Small HD 4" EVF - any negatives?

I evaluated a DP4 from smallHD and I am probably going to pick one up. The only reason I haven't is I have a DP6 :) It worked GREAT and was super bright if I needed it to be. Mine didn't heat up like I'd heard from others and I had beta firmware at the time so I could use the 24Psf.

At the same time I had the Zacuto and a Marshall. The DP4 was the best out of the bunch.

I used the peaking, don't care for false color.

I gave a lot of feedback on the eyecup as well. Will evaluate the new design when it comes out. I am lucky, I live in same town as smallHD. What a GREAT company.
 
OK here's another small HD question :

Right now I have it attached via a 6" articulated arm attached screwed to the 1/4-20 hole in body of the camera near the flip out - not on the handle.
Do you guys think that is safe for the camera or more stress than the body will endure?
Do I need to shell out another $200 for a Berkey cheese plate, and will that add much more weight?
 
I don't have an F3 but on my FS100 I have a Berkey cheese plate. I can say with confidence that the Berkey makes me MUCH more secure about their not being a problem then the holes alone in the FS100.
 
I second that. I was using a SmallHD DP6 attached at that same hole and was concerned it was going to split the camera in half. The Berkey plate is absolutely solid. I have monitors hanging all over it. It'll add a little weight, but it's worth it.
 
Hi Rick,

You are one of the few people I know who have worked with both the Zacuto and the DP4 EVF for an appreciable amount of time. I'm completely satisfied with the DP4 but curious what it was about the Zacuto that has pushed you towards the DP4. I have only peered through the Zacuto EVF for a couple of minutes at a tradeshow.
 
i am using Zacuto EVF, very good picture quality over all, HDMI connection is not same as SDI-connection, but it can be lived with.
BUT Zacuto hS no red (or colored) peaking, in my opinion very bad. Impossible to exact focus. Zacutos white focus assistant is like nothing. I also posted Zacuto to change this by firmware, but got no hopeful respons. I tried also cineoid one time (only plastic verson, not meal), it was in case of exact focus much better (becouse of peaking) but not in overall picture.
i highly recomend to test focus assistant before buing.
klfi
 
Andrew Stone said:
Hi Rick,

You are one of the few people I know who have worked with both the Zacuto and the DP4 EVF for an appreciable amount of time. I'm completely satisfied with the DP4 but curious what it was about the Zacuto that has pushed you towards the DP4. I have only peered through the Zacuto EVF for a couple of minutes at a tradeshow.
Click to expand...

I loved the build quality of the viewfinder on the Zacuto, definitely better, but when it came to picture, I just felt the Zacuto was too small for me. In addition, the DP4 had a HUGE brightness range that FAR exceeded the Zacuto so if I needed more light on the back panel, I could get it.

Also, at the time, getting it to work with my FS100 was not fun. The modes I was trying to run the output of the camera at were not supported. In the DP4 they were. I imagine some of that might be fixed now.

Lastly, the latency between what comes out of the camera to what gets displayed on the LCD was shorter on the DP4. Both the Zacuto and the Marshall I tested had a little more lag. Not horrible, but it's there. Given the FS100 I have issues with lag on external displays in general, because of the camera, every little bit of not-extra lag matters.
 
I just compared my TV logic 5.6 " with a homemade cardboard extender for my hoodman loupe to the DP4 EVF and a few days ago with a Zacuto.
I don't what my problem is with a zacuto but once again I found I can't focus the damn thing.
The surprise was the TV Logic/hoodman loupe was way sharper than the DP4. Plus if it was powered from my swintronics w/ Dtap it was also lighter than the DP4 also powered by Dtap.
Its alittle weird because the edges are soft unless I move eye around but I'm shooting through glasses, and the edges aren't that critical.

It tends to unscrew from the 6" articulating arm a bit too easily perhaps that big eyepiece adapter increases the torque from my eye pressure.
The biggest EVF problem though is that I really want another function button for the TVLogic. One is good for red peaking - great but then i can either leave the waveform on all the time, or I need to go into the menu for false color or waveform. false color is nicely adjustable. But no zebras.

Its easy to attach and remove with velcro but then I will need a pretty big side pouch to slip into if I want to remove while running around . Maybe I can figure out how to hold it while slipping up. Somewhere on the forum i read that P&S technic is making an EVF for the TV LOgic.



