C300: What's your favorite EVF?

nedcam

nedcam

Well-known member
I need to pull the trigger on an EVF, tired of using my DP6 outdoors, and am planning to buy the Zacuto EVF Pro since that is what I am familiar with renting. However, I wanted to ask if anyone else has a better experience with another brand? I had my red peaking on in the Zacuto, do any other brands have better focus perception and zebra patterns? Also, with my shoulder rig I would like to power it with an Anton Bauer D-tap so it lasts all day.

One more thing, I have an Israeli arm and I can not adjust it with one hand without the EVF tumbling due to gravity. Does anyone use an articulating arm where you can adjust the position with one hand and it stays in place?

Thanks,
 
I personally like to keep my rig as small & simple as possible when shooting the C300. Too many third party accessories just make the whole thing more cumbersome and slow in the field, and I'm often needing to shoot extraordinarily quickly and efficiently. That being said, I find the on-board EVF to be quite good. By far, though, if I were to consider any 3rd party EVF solution, I would go with the Deity Miro loupe on the C300's LCD. I tested it side by side with the Zacuto and Alphatron, and the image clarity & features beat them both handily.
 
Hi Cowpunk,

I need to offset the EVF rather than using the built in one because I use a shoulder mount and can not be directly behind the camera. Do you have a pic of your rig?

Thanks
 
nedcam said:
One more thing, I have an Israeli arm and I can not adjust it with one hand without the EVF tumbling due to gravity. Does anyone use an articulating arm where you can adjust the position with one hand and it stays in place?

Thanks,
Click to expand...
I use a Wooden Camera EVF supporting a Zacuto EVF Pro which fixes this gravity drop. Much better than having a two handed job just trying to get the EVF in the right position.
 
cu Wooden Camera EVF support.jpg

Wooden Camera EVF Supporting a Zacuto EVF Pro.

I'm not overly fond of the Zacuto EVF as it doesn't quite have the diopter range to suit my eye, has limited peaking function through the HDMI from the C300 and the loupe part keeps falling off the monitor part. After using the Sony colour viewfinder on the PMW 350 this makes for a poor comparison.
 
The wooden camera thing looks nice. I am in the middle of a new evf search (the cine-arm is obviously not ideal, and many other options are not very versatile). The Zacuto, as I have said in other posts, is awful. If I had a C300, I would just get a diopter.

The side HDMI mount prevents positioning the EVF in certain places, and the loupe falls off, and when you need to not use it, it has to dangle their (unless you have a velcro solution), resolution is a bit low, making critical focus a bit more difficult than it is already. Start up is slo as anything else I have tried.
 
Sorry to jump in, like the OP I've only used the Zacuto EVF on my C100 for shoulder work and thought it was very good compared to the C100 LCD etc for focus. What about the SmallHD DP4 kit - does anyone have any experience with this? I need something or use outside so it needs a loupe.

As an alternative I really hope Deity make a loupe for the C100. The "its ok" vibe I'm getting from the Zacuto C100 loupe reviews is pretty strong... though thats partly the C100s fault with its LCD position.
 
nedcam said:
Hi Cowpunk,

I need to offset the EVF rather than using the built in one because I use a shoulder mount and can not be directly behind the camera. Do you have a pic of your rig?

Thanks
Click to expand...

A lot of the time, I use my C300 completely stripped down to just the side handle and use the EVF with no shoulder mount. I can shoot all day like this, and it's a cinch to get tons of angles and coverage very quickly. I just slap a wireless receiver for audio on the top handle and go.

When I want to work with the camera on my shoulder, I use an Ergocine Lion:
Ergocine.jpg

This keeps the camera slightly in front of me, so I have total access to all on-camera buttons and controls. The LCD is offset and to right in front of my right eye and I can use the Deity Miro loupe or a Hoodman. In this picture, I'm using the Hoodman because of the distance that the rig's shoemount gives me. I now have a shoemount with no arm installed directly on the Ergocine's handle that allows me to connect with the Deity Miro.

I'm also quite nearsighted, so I can use the LCD very close to my face (within about 3-4 inches) and see everything clearly. I like to consider this my secret superpower ;)
 
Bluedisk, I am not understanding how with one hand you can adjust the position of the Wooden Camera EVF, seems that you have set screws there? If you loosen a set screw gravity takes over, correct?

Also cowpunk52, I need and like the camera in front of me, EVF on the left where I can create a total light seal. I own a DP6 and I don't like focusing my eyes that close, I think it can make you cross eyed, also invariably the daylight is so strong I can't see anything. When I am moving forward I don't want to trip so with an EVF I can keep my left eye open for danger.

