View Finder

jcoxshooter

jcoxshooter

Well-known member
About to purchase a 500 and wanted to find out how bad the view finder may or may not be. I have read a couple of reviews and have not found a definite case for buying the upgraded view finder. At $2500 the AJ-VF20W is the price of a good monitor. Unfornately I will have sometime that I have to cover events and I depend on my view finder. Any feed back will be great.
 
Depends on what you're used to - if you've used '90s cameras like the DSRs and BetaCams, the small B&W viewfinder won't be much of a shock - if you've used high-end HD cameras, well, you will be unhappy.. If you like color finders, get over it...

I originally intended to buy the other finder, but got used to the stock one right away and spent the cash on P2 cards instead...

Yes, I can focus satisfactorily with it and my eyes are 63 years old...
 
I shoot documentaries, almost always handheld, so external monitors aren't an option.. The good thing about B&W finders is they allow for a better sense of edge contrast.. My focusing has been very accurate - way better than with the 200 or the XLH1 for instance - even better than with my super16mm Aaton...

All the parts are 63... but, as they say, the eyes are the first to go...
 
I have been using my 500 and the stock view finder. In my opinion they are good to see focus but it is bad to see the correct exposure level. I am new with that kind of shoulder mount cameras an black and white view finders but I found it limited.
I think that it is very important for a better camera operation to have a good on board hd monitor or a better view finder.
 
thanks mac,.. focas was my concern. i own a dsr-500 and a hvx-200 The 500 viewfinder is not great but does the job for me on getting focas when i can have a monitor. ( can't say i have had great luck with the 200 view finder) What lens are you shooting with.
 
Fujinon w/o the extender.. pretty happy with it considering.. If you've used the DSR500 you'll be right at home with the HPX finder... because it's a CRT you can keep the contrast adjusted normal and still achieve good focus...

I haven't had problems with judging exposure, but, again, this type of finder isn't foriegn to me.. I screw up the exposure constantly with the HVX200, so I guess it's what you're used to...
 
Exposure has been a issue i have had too with hvx. Thanks for your input. Have you had any issue with you package like the audio beeping issue or any other short comes you were not expecting from the camera?
 
I haven't had any negative experiences with the camera, lens or P2 cards.. so far.. it seems quite a nice package for the price, actually for more than the price considering it comes with four 16g cards...

My major bitches have been with the method of mounting a Chrosziel min-rod base (extensively discussed elsewhere) and the 5600k preset (ditto).

The camera is rugged feeling, although heavy, which is weird because it's actually lighter than my Aaton 16mm and not much heavier than a DSR, but it feels like a brick.

There have been numerous nay-sayers stating that it's not much of an improvement over the HVX and not very professional - and all I can say is that the two cameras are satellites apart... For theatrical blow-up to 35 with names above the title it may be lacking... but in the world I live and work in - long documentaries that conceivably could get a theatrical release (so I plan for it) - it is just fine..
 
Good to hear your feed back. Last two question if you don't mind. Have you cut hvx footage with the 500 and how would you rank its low light perfeomance. My work is mainly corporate and industrial work. The 200 has done well in plants put does like allittle bit. Especially after being used to 2/3 chips camera i have worked with in the past. I am very happy with the pictures we get from the 200 and p2 work flow is just awesome. We a have shot in the neighborhood of 400 to 500 cards with out any issues and increased turn around time greatly.
 
Literally at this very moment I am editing a feature length documentary that I shot with both cameras.. as I've mentioned before, I primarily used the 200 for car interiors or small rooms, but for convenience took it to NY for a major portion of the film because I needed to move in and out of cabs and buildings quickly...

The two cameras intercut well if you spend some time customizing scene files - in my experience you can't use the same settings for both cameras and expect them to match - and, no, I'm not going to share my files, not because they're secret but because the image is very subjective and I think everyone should work out their own "look"...

Low light sucks on the 200, everyone knows and complains about it - it is remarkably bad (and it's not just because it's a 1/3" chip camera either - the Canon XL H1 is way better).

The good news is that the 500 is astonishingly superior, like 2 1/2 stops or more, and even if you apply 12db Gain the noise isn't objectionable - I'm always amazed at the difference, AND at the 500's ability to pull details out of the shadows and still maintain a contrasty image...

I do wish that there was one camera, ergonomically shaped and shoulder balanced like the old Sony DSR200 - that handles low light as well and has as crisp an image as the HPX500 - and is as light and manueverable as the HVX200 - I wouldn't care what it cost - but there isn't, so I own both...
 
Mac,
Thank you for sharing your experience on the camera I appreciate it and has made my decision much easier. thank you.
 
jcoxshooter said:
Good to hear your feed back. Last two question if you don't mind. Have you cut hvx footage with the 500 and how would you rank its low light perfeomance. My work is mainly corporate and industrial work. The 200 has done well in plants put does like allittle bit. Especially after being used to 2/3 chips camera i have worked with in the past. I am very happy with the pictures we get from the 200 and p2 work flow is just awesome. We a have shot in the neighborhood of 400 to 500 cards with out any issues and increased turn around time greatly.
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I have the HVX200 (2 years) and the HPX500 (4 months) and I had a Varicam for 5 years (which I sold). I really like the 500 viewfinder better than the one that was on my Varicam. Color would be nice, sure but you do get used to it being B&W... especially if you have a decent color monitor -- either Panny or Marshall.

I think the images are MUCH sharper and the low light is a good bit better with the 500 compared to the 200 and it is better than the Varicam. I do not use the 200 much anymore except for underwater and quick grab shots.

I love the 500 as much as I loved my Varicam..... OK, even better, since with P2 I have removed tapes and decks from my work flow.

Steve
 
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