Damn why can't I get everything I want
 
Found a cluster of dead pixels on my DP4 today. I don't believe it is from an errant flare of light burning a hole in the screen when the loupe was down because, when I turn the monitor off, the screen is completely clear and free of any damage. There's also a single dead pixel elsewhere on the monitor.

I'm going to give SmallHD a call soon and see about getting it replaced. Really sucks because I have come to absolutely adore this monitor. I know I will be picking up the DP6 in the next month or so, too, as I've spent some time on set with it and want it as an additional monitor.

Hopefully the service is easy and speedy.
 
I've used both. I found the VF/Eyecup on the Zacuto to be definitely one of the best I have used, but I felt the size of the DP4, and the quality of the display to be much better. The focusing tools to me worked better as well in the DP4. I had problems getting the Zacuto to work properly with my FS100 and had to set the output to modes I really didn't want to use (as it didn't support 1080p). Not that the display can show 1080p, but it has a passthrough, so anything also hooked up (like an external recorder) would be limited to what the display could see as well.
 
I recently rented the Zacuto and while build quality was great, there were 2 problems I noticed. For those with a DP4 or a cineroid, do these other EVFs have similar issues?:

1) Eyepiece flops down: The eyepiece on the Zacuto has to be tilted all the way up and out of the way when you want to just use the LCD screen (that is, there are no "stops" along the way). So, if you don't do this, or if you tilt your camera down, the eyepiece will flop back down.

2) Release: when I mounted the EVF on a manfrotto mini-head, the tightening mechanism of the head got in the way of the release for the eyepiece and I had trouble releasing it.

How does this all compare with other EVFs?
 
1) There are no stops on the DP4. When the eyecup assembly is moved upwards, magnets hold it open. I believe they hold it closed as well, but I don't remember exactly. I never had it flop down on it's own.

I'd also say, having the eyecup at 90 degrees might be VERY BAD with sun above you. Not that it wouldn't be a nice option to have stops, I just find EVF scary most of the time in the sense I am TERRIFIED of burning out pixels on the screen from the sun.

2) No release to disengage, now if that is better or worse I cannot say, but just different.
 
skimmel said:
I recently rented the Zacuto and while build quality was great, there were 2 problems I noticed. For those with a DP4 or a cineroid, do these other EVFs have similar issues?:

1) Eyepiece flops down: The eyepiece on the Zacuto has to be tilted all the way up and out of the way when you want to just use the LCD screen (that is, there are no "stops" along the way). So, if you don't do this, or if you tilt your camera down, the eyepiece will flop back down.

2) Release: when I mounted the EVF on a manfrotto mini-head, the tightening mechanism of the head got in the way of the release for the eyepiece and I had trouble releasing it.

How does this all compare with other EVFs?
Click to expand...

The SmallHD DP4 has high-power magnets on the top of the LCD screen and on the upside of the EVF Loupe, which engage when you flip the Loupe up. I've never had it fall down when chasing actors handheld through the woods. Very reliable.

As for releasing the DP4 - I use an articulating accessory arm to mount my DP4 to my camera cage. There are 1/4-20 threads on the right, left, and bottom sides of the DP4 housing; I use the right one. Tighten it like you mean it, and it stays. When it's time to pack up for the day, I have to unscrew it from the arm, which is fine, since I'd rather it take some time to undue the setup knowing how secure everything is - that my $800 monitor isn't going to plummet.

I will purchase the 16x9 Cinelock Quick Release soon to make this process a lot faster without sacrificing security.
 
Rick Burnett said:
1) There are no stops on the DP4. When the eyecup assembly is moved upwards, magnets hold it open. I believe they hold it closed as well, but I don't remember exactly. I never had it flop down on it's own.
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Yep, I forget about this. It does have magnets to hold the Loupe onto the DP4. There is no flopping with this EVF, which is excellent!

I'd also say, having the eyecup at 90 degrees might be VERY BAD with sun above you. Not that it wouldn't be a nice option to have stops, I just find EVF scary most of the time in the sense I am TERRIFIED of burning out pixels on the screen from the sun.
Click to expand...

I use a piece of black cloth and gaff tape to keep the EVF shielded from the sun when my eye is not pressed up against it.
 
I have the quickrelease by 16x9 and they work great, use with DP4 and DP6.

That said, I think the person was referring to the lock that holds the eyecup down the on Zacuto which the DP4 does not have.
 
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