Magnet trick on the A1?

rawfa

rawfa

Veteran
Does anyone know if the magnet trick to flip the lcd image works on the A1? Or even better, does it have a on-camera "image flipper"?
 
I tried it with small magnet. It didn't work. I guess there is a contact switch inside to detect position of the LCD screen, but it may be something different. Maybe it takes stronger magnet, but I'm not going to try it.

There's no image flip function in the camera. It would be sweet, but imo it's not a big deal for 35mm adapters users who basically have to rely on external monitors anyway.
 
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This sucks really bad! I spent a lot of money on the A1, lenses and the letusA and an external monitor is totaly out of the question. This is bad news :-(
 
You need an extremely strong magnet to damage a tape. I made MANY tests before trying this and I used this A LOT of times with the FX1 without ever having any sort of troubel. I know toons of people who use it too wihtout any issues. The reason why the magnet trick works is because the camera ALREADY has magnet inside of it and hence allows it's polarity to be inverted by putting another magnet near it.
 
It's not such a bad news actually. No camera in this price range offers fully functional image flip function. Ideally, it should control image and parameters display separately and also allow permanent image flip during recording.

Modifying LCD screen in camera on warranty is definitely not a good idea. It also makes the parameters readout difficult.

We have to accept it and use other solutions. Small external LCD is better choice than risking damage to the camera. With that, at least one can read and set image parameters comfortably on camera's LCD/EVF. It's not very expensive also. Hey, who said going after that 35mm film look was easy? :)
 
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rawfa said:
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an external monitor is totaly out of the question.
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Why? Small LCD monitors are very affordable. You can attach it to your rig even with do-it-yourself arm or bracket.
 
The cheapest I've seen was around 300$ plus shipping. After buying the A1, the letus plus some nikon lenses, there's not much to go around...unless by affordable you mean there's a 100$ lcd/tft monitor around I don't know of. Is there??
 
Actualy I just saw a LILLIPUT Monitor Color LCD 4 inches Screen for 68 bucks! Did anyone ever try this? Does it flip the image?
 
Marshall V-LCD4PROL 4" LCD is $250 at B&H Photo. It supports both NTSC and PAL. You can also consider used monitors. Maybe someone knows even more affordable options.

You have invested in so much equipment. I think you just need to make that last step. Most people that use 35mm adapters consider external monitor as necessary, even users of expensive flipping adapters like P+S Technik Mini35.
 
rawfa said:
Actualy I just saw a LILLIPUT Monitor Color LCD 4 inches Screen for 68 bucks! Did anyone ever try this? Does it flip the image?
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Why worry if you can flip the whole monitor if necessary, even using home made arm or bracket mount. Be inventive :)
 
Bogdan said:
Why worry if you can flip the whole monitor if necessary, even using home made arm or bracket mount. Be inventive :)
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Unfortunately I suck I this kind of stuff. My home made bracket mount would probably be nailing the monitor to the camera with a nail gun.
 
Bogdan said:
You have invested in so much equipment. I think you just need to make that last step. Most people that use 35mm adapters consider external monitor as necessary, even users of expensive flipping adapters like P+S Technik Mini35.
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If I think like that there will always be a final effort that can be made to make things better. My final effort was already investing in the letus35A and 3 nikon lenses. I might look into the lilliput thingy though.
 
I'm sure someone from your local hardware store could help. Look for some examples on the web. It's really not that difficult. People do things like that for literally a few dollars. Adjustable arm from video store will cost you $100, so DIY replacement is definitely worth considering.
 
rawfa said:
If I think like that there will always be a final effort that can be made to make things better.
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Click to expand...

Come on, stop complaining, be a man and think positive :)
 
Hey rawfa,

Congrats on the purchase of the A1. I'm torn between the A1 and HVX, so I'm still on the fence, but the A1 is REALLY attractive.

If you're looking for an inexpensive monitor, I've been using a 7" lcd with the XL2 that I picked up for $149. For another $10, I got the adjustable "arm" to attach it the hotshoe. If memory serves, the LCD is made by panny, but the monitor is branded TFT. I got it from lcd4video.

Don't know if the resolution is good enough for HD though... this monitor is 1440x234.
 
Resolution is dictated by price, but again, it's not a big problem. Focusing (and image control) in this case can and should be done in the camera with help of Magn and Peaking. Small, inexpensive external monitor is just good enough for composition and camera movement control, not much more.

Of course, good HD monitor will do better job than camera's LCD/EVF, but it will be expensive and heavier than A1 itself.
 
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