FX6: CVP Cable Extension for the FX6 / FX9 / FS7 / Burano

[Grug]

It’s finally arrived! It was almost a two-month wait, and an eye-watering $750 AUD (£373). But I’ve finally got my hands on the CVP cable extension (for the Sony FX6/FX9/FS7/Burano LCDs).

And it’s glorious!

This really is the missing link in making these cameras easy to shoot with.

The autofocus (once you embrace it), the dual ISO modes, and the variable ND, these cameras have so much going for them for fast and efficient image capture, but getting the LCD where you need it (which is essential to operating the damned autofocus properly) has been a nightmare from the start, due to the niggardly cable length Sony have provided them with. It’s something that’s going to be a major issue for the Burano when that arrives (because that’s not at a price point where people will tolerate the inconvenience).

But the issue is finally solved now (for me at least), thanks to this fantastic solution CVP have put together (well done chaps!).

I now never need to waste 10-20 seconds unplugging the cable, or detaching my LCD entirely, just in order to make a simple change to the position or rotation of the LCD or loupe that I’m using. I can now put it right over the matte box (for easy access and no neck or eye strain) when operating on the shoulder. I can lift it up to eye-level in seconds when cradling the camera in a Cinesaddle or hanging from the Easyrig. And I have enough slack to flip the LCD around 180º (for viewing from in front of the camera) whenever I need.

This really is a HUGE boon for working with these Sony cameras. So I want to send a big shout out to the team at CVP. And give it my highest recommendation to anyone struggling operationally with these camera’s LCDs. If you’ve been on the fence about investing in one of these, it’s absolutely worth it.

 

[morgan_moore]

Avery interesting thing.

One of my main reasons to go with the whole canon eco system.. is my opinion that that cable is too short. especially for shoulder or movi work)

A generation of odd neck positions on operators failing to admit that the camera just could not be built correctly.

(canon sell an 'over priced' long lead for canon cine evfs)

At last!

 

[Grug]

Yeah, it's pretty bonkers. And even when people still have some slack free to put their LCDs forward, I still see them leaving the LCDs close to the body, and seemingly trying to push their own skulls back over the top of their spines (chins receeded completely into necks.

It's very odd the direction people have gone in terms of ergonomics.

I suspect a lot of people don't quite understand that these are no longer film cameras, with an optical relay for the viewfinder. The damn EVF is attached by a cable, that should mean you can put it wherever the hell you like. It should be a golden age for ease of operating, and yet here we are.

 

[Doug Jensen]

It's very odd the direction people have gone in terms of ergonomics.

I would say that relying on the camera's LCD as a viewfinder is an odd direction in itself.
'd never go out shooting without a true EVF that has an eye cup and diopter. That used to be considered a basic part of any pro camera. t's very odd the direction people have gone in terms of ergonomics.

On my FX6, I use a Gratical Eye that can be easily positioned easily wherever I want it without an ungainly arm. The whole camera rig goes in and out of it;s case fully built.

I do also have the camera's LCD mounted, but is is only used for touch tracking AF. I don't even need to see the screen. I can tap on the LCD where I want the camera to focus without taking my eye away from the EVF. Not saying my method would work for others, but there's no way I coud use the camera's LCD as my viewfinder no matter where it was mounted.

 

[Alan Dater]

I like your setup. It seems that the Gratical Eye is no longer available from Zacuto. Used ones are available on eBay etc. Do you have a recommendation for other Zacuto EVFs or is it best to find a used Gratical Eye?
Thanks
Alan Dater

 

[morgan_moore]

I would say that relying on the camera's LCD as a viewfinder is an odd direction in itself.
'd never go out shooting without a true EVF that has an eye cup and diopter. That used to be considered a basic part of any pro camera. t's very odd the direction people have gone in terms of ergonomics.

On my FX6, I use a Gratical Eye that can be easily positioned easily wherever I want it without an ungainly arm. The whole camera rig goes in and out of it;s case fully built.

