Viewfinder solution for us older, eyeglass-wearers?

G

GregJ

Active member
Has anyone who needs glasses found a viewfinder that will give them perfect clarity on a 5DII without wearing their eyeglasses?

The LCDVF just misses for me. I tried this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004C1Q7KU , which has a diopter, but it wasn't strong enough either. Good price, but I reluctantly, had to try it.

Is Zacuto the only *and expensive* option?
 
GregJ said:
Has anyone who needs glasses found a viewfinder that will give them perfect clarity on a 5DII without wearing their eyeglasses?

The LCDVF just misses for me. I tried this one http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004C1Q7KU , which has a diopter, but it wasn't strong enough either. Good price, but I reluctantly, had to try it.

Is Zacuto the only *and expensive* option?
Click to expand...

I can't be the only person on here for whom the available viewfinders aren't quite strong enough... am I?
 
I have been using the Zacuto 3x and the diopter, for me, is of no use, whether because of my eyes or the weakness of the glass, PLUS, you really must be careful when you are in the sun. I just moved my eye from the viewfinder to answer a question and I looked back in and saw the LCD had been burned, wtf.

I have been trying various work-a-rounds to overcome this, and was actually tempted to get a camcorder instead.

I have reverted to auto focus, with the knowledge that I will edit out the focusing interval using a soft cross transition etc
 
GregJ said:
I can't be the only person on here for whom the available viewfinders aren't quite strong enough... am I?
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No. Not likely. I had the very same issue, and I am glad I chose to go the Cheaper route than the Zacuto. If I'd have paid that much and then not had the diopter be enough...! So I chose the LCDV, here. and then, right behind the red circle around it, I sawed it in two. I then took an old toilet-paper roll and cut it to fit in between the two pieces. I kept simply hand holding the three together with some simple scotch tape until the distance of the pieces corrected my vision. Final taped it with gaffers tape, Works great.
 
A Cardboard toilet paper holder? Really? How flimsy is it, even with the gaffer's tape? Could you post a pic?
 
Entirely too early to take photos on this day, but here they are. rough, tough and works like a charm.

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papabear said:
I have been using the Zacuto 3x and the diopter, for me, is of no use, whether because of my eyes or the weakness of the glass, PLUS, you really must be careful when you are in the sun. I just moved my eye from the viewfinder to answer a question and I looked back in and saw the LCD had been burned, wtf.

I have been trying various work-a-rounds to overcome this, and was actually tempted to get a camcorder instead.

I have reverted to auto focus, with the knowledge that I will edit out the focusing interval using a soft cross transition etc
Click to expand...

If the diopter doesn't work for you, you either have perfect vision or you need to use extender frames to make it work. Take the Z-Finder and hover it over the LCD, pull it away and that will tell you how many extender frames you need. They should have come with your Z-Finder, if not we will send them too you for free. Also we just came out with a 16x9 sun mask that will help with protecting your camera LCD or EVF LCD from burning. It won't make it burn proof but it will greatly help, it also helps with interior reflections, you still must use the lens cap. If you send ali@zacuto.com an email with your mailing address and tell her you want a Z-Finder 16x9 sun mask, she will send you one for free. Lastly, someone talked about lens fogging which is a huge issue and I think the Zacuto Z-Finder is still the only optical viewfinder to have an anti fog solution. If you have an older Z-Finder you can order a anti fog upgrade kit on the Zacuto website. You can't focus if you have fogging, doesn't matter how cheap it is. Keep that in mind.
Steve
 
Hi,
I could see two people have recommended Varavon and Cinevate cyclops. I personally have used both of them and i would like to share my view on them. I do not wear glasses though. So my opinion may differ for the people who wear glasses.

Varavon Review: When i got this product i was really excited. Because i was told this allow you to shoot really low angle without getting lower. I did not know what kind of technology they used. But after i have received this i noticed there is a piece of plain glass which is stick to the bottom of the hood which gives a reflection of what your LCD sees. And they had a protective yellow sticker on it to avoid scratches. I had to take it off to see the clear view, when i took it off that glass piece came along with it. It was very flimpsy. And the view finder itself has very tiny horizontal lines. I have adjusted the diopter in every possible ways and i still couldn't get rid of it. I personally do not like to view with one eye which always hurts my other eye closing for longer. The cost for this product does not justify it's price even for 10%. I had to return this view finder.

Cinevate Cyclops Detailed Review: I was unlucky because when they started this product they sold it for $399. I bought it last month and i had to pay $490 with shipping. Once i received this product it took me a while to figure out how to mount it on my 5D mark ii. Manual wasn't of that much help and there were several missing points which is very essential i think. Example they have included two quarter inch screws which is mounted on the base both sides. One of that screw has to be used to mount. Plus there is a extra base plate is included by default and it looks like non removable. When i tried with it, i could not bring my hood pointing right to my LCD where the height was really high. I have called cinevate and spoke to Jeremy. I got a wonderful service response and we figured out that could be the issue. I really had to push it out and screwed everything.

I was BLOWN AWAY with the quality it provides. I guess it is because of the optics they use. You may not believe this, i am sure you can pull hair level focus in a second with this view finder. But it has few really downfalls which disappoints me a lot.

First of all, the lens back view finder and front hood all can be seperated as 3 pieces. So when you screw them back there is NO RULE exist to make that view finder on the same square level on my LCD. It is always tilted and i must have spent couple of hours trying every inch by inch screwing. And once you put this on to your 5D you can simply forget taking pictures. Yup, Just forget it.

