Looking for a cheap View Finder for your DSLR?

T

Torben Scharling

Member
Here's my review of the $60 Carry Speed 3:2 Vfinder for t2i t3i 60d GH1 etc. Also comes in a 4:3 version for 7d, 5d etc. Please Tweet & share this link with your fellow HDSLR mates. (btw. I am not affiliated in any way):

720p YouTube link
 
just bought it and love it. Did u apply super glue on your mental clip. ? my metal ring clip tends to fall off.
 
QSTAR said:
Did u apply super glue on your mental clip. ? my metal ring clip tends to fall off.
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Yes, I didn't wanna take my chances. Should be clearly visible in the video, that I apply the glue to the frame. Just be careful not to use too much. So far no issues, the frame is NOT coming off. I cut a large chunk of the eye cup off in one side, so beside a few minor alterations - and given the low price, I'd say get it while it's hot.
 
I just got my Carry Speed viewfinder. It's pretty neat for the price, but with some caveats.

Overall, I'm glad I got it. However, for anyone thinking of buying one, realize that just like all of these viewfinders, this is overpriced relative to the quality you get. These all cost so much because it's a niche market. If this was something you could buy at Target aimed at a mass market, I would expect this to cost no more than $10.

This is basically a $6 loupe with an eyepiece and a strap. There is noticeable pincushion distortion, and the parts seem to be made with loose manufacturing tolerances.

Despite all of these issues, I am still pretty happy with my purchase. Now I will be able to see the screen enough to critically focus when I'm out in broad daylight. The extra point of contact will be nice when doing handheld shots. I just can't see spending $400 for a viewfinder on one of these cameras when my eyesight is already very good, these loupes are specific to one particular camera, and digital camera bodies quickly depreciate and are replaced.

I also ordered a snap on screen cover for $6. We'll see how that goes. My plan is to adhere (or possibly crazy glue) the Carry Speed metal mounting frame onto the screen cover. That way the original camera remains undamaged.
 
robotsound said:
I also ordered a snap on screen cover for $6. We'll see how that goes. My plan is to adhere (or possibly crazy glue) the Carry Speed metal mounting frame onto the screen cover. That way the original camera remains undamaged.
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Thats exactly what I did with mine. I have the 7d version and popped the glass out from it to only use the frame since I already had my thick GGS screen protector sticker on the LCD glass.

As mentioned it could be a lot lower priced, but with its niche market its still a bargain compared to others. I'd spend on a monitor if I paid more than 200. but then again, i'm no pro.
 
I asked my wife about this, and she said that something called E-6000 may be better than super glue to adhere glass to metal. I looked it up on the internet, and it seems like others agree. I'll probably try that when affixing the metal frame to the glass screen protector. At least I think the screen protector is glass. We shall see.
 
I never got around to getting any E-6000 or superglue, so I just used the normal adhesive. I figured that the Carry Speed viewfinder comes with two frames, and the GGS screen protector was only $6, so if there ever is a problem I can just fix it then.

Overall, I think the Carry Speed viewfinder works pretty well, considering that it's cheaper than everything else (but still overpriced). Focusing is a little easier, it blocks out ambient light, and the extra point of contact does provide extra stability while handheld. With my technique at least, I think the Carry Speed helps stabilize the picture about as much as IS. On the kit lens at 24mm, I could scarcely tell any difference with IS on or off when using the viewfinder. I don't think it would make any difference which brand of viewfinder was being used, it's just the difference between a viewfinder and no viewfinder. I am pretty stable with handheld shots though, to the point where people comment on it without my asking, so for some people IS might count for more stability than the viewfinder.

I quickly had to come to terms with the fact that there is always going to be a little bit of dust or something in between the eyepiece and the screen. Trying to get this 100% free of dust and those little flack threads that perpetually come off the inside of the Carry Speed viewfinder is truly a fool's errand. I just adopted the philosophy that this is not part of the signal chain, and as long as I can clearly see what's going on, a little bit of dust and pincushion distortion isn't going to hurt me personally, since no one else will see it.
 
Bumping an old thread I know, but I am debating between these very 2 OVFs for my Canon 60D.

It's been about a year, any advice/comments/warnings/suggestions/etc from any of you guys that used them? Any similarly-priced, but better options out there that have come out in the last year or so?

Any response is appreciated, thanks!
 
Forget adhesive or glueing, just get the thin metal mounting bracket. It screws into the bottom 1/4 20 hole in the bottom of the cam. you can even use it with a battery grip. just need to remove the rubber spacer on the bottom. And you use the screw on the grip. Glueing is obsolete.

No offense, but the lighting on your review was hard to look at. so blown out, I needed sunglasses to watch. :)
 
maranfilms said:
It screws into the bottom 1/4 20 hole in the bottom of the cam. you can even use it with a battery grip. just need to remove the rubber spacer on the bottom. And you use the screw on the grip. Glueing is obsolete.
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Where is this mount that works with battery grips? The only one I've seen is the overpriced Zacuto..
 
I still have the Carry Speed viewfinder, and have used it on several shoots. It basically still works pretty well. One thing that is annoying is that it comes apart easily, and I have to sort of hold it together. Specifically, the rubber eyepiece comes apart from the main column (for lack of a better word), so I have to make sure it doesn't get bumped.

If I were in the market for another one, I would probably look around and see what else is out there now, but overall it's worked well enough for the price I paid.
 
robotsound said:
I still have the Carry Speed viewfinder, and have used it on several shoots. It basically still works pretty well. One thing that is annoying is that it comes apart easily, and I have to sort of hold it together. Specifically, the rubber eyepiece comes apart from the main column (for lack of a better word), so I have to make sure it doesn't get bumped.

If I were in the market for another one, I would probably look around and see what else is out there now, but overall it's worked well enough for the price I paid.
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Thanks for the update! Have you thought about getting one of these? http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/444663-REG/Blue_Star_90132_90132_Red_Microfiber.html If I understand your issue, it might help.

I've looked around, and for sub-$75 its pretty much either the GGS/Neewer/Perfect Foldable 3.0x loupe, the CarrySpeed V-Finder, or any number of similar LCDVF knockoffs.
 
I haven't. The viewfinder I have is basically (just barely) good enough. Since it's tied inexorably to the Canon T2i in particular, I don't want to spend any more money than I have to here. Digital camera bodies are depreciating assets. I still have the extra battery, shutter release cable, and CF cards from my Canon 10D, all of which now do me no good.

I don't know what my next camera will be, or when I'll get it, but I do know that this viewfinder is only good for this camera and this camera only. Next time I get a camera, I'll probably just have to buy another viewfinder all over again.
 
wow maranfilms I thought only lame comments like that thrived on YouTube. I neither care, nor asked for your or anyone else's opinion on that video. Surprisingly, a lot of people found it helpful when deciding which viewfinder to buy. And I only think damaged people will have a hard time looking at something, that's made for reviewing, not lighting technique. You might have an opinion about things being obsolete yada yada. Fact of the matter is, screwing a bunch of things on and off your camera can be a pain in the a$$. It all comes down to preference. I'm super happy I glued the frame on from day one.

As to what to buy these days, you might wanna get the one imdjay reviewed, which has more features. Again, it depends on a lot of things, so YOU decide :)

Summer Greetings from

torbenscharling.com
 
I ordered the CarrySpeed LVF32 and a Bluestar Large Oval microfiber. The price dropped and it just felt right. Looking forward to testing it out next week!
 
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