Best EVF with AF100?

Jon Furtado

Jon Furtado

Well-known member
I was curious what external EVF's people are using for their AF100's. I'm looking to pick up a Zacuto EVF but want to know the pro's and con's vs. other EVF's. Does anyone have any advice? Does anyone prefer the flip or snap Zacuto EVF? Why?
 
then there's the new alphatron made by tv logic. Ablecine's got them, they are $1395 and I just met an F3 shooter that had it on his rig for all the NFL promos, and he swore by it. I have the cineroid, and am not that impressed, nor do I use it that often and am thinking of selling it. I am also considering the TV Logic or small HD 6" monitors...
 
I've used both Zacutos EVF and Alphatron EVF and the Alphatron one is a killer one the AF100. Much much better than the built in EVF and much better than the Zacuto EVF. Colours, resolution, features and the fact that you see all the picture without squeezing your eyes around like on the Zacuto.
 
The Alphatron/TVLogic is my preferred EVF, & the Zacuto has been relegated to backup.

But the Alphatron's firmware needs upgrading. Not only does using utilizing Zebras, & Peaking, at the same time cause a mess, but 1:1 punch in requires cycling thru button pushes.

I haven't been able to find a battery display either, & they die quickly.

However the image is the best of the affordable options, so if your comfortable just focusing traditionally it can't be beat.
 
The Alphatron's relatively big bucks, but probably worth it if you use it a lot or keep it for years. I haven't tried one though because I've had my EVFs since long before it came out. (BTW, I think it has SDI inputs if you're looking at a BMCC).

I handhold almost exclusively so the stock EVF is useless to me. I have two Z-Finders and a Cineroid that I use on my two cameras constantly. I originally got the Cineroid because it was cheaper and has red peaking, which is very useful when working handheld - it also has a positive on/off switch and a power light which the Z doesn't (it has a push-in power button which is a pain). However just last week Zacuoto added red peaking to the Z-Finder, and their finder is better built and seems to be less subject to random burns from the sun so may be a better choice now. I haven't even seen a SmallHD so I can't comment on it.
 
DP6. No, it's not an EVF... but it's dang easy to see and focus and I can also use it as... well, a 5.5" monitor. Since I'm cheap, usually travelling, and one-man-banding, multi-useiosity is valuable to me... being sturdy aluminum, it's also an integral support element (I put my left-hand side grip on the bottom of it).

My biggest gripe is that the colors don't seem to hold after calibration, but apparently that's an issue with most of the sub-$1000 small production monitors.

Otherwise, I tried putting a loupe on the stock flip-out LCD, and that works well enough sometimes if I need to go bare-bones.
 
I have a 6.5" Marshall designed for outdoor daylight use that cost more than the Alphatron, but much prefer an EVF. Even with hoods I find monitors are just too hard to see in bright sunshine.
 
I have the DP6. It is impossible to use in bright daylight because when you get your face up to the sunhood the monitor is only 8" away, making it difficult to focus your eyes on it. I have used it on overcast days though. I am about to get a Zacuto Pro but I understand you have to be really careful not to let sunlight hit it.
 
You have to be careful with direct Sun entering any of the external EVFs, but Zacuto added a 16x9 mask that sits above the lens, & greatly reduces the risk. Still it needs care, & should be capped whenever possible.
 
The Alphatron is definitely the best EVF i have used (although i have never used the DP6). Although i second the previous comment that it could do with a firmware upgrade where you don't have to cycle through buttons to get expanded focus.

I used the Alphatron on the F3 last week and here are a few initial thoughts on it.

Alphatron_F3_rig.jpg
 
I use the zacauto and hang it upside down (but flip the screen) on a Noga arm so it is placed slightly in front of the camera. This allows me to have most of the weight of the camera on my shoulder and to use the EVF in a traditional ENG style. The other advantage of hanging the Zacauto EVF upside down is that you can push the finder release button so it flips down avoiding burns on the screen from direct sunlight (It is designed on a hinge to flip up and to place a cap on the lens). I find the plastic cap noisy in the wind and fiddly to fit, whereas to just flip the finder down is quick and easy. I also have a wooden hand grip (Olaf) with button on/off on the right placed forward near the lens for better balance. The rig is very light and with the weight mainly on my shoulder can hand hold much longer than holding the camera in front of me.
 
P1150333.jpgEven though the color is off on LCD, for pretty decent focusing ability, I drilled a hole in a Hoodman with adjustable loupe for EX-3, and slung it down in front of LCD with Israeli arm...
 
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