On the AF100 board I posted the same question and people are extolling the virtues of Alpahtron & Cineroid EVFs. I would like to rent them first. Here's my present rig, it is modular to handle onther models, I don't use wheels or matte boxes usually, I need to do a lot of handholding:
 

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Curnsie said:
Sorry to jump in, like the OP I've only used the Zacuto EVF on my C100 for shoulder work and thought it was very good compared to the C100 LCD etc for focus. What about the SmallHD DP4 kit - does anyone have any experience with this? I need something or use outside so it needs a loupe.

As an alternative I really hope Deity make a loupe for the C100. The "its ok" vibe I'm getting from the Zacuto C100 loupe reviews is pretty strong... though thats partly the C100s fault with its LCD position.
Click to expand...

I had the DP4 EVF and sold it to get the Zacuto. It works fine but is way to big and long for my liking. It's cheaper so it's a good deal. I have the same issue with the Zacuto not being able to get the diopter to adjust just right for my farsighted vision. I think I need one more spacer to go a little past the diopters max setting.
 
cowpunk52 said:
A lot of the time, I use my C300 completely stripped down to just the side handle and use the EVF with no shoulder mount. I can shoot all day like this, and it's a cinch to get tons of angles and coverage very quickly. I just slap a wireless receiver for audio on the top handle and go.

When I want to work with the camera on my shoulder, I use an Ergocine Lion:
View attachment 74410

This keeps the camera slightly in front of me, so I have total access to all on-camera buttons and controls. The LCD is offset and to right in front of my right eye and I can use the Deity Miro loupe or a Hoodman. In this picture, I'm using the Hoodman because of the distance that the rig's shoemount gives me. I now have a shoemount with no arm installed directly on the Ergocine's handle that allows me to connect with the Deity Miro.

I'm also quite nearsighted, so I can use the LCD very close to my face (within about 3-4 inches) and see everything clearly. I like to consider this my secret superpower ;)
Click to expand...

Nice setup Brian! I wish I wasn't farsighted. It sucks! Its my weakness. :) I need a superpower.
 
nedcam said:
Bluedisk, I am not understanding how with one hand you can adjust the position of the Wooden Camera EVF, seems that you have set screws there? If you loosen a set screw gravity takes over, correct?

Also cowpunk52, I need and like the camera in front of me, EVF on the left where I can create a total light seal. I own a DP6 and I don't like focusing my eyes that close, I think it can make you cross eyed, also invariably the daylight is so strong I can't see anything. When I am moving forward I don't want to trip so with an EVF I can keep my left eye open for danger.

On the AF100 board I posted the same question and people are extolling the virtues of Alpahtron & Cineroid EVFs. I would like to rent them first. Here's my present rig, it is modular to handle onther models, I don't use wheels or matte boxes usually, I need to do a lot of handholding:
Click to expand...

Well, no, it doesn't make you crosseyed - but it can give some people ocular migraines if they do it too long - so it's not so much of super-power after all :p

the Alphatron is pretty decent. If you can find a way to offset your LCD in that rig, I would highly recommend the Deity Miro over the Alphatron. It's really a very pronounced difference in quality.
 
nedcam said:
Bluedisk, I am not understanding how with one hand you can adjust the position of the Wooden Camera EVF, seems that you have set screws there? If you loosen a set screw gravity takes over, correct?
Click to expand...

The Wooden Camera EVF mount bracket attaches to the underside of the EVF and sviwels up and down without the need to touch any screws or tighteners. You can adjust the tension to suit your needs.

Its a solid system that holds the EVF in a locked off state parallel to the camera body, with the ability to tilt up and down to suit your operating height.

I got very frustrated with the articulated EVF support rig I used to own, as it was always a two hands job just to get the viewfinder in the right position. Fiddly and hopeless for working quickly on your own.
 
Erik Naso said:
I had the DP4 EVF and sold it to get the Zacuto. It works fine but is way to big and long for my liking. It's cheaper so it's a good deal. I have the same issue with the Zacuto not being able to get the diopter to adjust just right for my farsighted vision. I think I need one more spacer to go a little past the diopters max setting.
Click to expand...

Thanks Erik, how would you compare the sharpness of the DP4 to the Zacuto?
 
I have the Zacuto Pro and just purchased the Deity last week at AbleCine in Burbank. No batteries needed and worked excellent. Snaps onto a frame that attaches on the C300 LCD.
Love it!
 
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