The EVF answer? TVLogic EVF035W-3G

Ron777 said:
As for the above statement in re a "proper EVF," I think one would have to be more specific. Alister Chapman compared the Alphatron to a "proper" Sony EVF and seemed to feel that they were compatible. I personally have found the Alphatron's resolution to be every bit as good as , if not better than that of my old PMW-350. However, the ultimate answer lies in the eyes of the observer.
Click to expand...

i don't want to make an issue out of this, but i think i've been fairly conservative as far as couching my statements in circumspect and transparently subjective terms. i don't have any resolution numbers to compare, and frankly i don't care about them anyway. my intention in pointing out the limits of the alphatron's resolution is merely to make it clear that there are discernable limits, that the pixel pattern is discernable and i have used stock viewfinders on cameras where this was not the case. this is not an attempt to dissuade potential purchasers, i still consider this to be the best bang for the buck and i do not regret my purchase. i'd also like to give people a report that supports reasonable expectations.
 
As I suggested, to some extent, and as implied by the word apparent, apparent resolution is in the eyes of the beholder. But I am curious, under what circumstances can you discern the pixel pattern , i.e. 1x1 pixel aspect, or under normal viewing conditions? Try as I may, I cannot see pixels through the loupe without further enhancement ... but that may be a function of my aging eyes.
 
FINE PRINT DISCLAMER: this is just a personal experience, and it might differ from any other...

OK... I will be the first to publicly admit (on this board): for me, Alpahatron is not worth $1500 upgrade over the one I have at the moment ( DP4). I was today at the Cinequip White here it Toronto, to try it out on my F3. Main issue: screen is not worth the hype! For me , of course. The image is still lower quality than camera's LCD. By looking thru loupe I can still see the screen's "DNA"... Image is not that sharper than my dp4. Focusing is almost the same as with dp4. Again, for me not worth the upgrade... I don't have issues focusing with current evf, so with Alphatron I was expecting some sort of "miracle" (at least for the price it is selling...). There is none!
Second issue is function buttons: if you assign them, every button is just a short cut to a sub menu, not a single function. For example, if you assign one button to be 1:1 pixel, by pressing that button it will take you to "scan" submenu that contains 1:1 and 3 other options as well. So, you need to press that function button like 4 times to get to what you want or get out of it... Strange... With my DP4, 1:1 pixel is accessed just by pressing dedicated button once, and to get out of it, pressing just once again... Simple. I am sure this could be achieved in future firmware upgrades...
Third issue: build quality! Who said this is a great build quality piece??? The most it is average. That battery cover door is a joke! Even Lilliput could design it better... For $1500 should be much, much, much better. Loupe swing part is cheap plastic, less quality than SmallHD's loupe on DP4. Variable diopter is average good as well. Little trap door on eye piece is sticky on this piece that was brand new ( I was the first user)...
At the end, I am sure a lot of shooters will find this evf great and usable. My personal opinion is that is not 3 times worth the price of DP4 or Zacuto, for that matter... It has a few unforgivable shortcomings ( for the price), major being that retina display is not a "miracle"(!!!). Piece of advice: don't order it before you have a chance to try it first for your self. Maybe you won't be impressed to shell out the asking price... I will keep my "imperfect" DP4 for now and wait for something better...
 
Ron777 said:
As I suggested, to some extent, and as implied by the word apparent, apparent resolution is in the eyes of the beholder. But I am curious, under what circumstances can you discern the pixel pattern , i.e. 1x1 pixel aspect, or under normal viewing conditions? Try as I may, I cannot see pixels through the loupe without further enhancement ... but that may be a function of my aging eyes.
Click to expand...

I'm referring to normal viewing, through the loupe. Mind you, of you were to use a loupe on the on-board LCD, you'd see a similar result. But that doesn't really matter to me since the effective rez of the alphatron has to be considered under the conditions in which it is used, with the loupe.

I have to agree as well with the additional points raised by Tata; if you already have a working solution the additional expense may or may not be worthwhile, but that isn't an assessment I can make for anyone but myself. I don't regret my purchase, the alphatron is better, in my view, than other similar solutions, but I think people would do well to look at it themselves first.
 
Hi MPB, I agree with your assessment in re individual needs and personal value. For me, the SDI availability, the resolution, working diopter adjustment and the ease of applying external power were all helpful in making my decision. As an aside, and in an attempt to prove or disprove the marketing comment made in regards to its alleged retina display, I placed my IPhone screen behind the EVF's magnifier and saw the same slight reticulation—an almost fresnel-like appearance—that I suspect you are describing as pixelation on the Alphatron. Perhaps they are pixels, but if so, they are hardly noticeable and only become apparent if one makes an effort to concentrate on their presence. One other interesting finding relates to a notation made by others and observed by myself in regards to the unit heating up some while on battery power. The EVF appears to run cool when powered from an external source. I therefore suspect that the heat is originating from the lithium battery rather than the EVF itself ... however, that is an assessment made over a short period of use and longer intervals may alter my assessment.
 
I'm looking at getting the P+S Technik loupe for my TV Logic 056. I tested the image quality with the Sony tube and a Hoodman loupe to see what the magnification would roughly be like, and the image was excellent, much better than the Zacuto. I haven't seen an Alphaptrom yet. The TV Logic is big and the dedicated P+S loupe is expensive, but damn that 1280x720 EVF rez makes a difference. It also has red peaking and histogram which may be usefull in the VF.
 
