Any Update on the Convergent Design Sunscreen Hood for the Odyssey

On another topic, I'm wondering how good a sunshade will be that has the bottom portion open vs the long wraparound sunshade that Olof makes at westside av? My only experience with screen sunshades is with SmallHD and their 4 sided shade which was pretty good at cutting down the light. Most of my filming is in bright indoors locations.

Mitch - any plans to offer a 4 sided solution? What were your design thoughts on a 3 vs 4 sided solution?

thanks.
 
I built my own black matte cardboard 3 sided sunshade that had much the same dimensions as the CD hood. It wasn't enough in bright outdoor situations. You really need to have a deep enough 4 sided hood to block bright sunlight in my experience.
 
Essami said:
I built my own black matte cardboard 3 sided sunshade that had much the same dimensions as the CD hood. It wasn't enough in bright outdoor situations. You really need to have a deep enough 4 sided hood to block bright sunlight in my experience.
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That's what I was wondering. Maybe the west side model will be better. Guess I could also build my own to my own spec!
 
I got the Hoodman hood, it's a bit annoying to attach to the rig and I've yet to use it on a set, Ill report back when I have.
 
I've got the Hoodman. It's not too bad once you've tightened the straps - just gets in the way of the power button which can be annoying. It provides good sun protection, only problems I had operating was the reflection of my face on the screen. However say the Westide AV one looks better, mostly because the bottom opens up: it's annoying having to reach in (that half flap is just stupid IMHO).
 
Hey Mitch, it looks like it will but I want to confirm, will the Hood work mounted from the bottom side of the 7Q? I am am using and Eldekrone EVF holder and have found the perfect height for my rig when the unit is flipped upside down, otherwise, sits too high.

Thanks
 
I have the Hoodman and it's a bit fiddly to put on and I modified it a bit to make it go on easier. But it work well once you figure it out. It keeps it's shape really well.
 
Is the hoodman supposedly built especially for the O7Q? If so, doesn't look like much/any design thought went into it!
 
lightstrum said:
Hey When can I get this hood and where. And, I am getting two teradeks, where do I get the bracket?
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Getting the latest sample in a couple of days. If that sorts out all our requests (and it should), then we should be shipping product in a week or two after that. But I must caution that we need to see that sample and then we are at the mercy of the schedule of the facility where the injection molding will take place. When they do the product run, it will be hundreds of units all spit out in a day. Just have to get that day out of them.
 
Pgale said:
On another topic, I'm wondering how good a sunshade will be that has the bottom portion open vs the long wraparound sunshade that Olof makes at westside av? My only experience with screen sunshades is with SmallHD and their 4 sided shade which was pretty good at cutting down the light. Most of my filming is in bright indoors locations.

Mitch - any plans to offer a 4 sided solution? What were your design thoughts on a 3 vs 4 sided solution?

thanks.
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The 3-sided design will work well in bright indoors and many outdoor shooting environments. As the Odyssey is a touchscreen device, I wanted to keep access easy to the control surface. Also, I knew that there were already alternatives on the market with 4-sided solutions. This way people have a choice. We love that 3rd party companies are supporting our products and we want to give them all the assistance we can. If the Hoodman or Westside AV is more to your shooting style, by all means please use their products.

I have used our 3-sided hood in bright exterior daylight and was happy with the result. It helps not to wear a bright white shirt when shooting outside, but then that applies anywhere.
 
ashclever said:
Hey Mitch, it looks like it will but I want to confirm, will the Hood work mounted from the bottom side of the 7Q? I am am using and Eldekrone EVF holder and have found the perfect height for my rig when the unit is flipped upside down, otherwise, sits too high.

Thanks
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Yes, our hood can be used inverted and it will not interfere with the connectors or the power button on the base.
 
Pgale said:
Is the hoodman supposedly built especially for the O7Q? If so, doesn't look like much/any design thought went into it!
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The Hoodman is indeed specifically designed for use with the Odyssey7Q. I believe that Hoodman sold out of their first run and they asked us for a loan of an Odyssey7Q again so that they could make some adjustments to the design based on some user feedback. This was sometime between NAB & CineGear so I think they should have new and improved stock available soon if it's not already out there.
 
Yes, in fact things have worked out even better than initially expected.

We started with a fairly hard platform. The hinge points were thinner so that they would allow flexing without breakage, but there was still resistance and it aleways felt like this could become a point of failure. In truth we tested several units for thousands of hard flexes and saw no degradation, but they didn't instill confidence. We had fixed all the fit & finish issues and were ready to just say "Hell with it" and just get them out there. But then our supplier suggest another material that he felt might work. This is a more rubbery platform. It has much more give than the original aterial but when mounted to the Odyssey will retain its shape without drooping in the middle. It folds far more easily for storage and springs back easily. And there is no fear of it tearing at the hinge points or cracking if bent the wrong way. It's a nice matte finish and will cost the same as our original design.

This last change came just last week and I approved going with the new material. The factory is underway manufacturing huge piles of them. They have to cure and then be shipped en masse from overseas to our Colorado office. The pair of tie-down knobs are coming locally. I expect everything to be in hand and heading out to dealers in a couple of weeks.

Sorry for the incredible delay on this. What looks to be a simple item (a sunshade, really?) can actually be far more complicated and time consuming than you would ever imagine. I have a fairly massive pile of prototypes sitting on the floor by my desk. But we are happy with this final design and it will be out shortly.
 
Cool, I look forward to it - in the mean-time, back to the newspaper draped over it! Should go nicely on the Movcam bracket I just ordered :)
 
Mitch Gross said:
I have a fairly massive pile of prototypes sitting on the floor by my desk. But we are happy with this final design and it will be out shortly.
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Well since you are just going to throw those prototypes away, I would gladly use one of those until my actual sunshade ships from B&H photo :)

Thank you,
Robert Pfeifer
Pifemaster Productions
www.pifemaster.com
 
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