The quest for a better EVF

[Tim Kerigan]

ProVideo Coalition.com: VIDEO: Camera Log by Adam Wilt | Founder | Pro Cameras, HDV Camera, HD Camera, Sony, Panasonic, JVC, RED, Video Camera Reviews

Last couple seconds of the video, they show off a VF tube for the LCD on the F3, not ideal, but better than nothing?

[Jason Bodnar]

just anounced

Announcing the all new DP4 from SmallHD

[Brian Drysdale]

I didn't see this on the earlier link to their site.

LCDVFE by Kinotehnik

[Leonard Levy]

Tried the Zacuto EVF at NAB, and I liked the unit itself and especially the menu and function keys. However I have a consistent problem with the Zacuto loupes.

I just can't seem to get what feels like sharp focus- no matter how I adjust the eyepiece. I tried it with spacers that put the eyepiece further away and that may have helped a teeny but but not enough,

I've wondered if it has something to do with my astigmatism and the fact that I wear progressive glasses. .

[Chris Medico]

Leonard,

The new product from SmallHD may offer a solution. Their eyepiece is threaded to accept custom diopter correction elements. I saw it at NAB and it looks nice.

I'm nearsighted and seriously astigmatic so its a problem I have all the time with eyepieces.

[Leonard Levy]

I don't think it has anything to do with diopter adjustment. My glasses put me at 20-20 and I am fine with a Hoodman, though with progressives I can't move my head around. it just never gets sharp with the Zacuto as I go right through the proper diopter setting.
I don't really get it though.
Chris , do you use your glasses when you shoot also. Have you had problems with the Zacuto as well?

[Chris Medico]

I can't shoot through my glasses on a VF now that I'm in my 40's. Up until the last few years I could.

I also can't shoot without my glasses because my astigmatism is so severe that no diopter adjustment works.

I would have to get a set of reading glasses to use a VF.

I've come to rely on external monitors to shoot with now and that works great (as long as I can keep them at a reasonable distance).

One day I'll give in and get a second set of glasses. I'm not ready to admit defeat yet though.

I only mentioned the new SmallHD monitor since they told us at the demo you will be able to get custom diopters made for your prescription. If they can make one with a cylinder value of about 4 then I might have a VF that will work for me without glasses.

[Leonard Levy]

I have bad astigmatism also but don't get why you can't use glasses with an EVF. Can you do it with a traditional full size video cam? Your glasses should be correcting for far vision and the diopter on a viewfinder ( I think) is supposed to correct normal far vison so you can see something close. Should not need reading glasses for it - in fact that should get you into more trouble. I'm over 60 BTW so been dealing with the close vision loss for years.
In the old film days I had a set of small lenses with my glasses correction that I would tape into the eyepiece of an arri, panvison etc camera. Worked great though it would tend to fog which require inserting a little tube in the rubber eye cup so you could suck out the foggy air. Crazy but it worked. Suck don't Blow was the mantra.

But until this zacuto thing I've had no problem with glasses including progressives. Maybe I just expect too much from the zacuto.

[Chris Medico]

Using my glasses causes a lot of color aberrations in viewfinders. Everything has yellow and purple color fringes.

It makes it difficult to judge focus and quickly leads to a very tired eye.

I don't seem to have the same trouble looking at monitors.

[Chuck Fishbein]

I and several others at the Sony booth repeatedly tried to get decent results with the Zacuto EVF on an F3 and eventually gave up. Whatever the reason, none of us felt that it was making focus any easier. The problem was not in the Zacuto loupe, because you could read the EVF's menu graphics clearly and if you put the loupe on the camera's LCD, the image was great. We tried adjusting the screen contrast and brightness and also tried with and without spacers, but it was still difficult to resolve focus. It was disappointing as I had a deposit on one.

[Leonard Levy]

Chris,
Wow, that's much more severe than anything I experience. Is your eyesight really bad. Mine is not horrible. I could fake driving if I lost my glasses tho I wouldn't read signs too well.

Chuck, Hmm the plot thickens - not just me - did you guys try any others at the show?

[Dave Sperling]

I gave the Zacuto a quick try at their booth. They had the 3x eyepiece on the ones I tried, and I thought that it was a little too blown up to be properly functional, though once I found an optimal spot I could get decent focus. It felt to me that their lower power magnifier could be a better option.

[Chuck Fishbein]

@Lenny
We tried the CIneroid and found it slightly easier to focus with, possibly due to the fact that the screen had a slightly lower contrast. Although the Zacuto clearly had a more robust shell and mount, the Cineroid appeared to be easier to focus with and we left it on the camera all week to suggest third party EVF options for the F3.

[Leonard Levy]

I tried the Cineroid very briefly as I was leaving and at first blush it seemed better to me also but I didn't check out the features - i.e peaking, zebras,function keys etc.
Others on this forum have complained about it though.
I loved the functions of the Zacuto.

[Chuck Fishbein]

I'm not pitching either one. In my opinion, neither was up to the task.