Has anyone else noticed that the Alphatron's FOCUS ASSIST has to be turned to max in order for it work? And as someone noted elsewhere, it does interfere with zebras. Fortunately, IMO, FA is rarely need to pull focus.
Hopefully a future software update will deal with those issues ... but glitches and oversights are not unusual for a new product's these days.
 
I noticed that the peaking is a little funky as well. I also can't seem to figure-out how to use the exposure tools accurately. They do not match my other monitors.
 
Ron777 said:
Has anyone else noticed that the Alphatron's FOCUS ASSIST has to be turned to max in order for it work? And as someone noted elsewhere, it does interfere with zebras. Fortunately, IMO, FA is rarely need to pull focus.
Hopefully a future software update will deal with those issues ... but glitches and oversights are not unusual for a new product's these days.
Click to expand...

I have the Focus Assist on mine turned all the way up and it is still not working the way I think should be. The only thing I can get to turn red on focus assist is the display info.

Also does anyone else notice places on the edges of the shutter the light can get through? I just got mine last week and have been using it outside and making sure to close the shutter every time I step away, but already have a couple of small sun spots on the LCD. I noticed that in the corners of the shutter, when closed, I can see through, so I think sun it getting through there. I am having to use a arm for now until the solid camera adapter comes in.

Also, I can note that one needs to change the power mini xlr to a right angle. Having it come down straight gets in the way. Plus I am surprise at how hot this unit gets. But power consumption is low.
 
I sent off an email to Alphatron in regards to the Zebra/FA issue. I received a speedy reply indicating that they are aware of the problem and will address it with a firmware update. i neglected to mention that the FA peaking has to be almost maxed in order to work. However, I have mine set at 85 and it does work, but its interference with the zebras makes it almost useless. You might try turning off the zebras to get a better idea of how FA works. As for the noted light leak, I will have a look at my unit from that perspective tomorrow and report back. I have noticed the heating but have not considered it an issue.

On another note, the Solid Camera mount is terrific, and with the Alphatron attached to its dedicated mounting plate I have not had any interference from the D-tap cable which I have been using exclusively connected to a Switronix batt. But my application is entirely tripod mounted, and with this setup I can route the D-tap cable so that it is basically out of the way.

Addendum: I took a close look at the light occluder with the unit turned on and noticed that there is the slightest bit of light leak from the diagonal corners with the occluder completely closed. However, I sincerely doubt that it would be responsible for any burn-in noted on your LCD. It is my understanding that burn-in results from the effect of direct sunlight magnified by the loupe. Any light that might penetrate from the areas in question , IMO, would be diffused in nature and not likely to be any more problematic than indoor room light.
 
Last edited:
I find the FA to be rough, even when set at a high threshold it needs clearly defined lines with high contrast for the FA to kick in. That all means that I'm winging it frequently.

I haven't noticed light leaks but it has occurred to me that the power cord is not likely to enjoy a long life.
 
Got My Alphatron and Solid mount this week. First impressions: the FA is only visible over 82%. but is the image is so much sharper than the Cineroid I used before that you don't really need it that much.
The unit gets warm but doesn't seem to have a problem with that. The mini XLR power plug is not placed on a right position and will probably get hurt. getting an 90 degree mini XLR is a very expensive option. as far as I know the only available one is made by Electrosonic for their transmitters and costs 40 euro a piece. Altogether a very good image to work with.
The Solid mount is of exceptional made quality, a very very fine piece of work. only criticism I have is that it puts the viewfinder
far on the left side of the camera. If you want to put your cheek against the body you have to turn your head slightly to the left.
Coming week I have a long hand held shoot and will be able to tell if this is a problem.
But the mount itself is wonderful.
 
Custom cables using Lemos and Hirose connectors by cable makers in the film biz typically cost in the $140 USD range, give or take.

They typically will FedEx the cable out the same day.
 
I'm fully aware of the prices for professional cables because I own several Lemo and Hirose ones.
My observation, ( I wouldn't want call it criticism ) is that the mini XLR power plug is placed at the underside of the unit.
Placement at the back would have been much more convenient.
Also allowing the use of a small multi cable combining power and video.
And again, 40 euros for a 90 degree Mini xlr which will only make the problem of plug placement a little less, is a lot of money.
Complete with cable and a 140$ FedEx shipping fee to Europe(!!! what I had to pay for getting the Solid Cam EVF mount over here), that makes a very expensive cable.
 
I have similar experience to Tata Steva.

The Alphatron is not a vast improvement over the DP4. I have put them both on my F3 for comparisson. The Alphatron is slightly sharper due to the greater number of pixels. I do see some yellow on the Alphatron edge sharpening in extreme contrast. I think the user buttons on the Alphatron could be improved so one doesn't have to go through sub menu. For the price of the Alpatron it should have a waveform and I sincerely hope one is included in a future software upgrade.
One issue that I have on the Alphatron is that when viewing through the loupe the image is much brighter than viewing the lcd. With the DP4 I had an ND filter in the loupe and I could match the image through the loupe and the lcd.
I will be switching to the Alphatron as running from a BNC is the deal breaker for me.

I am also using Solid Camera Mount - really well made - I mount it to a berkey plate.

For handheld I prefer to take the first arm off and just mount it with the second arm, plenty of movement and my cheek is next to the camera. Second arm is handy when on tripod.




www.nickgordonsmith.com
 
I have the Solid Camera EVF mount for my F3 and FS700 and I must say it's an industrial work of art alongside the best examples (some old, some new) of Berkey Systems, Chrosziel, Arri, Sachtler, Vocas and Zacuto.
 
I wish their was a way to use the Solid Camera EVF mount on an AF-100. I'm still struggling with that camera.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top