EVF to focus in 4K/4K2HD

stefanhuberfilms

stefanhuberfilms

Veteran
What EVF's do you use when recording to the O7Q? Seems like the Alphatron or the Cineroid Retina are the only real options to get critical focus in 4K or (ultra sharp) 4K2HD? Will i really need an EVF once i have the Odyssey? I'm really close to a nearly perfect shoulder setup with my FS700 plus a 7" Lilliput, but i can imagine shooting for some hours on the shoulder when doing Events/Doco work can be pretty exhausting (the big screen makes the camera front heavy) for my arms. Solution A: getting the Odyssey on the back of the camera as some sort of counter weight (sorry Mitch!) and getting a decent EVF up front. Solution B: Odyssey on the front, period. Any Suggestions? Would a Kinotehnik EVF (which seems pretty nice for its price) be enough, with 4K on the horizon?
 
While the peaking and focusing is really good on the 7Q because the monitor is nice and sharp, fast movements really just depend on your skill as a focus puller. The best monitor in the world (the 7Q is pretty up there IMO for an on-board monitor) won't make it that much easier if there's a ton of movement.

In those cases, autofocus would probably be a huge help especially if you are a one man band.
 
Yeah, what Gene said.
As I do mostly tripod shooting, I've found focusing with the O7Q to really work well. Peaking "snaps" and it's pretty easy to tell when it's right on. With a lens like my favorite Canon 24-105L, the very short throw of the focusing ring does make it a bit harder. And, if I'm stopped down more than a few stops, it gets quite mushy and uncertain. But, DOF saves my butt, a lot...LOL.:cool:
 
i guess i'll just dump the EVF idea then, and go with just the O7Q plus a sunshade... Maybe I'll get an EVF later, if i've got some money left some day... Thanks everyone!
 
I shoot stopped down for run and gun stuff (well, everything really, unless it's super low light. I'm seriously bored of the 5D look). Usually, in those situations I'm working with the kit lens at f6.3. Anything wider than f4 and you've not got a hope.
 
I've been amazed by how little progress has been made with third party view finders. Even the Alphatron is not sharp enough and up to the task and most others are just small monitors with a loup on them. I want a red bomb style viewfinder that takes an SDi signal and I'd be willing to pay through the nose for it.
 
waefre said:
I've been amazed by how little progress has been made with third party view finders. Even the Alphatron is not sharp enough and up to the task and most others are just small monitors with a loup on them. I want a red bomb style viewfinder that takes an SDi signal and I'd be willing to pay through the nose for it.
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I believe that's exactly what the new Zacuto viewfinder is supposed to be.
 
Mitch Gross said:
I believe that's exactly what the new Zacuto viewfinder is supposed to be.
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The Gratical is 1280x720 (video area, full res. is 1280x1024). I have found I can focus the best on a full 1920x1080 HDTV; thus a small display with optics that provided full 1080p would help a great deal with critical focus, especially wide shots. I suspect 4K would benefit from a 4K display for focusing as well.

Focus peaking is helpful, but again, with wide shots it sometimes doesn't work very well. From my tech and image processing background, I'd like to see a focusing system built around any system which can create a real-time 3D depth map (stereoscopic cameras, sound waves, lasers, infrared, etc.). The depth information would be linked to the camera lens focus distance and a 3D plane could be drawn, slicing into the Z-axis showing precisely the center of focus. This would allow rapid and accurate focus, even for relatively fast motion subjects. For now, the only way to handle un-rehearsed fast targets is with autofocus lenses (which continue to get better along with tech built into the cameras).
 
I feel like ever since i started recording 4k2hd ProRes, my Sony E Autofocus lenses are much slower to focus. I don't blame them, but has anyone else found this?
 
waefre said:
Nice! thanks for the heads up. I'd not heard of this one yet. Looks like someone is headed in the right direction.
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Yeah, Zacuto's new EVF looks incredible. Of course, it's got a hefty price tag ($3000 for Gratical HD version). But it looks like it will be worth it. 1280x1024 OLED display, which the same width but more height than the Bomb EVF from RED. Takes SDI and HDMI, has LUT capability, and apparently a ton of customization for both internal tools (waveform, histogram, etc) as well as different settings for output. So you can use Waveform + no LUT on the EVF OLED while your SDI out to the client has Histogram and a LUT applied.

Unfortunately I'm on a self-imposed spending freeze after the 7Q and a new computer, but I look forward to seeing people get their hands on it!
 
The Gratical looks incredible indeed! Even the LT Version has the same resolution as the Alphatron, which should be nice for focusing... I won't spend 3K on an EVF though...
 
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