I do also have the camera's LCD mounted, but is is only used for touch tracking AF. I don't even need to see the screen. I can tap on the LCD where I want the camera to focus without taking my eye away from the EVF. Not saying my method would work for others, but there's no way I coud use the camera's LCD as my viewfinder no matter where it was mounted.

Ever since the fs7 the onboard screen of these sonys have offered a nirvana of..
-not needing external batteries and hdmi cables
-not having to pay $5k for the evf on a $7k camera

But it was a false nirvana of twisted necks and blurry shots.

You are 100% correct in that a bad screen only really works with good AF and the screen just shows you a green box. And it really works if you can pull it forward to balance the rig on the shoulder.

 

[Doug Jensen]

I like your setup. It seems that the Gratical Eye is no longer available from Zacuto. Used ones are available on eBay etc. Do you have a recommendation for other Zacuto EVFs or is it best to find a used Gratical Eye?
Thanks
Alan Dater

Yes, it's a shame that the Gratical is not offered anymore. Fortunately the Zacuto Kameleon is almost just as good. I own both a Kameleon and a Gratical. The advantages of the Kameleon is that it offers both HDMi and SDI connections and has slightly better resolution. However, the reason I prefer the Gratical is because the Kameleon does not allow you to use Zebra and Peaking simultaneously. Other than that, the Kameleon is a good alternative to the Gratical. I should check to see if they've updated the firmware of the Kameleon to solve the zebra/peaking issue.

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1527845-REG/zacuto_z_kevf_p_kameleon_evf_pro.html

 

[Nick M]

I absolutely prefer shooting with a dedicated EVF, but my main issue was the relative fragility (in my experience, at least) of the button that the Gratical used to navigate menus. Have you had issues with this breaking on either your Gratical or the Kameleon? If not, I might need to get another one.

It's a shame there aren't more EVF options available outside of proprietary models like Arri's or Canon's (which costs nearly as much as some of their current C series bodies).

 

[Doug Jensen]

I absolutely prefer shooting with a dedicated EVF, but my main issue was the relative fragility (in my experience, at least) of the button that the Gratical used to navigate menus. Have you had issues with this breaking on either your Gratical or the Kameleon? If not, I might need to get another one..

Not only have I not had any issues with the buttons on either viewfinder, I can't really see why that would be an issue for anyone. Maybe you had a bad gratical. Besides, it is not like you need to change the settings very often. I can't even remember the last time I changed settings on either one. Set it up and forget it.

I should add that it is amazing how many possible settings there are. Literally a thousand different combinations for customization. None of the propietary models I've used from Sony, Panasonic, etc. have anywhere near the choices.

 

[Grug]

I like your setup. It seems that the Gratical Eye is no longer available from Zacuto. Used ones are available on eBay etc. Do you have a recommendation for other Zacuto EVFs or is it best to find a used Gratical Eye?
Thanks
Alan Dater

The Kameleon is a totally acceptable replacement. Which adds 3D LUTs and opaque frame masks to equation (both very useful upgrades).

I actually had to sell my Gratical Eye in order to swap to the Kameleon, for a single reason - frameline masks (I can't stand framelines, where you can still clearly see image outside of the framelines, because elements of contrast outside of the framelines, can affect your ability to compose - so I rely on semi opaque masks to show me my aspect ratio for a particular project).

The FX6 has these masks built-in, but if you're using an EVF with the camera, you lose them - because you're turning off all of the Sony status info that covers your whole image, and that takes the frame masks away with it... hugely frustrating.

My only gripe with the Kameleon, is that the control jog wheels is literally mirrored compared to the Gratical Eye, so navigating its menus is a nightmare if you have the muscle memory attached to the Gratical EVFs.

 

[LennyLevy]

Doug , can you post a pic of how you have the Gratical and EVF screen set up to operate both at the same time- (gratical for viewing and EVF for focus) ?
Not having peaking and zebra at the same time could be a deal breaker for me. Stupid design.

