it over the button securely wrapping it around the unit. This would apply enough pressure to keep it on continuously. As far as the lines and overbrightness, that's not good. What were they thinking? -->>> It acts like it doesn't have a 75 ohm terminator inside. Could be broken. I tried it out with the director today. He used it twice and then wanted to watch the color LCD on the camera. It is going back. __________________ Mike Rehmus Hey, I can see the carrot at the end of the tunnel!