Because it doesn't work in a snap in method so you really need a alan ranch which is provided by them to unscrew the base and remove the whole product. It is ultra heavy. With my 70-200 f2.8 lens it literally hurt my hands. It has to be used only with the tripod. But I believe they might have a valid reason to build this heavy base which may work well with their other products like dslr cage, rail mount follow focus etc. So i wouldn't blame that. And the attachment from the hood to the LCD is not always very tight to each other. However i adjust i can always see the gap which may be a problem during the sunny day.

And if you have any other third party rail mount systems and follow focus PLEASE make sure several times the heights match with each other. With this cyclops my D Focus and Jag35 rail system gone to trash. I cannot use them at all.

If you are particular about the quality of the focus, I BET, there is nothing exist like this. I haven't tried Zacuto though. As i said i would prefer to use both of my eyes to focus.

Jag35 Monitor X Detailed Review: from jag35 this costs around 140+ USD. I would say its' worth the price for the quality. But you need that sticky thing on your LCD which may not look professional when you are hired just to take pictures. And it never have fallen from my LCD once i put it on and leave it for several hours. And the quality is really good for its' price. There is a eye piece cup which is made of rubber which is exactly look like a cinevate eye cup. But it is not only going to cover your eyes but your nose and sometime mouth as well. May be am not a huge person. The drawback is, obviously i have to breath when focusing and that creates lots of fog inside which fill my view finder.

It has a good quality for it's price but personally i would NEVER go back to Jag35 or Express35 people. This was a nightmare to get in touch with them. I guess they would just make product and don't worry about the customer service. It is surprising me that they are not aware right product + customer service goes along together. I would not agree with the reason it's a small company so they are lack of service. For me, I am paying and i expect the service. You increase the people or find some other way for the best service. Plus i think shipping and handling is over charged. I had to pay $29 for shipping and handling and still had to wait over 3 complete weeks to get this product after several follow up ONLY with emails. They dont' have numbers.

And I must tell, David who is the founder of D Focus is working by himself I guess. After i bought that follow focus, every time i email him i always got replies within hours or max 24 hours. I am sure he is a busy person too. If someone is finding a reason not to provide the customer service I would definitly stay away from them.

Hope this review helps. Thanks!

Hariharan Swaminathan
www.ihariharan.com
vimeo.com/ihariharan
 
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Hey Hariharan,

Thanks for taking the time to share your Cyclops experience! I'm glad you and Jeremy were able to get your camera setup properly, and I'll be sure to pass along your suggestions
for consideration in the Instruction Manual. Regarding the weight, it can definitely get tiresome if you have a big camera like the 5D and a big lens on there. We've been seeing more
and more people using the Cyclops on a monopod for event and wedding videography as a great method to take the load of and keep a nice stable image. If you have any more questions,
suggestions, or concerns you know how to reach us!
Thanks again

Luke
 
cinevateluke said:
Hey Hariharan,

Thanks for taking the time to share your Cyclops experience! I'm glad you and Jeremy were able to get your camera setup properly, and I'll be sure to pass along your suggestions
for consideration in the Instruction Manual. Regarding the weight, it can definitely get tiresome if you have a big camera like the 5D and a big lens on there. We've been seeing more
and more people using the Cyclops on a monopod for event and wedding videography as a great method to take the load of and keep a nice stable image. If you have any more questions,
suggestions, or concerns you know how to reach us!
Thanks again

Luke
Click to expand...

Hello Luke,

Yesterday i did my first day shooting for the Music video which am working on. Because of lots of moving and a small crew i had to go hand held nearly 5 hours of shooting. I am thin but do have lots of stamina. ;) I am glad it all came out good. Very soon will be finishing the shooting and start working on the editing. But I would definitely like to see few improvements on the cyclops. Especially quick snap in and out and close attachment to the LCD. That would take this product to a very high reach. Except Zacuto i have used almost all view finders in the market for DSLR and i can thumbs up only for cyclops on the crisp quality.

Thanks!
 
ihariharan said:
It has a good quality for it's price but personally i would NEVER go back to Jag35 or Express35 people. This was a nightmare to get in touch with them. I guess they would just make product and don't worry about the customer service. It is surprising me that they are not aware right product + customer service goes along together. I would not agree with the reason it's a small company so they are lack of service. For me, I am paying and i expect the service. You increase the people or find some other way for the best service. Plus i think shipping and handling is over charged. I had to pay $29 for shipping and handling and still had to wait over 3 complete weeks to get this product after several follow up ONLY with emails. They dont' have numbers.
Click to expand...

I could not agree more about their customer service. It is horrible. I ordered a few products from them a few months ago, and the products themselves are fine, but their customer service is just terrible. I ordered one of the products on a Sunday and informed them that I needed it by that Thursday (I may be mistaken on the exact days, but it was something along that timeframe). I had to e-mail them three times before I received a response. When I finally received a response (I believe it was Wednesday, the day before I needed it) they told me that they were out of stock of that product (even though on their website it said that it was in stock). After searching and searching I finally found the product from another site and over nighted it. This is just one of the many terrible customer service experiences I had with jag35. Again their products are pretty good for the price, but their customer service is absolutely horrible.

On the other hand, Zacuto and Kessler Crane have some of the best customer service I have ever experienced. In fact, I was shooting a piece today with some people from PBS and one of the cameramen and I were talking about how great Zacuto's customer service is. They are always looking to help the customer, and I have not had one bad experience with them. Their customer service alone is worth their higher prices. Same thing with Kessler Crane. They always respond to my e-mails in a timely matter, and I just ordered something from them yesterday afternoon, and it already arrived at my door today. Great customer service goes a long way.
 
I'm a glasses wearer and got the zacuto. Didn't get on with it and bought jag35's monitor X - very happy.
 
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