 

[Doug Jensen]

Lenny, here are a couple of quick shots of my FX6. I think I have posted better photos in the past but who knows what thread they were on?
The Gratical is mounted directly to a rosette on the camera body using a couple of pieces from Kondor Blue. The camera's LCD is mounted using the stock hardware that comes with the camera.

I can activate subject-tracking AF just by touching anywhere on the LCD -- without taking my eye away from the Gratical.

​

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[Grug]

Al Chapman said something a month or so (while I was pondering the Burano) that inspired a quirky little idea for the EVF/Viewfinder situation, and one that's probably much more viable, now that I have the CVP cable extension - a Jury-rigged Arri-style hybrid!

 

[Doug Jensen]

Everyone's gotta find what works for them, but that setup above wouldn't work for me. First, it makes the camera too wide (even when folded) and the rig wouldn't fit in any of my cases. The position of the LCD would block my left eye and keep me from scanning the environment around me. And third, the LCD is too heavy for that rod and sags and bounces around. I couldn't stand having the screen not be level or jiggling around.

 

[Patrick Ouziel]

Grug, do you find you can easily judge focus with the Kameleon? That's my biggest concern and I've never been quite satisfied with looking through my F55 OLED EVF (not to mention I run a LUT box, so I need an SDI EVF anyways). I tried a SmallHD sidefinder and it was all right, but downrezzed in order to accomate the optics in the loupe, and I wasn't always confident in focus, esp in wide shots. Thanks!

 

[Doug Jensen]

I have both a Kameleon and a Gratical for my FX6 and other cameras, and I can tell you that the image quality is fantastic on both of them. Much better than the F55's OLED -- even when it was new. I still run the Sony DVF-L350 3.5" LCD viewfinder on my F55 out of convenience, but the Zacuto viewfinders look better than the Sony OLED or LCD.

But the Sony EL30 on my Z750 tops them all.

 

[Patrick Ouziel]

Thanks Doug! Maybe it's just time for me to bite the bullet!

 

[Grug]

Grug, do you find you can easily judge focus with the Kameleon? That's my biggest concern and I've never been quite satisfied with looking through my F55 OLED EVF (not to mention I run a LUT box, so I need an SDI EVF anyways). I tried a SmallHD sidefinder and it was all right, but downrezzed in order to accomate the optics in the loupe, and I wasn't always confident in focus, esp in wide shots. Thanks!

I think the Kameleon is probably a bit better than the F55's EVF (though I'm casting my memory a long way back to bring up the relevant facts!). The F55's EVF was 720p and very nice compared to most options at the time, but not overly bright.

I think the magnification in the Kameleon is quite a bit larger, so it fills your field of view nicely. And you get lots of peaking/zoom options as well - though using it with the current Sony cameras, I'd probably default to using the camera's pixel-zoom over the EVFs.

 

[morgan_moore]

Grug, do you find you can easily judge focus with the Kameleon? That's my biggest concern and I've never been quite satisfied with looking through my F55 OLED EVF (not to mention I run a LUT box, so I need an SDI EVF anyways). I tried a SmallHD sidefinder and it was all right, but downrezzed in order to accomate the optics in the loupe, and I wasn't always confident in focus, esp in wide shots. Thanks!

It is my opinion that using any 1080 device to focus you will strugle when recording 4k footage. You need..

-A 4k viewing device that does not exist
or
high quality 'punch in' that does not exist
or
to use AF
or
a tape measure, time and calibrated lenses

 

[Doug Jensen]

It is my opinion that using any 1080 device to focus you will strugle when recording 4k footage. You need..

That's ridiculous. For more than four decades I've been doing all my focusing with viewfinders that had HD resolution or less. Sometimes far less. I never had a 4K viewfinder in my life. So, should I go back and check to see if I nailed focus or not on all those shoots?

It's a fact, not just my opinion, that a properly setup HD viewfinder with a good diopter and the right peaking settings is plenty good enough to reliably nail focus on the fly.