Panasonic, please give us an HD viewfinder for the HPX500!

NorthernFilmMaker

NorthernFilmMaker

Active member
I've heard that Panasonic will not be updating the Hpx500 to an "a" version in the forseeable future... So, Jan can you please lobby Panasonic to produce an affordable "High Definition" Viewfinder for our Hpx500s. We've spent alot of money on the camera, and it is a great HD camera but it's crippled with an SD viewfinder! I'm sure that I'm not the only one who would quickly purchase an HD replacement viewfinder for the cam. Something like the one built on to the 300 would suffice. This would make my day! :)

Thanks
 
Hey thanks, I must have missed that one. Yeah, wouldn't make sense if it didn't output HD. My main concern is trying to get sharp focus on the wide end as I like to film detailed landscapes etc... I guess I may have to spring for an HDSDI equiped HD monitor.... Anyone have any sugestions? Thanks.
 
I upgraded to an VF20 evf and it made a world of difference.

I also use the 900 Panasonic monitor for critical monitoring.
 
Yes, you can never have an HD viewfinder on a 500, because the viewfinder output is SD B&W.

What you can do, however, is mount a BT-LH80 on the camera, or an LH900, and use HD-SDI output on it. That gives you an on-camera 8" or 9" HD display, for a lot less than an HD viewfinder. It's not a "viewfinder" per se, but it certainly addresses any focus softness issues.
 
NorthernFilmMaker said:
I guess I may have to spring for an HDSDI equiped HD monitor.... Anyone have any sugestions?
Click to expand...

I just used the Marshall V-R70P-HDSDI on a recent shoot and was pretty impressed with it picture-wise. I also noticed it seemed a lot lighter than the Panasonic BT-LH80W. If you ONLY need HDSDI inputs then this monitor might be worth checking out. It doesn't have any other inputs besides the HDSDI but if you're using a HPX500 you should be fine. At B&H the Marshall is about $600 cheaper than the Panasonic.

Marshall will also be releasing a new monitor pretty soon which will have 3G/HDSDI - Component - composite inputs for a little over $1000 for a 7" monitor. Check it out here. I'm looking forward to trying this out.


BTW, I'm in no way affiliated with any of these companies. Good luck in your search.
 
I bought the VF20 and it made VERY LITTLE difference. The low-res output from the camera's head and low level of peaking are two problems contributing to this issue.
 
the peaking on the vf20 is hardly visible. the viewfinder is my dealbreaker on an otherwise good cam
 
No matter how much I love this camera, the vf setup sh*ts me to tears. Pathetic.

I spent over $3k on the vf upgrade and all it really did was gave me a bigger area to look at. There is hardly any peaking showing in the vf. Pictures still horribly soft. I don't believe anyone who says the vf20 is an "incredible improvement" over the standard vf. Technically, it is just not possible as it is the same principle as putting a top-end HD monitor on a poor-quality SD signal....you aint gonna get good pictures no matter how hard you look!

I shot a corporate in the Australian bush this last week and got some amazing pictures, but the constant chasing for focus and the thinking "geez I hope that is on focus" over a day is bloody tiring. Such a waste of energy that could be better spent elsewhere. Unfortunately, I cannot afford a decent LCD monitor, so, until then.....
 
This is kind of the compromise you have to accept to get a 2/3" hd camera these days. I agree the standard VF ain't very good, but it will get the job done when you get used to it. If you can't afford a decent LCD monitor, you would probably not have the cash for a proper HD VF either....and neither do I.

Focusing with the std VF is a bit harder than the normal decent VF for SD use that Panasonic and Sony supply for their SD cameras, cant se how the VF20 should perform that much worse on a SD signal from the Hpx500?
 
Question about Installing AJ-VF20WP on my HPX500

Question about Installing AJ-VF20WP on my HPX500

I purchased my my HPX500 in late 2008 and although I love everything about it, I have decided it's time to update the stock viewfinder with something a little better. Since you can't use an HD viewfinder, I thought maybe I could recycle the viewfinder off of my DvcPro camera since it is a 16:9 viewfinder.

Although the viewfinder operates fine on the HPX, there must be a difference in the mounting system with the AJ-VF20WP that was on my DvcPro and the AJ-VF20WB that Panasonic sells as the upgrade to the stock one. I unscrewed the 3 screws in the stock mount to remove it but the VF20WP has only a single side screw and there is no way to secure it. Has anyone else used that has used the VF20 had this problem? Is there a part I can purchase, maybe just a mounting bracket that would make it work?

I have attached a photo of the DvcPro mounting configuration along with a photo of the HPX mount.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
 

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On my unit I left the bracket of the old viewfinder and just slid it off. The new (old) viewfinder had a similar attachment and slid right on the camera. Your bracket looks different not sure why.
 
I've had my HPX for a couple of months now, took it to Uganda, got some great stuff. The viewfinder isn't THAT bad. The director had an EX3, which has a great viewfinder, night and day difference, but I can hang with the stock HPX.

To each his own.
 
I have had my 500's for almost 2 years now and I simply love the cameras. But I will admit the VF and the LCD was the wrong place to cut corners on this camera. I have learned to work with the VF for the most part, but do experience more out of focus footage with the 500 than any other camera I have ever worked with.

I did pick up external HD LCD monitors for mine, which is great in the studio, but not very helpful for run-n-gun or shoulder mount stuff.
 
Alex412 said:
I purchased my my HPX500 in late 2008 and although I love everything about it, I have decided it's time to update the stock viewfinder with something a little better. Since you can't use an HD viewfinder, I thought maybe I could recycle the viewfinder off of my DvcPro camera since it is a 16:9 viewfinder.

Although the viewfinder operates fine on the HPX, there must be a difference in the mounting system with the AJ-VF20WP that was on my DvcPro and the AJ-VF20WB that Panasonic sells as the upgrade to the stock one. I unscrewed the 3 screws in the stock mount to remove it but the VF20WP has only a single side screw and there is no way to secure it. Has anyone else used that has used the VF20 had this problem? Is there a part I can purchase, maybe just a mounting bracket that would make it work?

I have attached a photo of the DvcPro mounting configuration along with a photo of the HPX mount.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Click to expand...
Sorry to bring up an old thread, but how did it work out? I was lucky enough to get hold of a demo unit for about 650$, it also has that mounting bracket. Did you need any extra parts from Panasonic to mount it?

421659275.jpg
 
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