EVF SOLUTION (for now...)

Thanks for sharing your experience with the glasses Andrew. As I've played with it a bit more, I don't think it's going to be as much of an issue as I initially thought. As you said, the image is impressive.

Regarding the sun issue, SmallHD is recommending on their website that you put a .6ND filter on the viewfinder to help protect the screen from the sun. It's in the Support section:

"Direct Sunlight Warning!

Because the optics of the DP4-EVF can magnify sunlight, leaving your
Viewfinder in direct sunlight can cause damage to the LCD panel. This
type of damage is NOT covered by our warranty. One thing that greatly
reduces the risk of damage is to attach a ND (Neutral Density) Filter to
the View Finder.

We tested a 0.6 ND Filter on the the DP4-EVF and found that it not only
reduced the effects of direct sunlight, it allows you to raise the
brightness on the DP4 to 100% so that you can view the monitor outside
without the Sunhood. Plus the ND Filter made viewing the image through
the View Finder more enjoyable when the brightness is set to 100%."

I've ordered one, so I'll give it a shot and see how it works.

Have you come up with a good way to mount it yet? All I've got is a Noga arm too, and I agree, it's not ideal.

I think Kinotehnik may have come up with a better mounting solution on their LCDVFE, but the last I heard it might be shipping in September and I couldn't wait that long.
 
Got my DP4 today.

Image quality is fantastic. Focusing is a breeze. Resolution is quite nice, build quality is spectacular. Its making handheld on the F3 feel more like operating an ENG cam. Fantastic.

One gripe, the eye cup can come off too easily. Boo hoo on me. I'm just nit picking.
 
I've seen automotive repairs happen by way of gafftape. But anyway...

Been using the DP4 in broad daylight at the Newport Jazz festival all morning. Its fantastic. Exposure functions, resolution (and the way its implimented), and comfort are all spectacular.

Bodes extremely well.
 
Slog/hdmi?

Slog/hdmi?

JDDalllas said:
Tim, what do you plan to do in Slog, doesn't the HDMI go away in SLog mode.
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Sorry, just caught this. I'm about to upgrade to the SLOG firmware and buy an EVF - is it confirmed? Does the HDMI output go dead all together when SLOG is on?
 
Buy an HD-SDI to HDMI converter. AJA has one for about 500 bucks and RedByte has the Decimator 2 for around $500 to $600. I have the original Decimator for down conversion. The product is stellar and no latency.
 
Edit:

Theoretically you can get a sdi to hdmi converter if need be.... but bleh..

its just a pain. Having another spaghetti mess of wires, power cables, etc clogging up a handhelf rig....
 
If u r using a external recorder, most recorders have hot hdmi nd sdi outputs. So u just run log sdi to the recorder, recorder hdmi to evf. Hdsdi out to video village or on board mon nd sdi out to village.
 
tom.wong said:
If u r using a external recorder, most recorders have hot hdmi nd sdi outputs. So u just run log sdi to the recorder, recorder hdmi to evf. Hdsdi out to video village or on board mon nd sdi out to village.
Click to expand...
Yeah this would work with my Ki pro mini, but I was toying with the idea of switching to samurai, which doesn't have hdmi out (as far as I can tell...?)
 
i know i will get flamed as Zacuto sponsor my site. But I have the DP4 and compared to the Zacuto one am disappointed. Heavy bowing on the image, fogging loupe, image refresh is slow, fiddly controls, quite bulky and much more. I will do a comparison as soon as I can. I really wanted to like it.

I always am fair and honest, even with my affiliations with certain product manufacturers. I state them at the start of any post. I must say I think the look of the DP4 is really gorgeous. sexy as hell! But not as good a product as the Z-EVF from my point of view.
 
Philip this isn't a flame but just saying you're fair and honest really doesn't count when you have a direct relationship with Zacuto. Every single major motion picture I work on hands everyone, from PA's on up, 2 inches of paperwork to fill out and one of those forms is a conflict of interest one where I can't be associated with any vendor that is working on the film.

Journalists, consumer groups et al have to be totally impartial for a reason. If you're going to review equipment and also state fair and honest the only real way to avoid any issues, like flames, is to divest yourself of any relationships with the companies equipment you review. I am not questioning your honesty but there are nuances that I'm sure we all can agree on (slant for one)) that may come into play. Just saying and mean no flame.
 
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Sorry, but expecting Phil to throw away sponsorship of a site that has served the entire freelance community an enormous amount is way over the top from my perspective. I guess he should foot the bill himself? He disclosed his relationship up front then shared his experience. He's not a journalist or professional reviewer, just a talented shooter who somehow finds the time and energy to share his knowledge with us. I'm grateful for the input even though I've never been able to get a sharp image with any Zacuto viewfinder ( must be my glasses.) Keep it coming Phil.
 
the trouble with all these new DSLR EVF's is that they just can't compare with a professional viewfinder.
as you could find on high-end ENG camera's
It is impossible to really judge focus and exposure on this new generation of comparatively cheap EVF's.
and use them as your only source of information.
Alexa shows it is capable of doing just that in a very small viewfinder but is in a very different price range.
for the time being anyone with a background in high-end video ( as Phil, he has a broadcast past) will keep getting headaches from any sub $1500 EVF.
 
well, they seem to have got it right with the ex3. i don't know about everyone else, but i've always been completely happy using that viewfinder, never having problems with focus or exposure. i think it's a shame that sony's own solution on a similar camera was tossed aside, apparently in the interests of modularity.
 
MPB said:
well, they seem to have got it right with the ex3. i don't know about everyone else, but i've always been completely happy using that viewfinder, never having problems with focus or exposure. i think it's a shame that sony's own solution on a similar camera was tossed aside, apparently in the interests of modularity.
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Totally agree. It would have been logical and cost effective to re-use the EX3/PMW-350 viewfinder on the F3.

T.
 
mico said:
Journalists, consumer groups et al have to be totally impartial for a reason.
Click to expand...

Thi isn't a comment on Philip B, but these days an impartial journalist is an oxymoron. I do think guys like Philip Bloom and Barry Green give us their honest opinion, but they are human and subject to influences as we all are. In the mean time we learn lots of good things from them.

Even people who reveiw what they just bought rarely give it a bad review. After I bought my first DSLR it was 6 months before I would admit how disappointed with it. So take all reviews with a grain of salt and consider them starting points for your buying process.

So far I have not seen an EVF with high enough resolution. A hoodman loupe for a TVLogic or SmallHD monitor would be a welcome thing from my point of view. A Hoodman rep told me they were thinking about it if they perceive a big enough demand.
 
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