CRT viewfinder on 5D

sony viewfinder

sony viewfinder

have you guys thought of using a Sony DXF-501 crt viewfinder?
it takes a little bit of rewiring but nothing fancy. i power mine with a battery plate that steps 7.2v up to 12v dc so i can use camcorder batteries like Sony M or Sony L series to power it independently.
the shoe on the 5D is sturdy so will easily hold it.
it works with any camera with a composite video out - including the 5D mk2.

i can post some pics if you want?
 
chris i just got the same view finder from ebay, what do i need to get to connect and power up this fellow? The connector looks odd to my virgin eyes.
 
Or, you could do something like this:

picture.php


Custom rig that rents from DC-Camera here in Virginia.
 
Do you somehow split the composite video so you could still run to onboard or director monitor, or is the viewfinder all you get?
 
HELP ! 8 pin layout for hooking the DXF-501 Viewfinder to 5DMkII composite video

HELP ! 8 pin layout for hooking the DXF-501 Viewfinder to 5DMkII composite video

Could anybody help me with the 8-pin layout (male pin out from theviewfinder cable) ? What is what ?
Thanks a a lot
Daniel
 
pics, as promised of a hacked DXF-501.
i got the VF on ebay for £30 (that's around $50USD)
 

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Could anybody help me with the 8-pin layout (male pin out from theviewfinder cable) ? What is what ?
Thanks a a lot
Daniel


This is what I went by:

1 Ground (12v return)
2 Rec/Tally out
3 (spare)
4 VF video out (G)
5 Battery indicator out
6 VF video out (+)
7 +12 volt out (10.6-17v, 3A)
8 (spare)

Make sure you double check polarities and I read on another forum that voltage over exactly 12 volts dc may be a problem. The center pin of the video jack is positive voltage. The sleeve is the ground (or return).

There are numbers on the plastic next to the pins on the plug coming from the viewfinder. You might have to get a flashlight to see them, but they are there.

.
 
i got my sony CRT VF from ebay , got it all wired up and guess what?
I push it 12Volts with 4 amps.
It does not power up. lol i might have got a dead unit
 
No, because you need to run power to the viewfinder. I just bought a female 8 pin din jack to make all the necessary connections.

.

So the 8 pin connection carries power and signal and you're splicing the appropriate wires to the female jack? Sorry if this is a lot of questions, I've never actually taken one of these off a camera.
 
This is really a fine thread! It would be nice to see more specifications about the connections and battery for that. And what about tests? Does it prove to work well for focusing? But sure an amazing idea. It is really annoying to focus on ground level...
 
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