Zacuto Z-Finder EVF Pro Review

thenino said:
Guys,

Yesterday I finished my review of the Zacuto EVF and posted it on my blog:
http://ninofilm.net/blog/2011/06/04/zacuto-z-finder-evf-review/

It is the most comprehensive review of the EVF currently on the web, to my knowledge! Let me know what you guys think.
Click to expand...

I think you should stop calling it a review and start calling it what it really is, a sales pitch. This isn't the first time you've posted this link and you admit that you make a commission from the link to purchase on your site. It may be an in depth review but it's useless if it is only one sided.
 
cheezweezl said:
I think you should stop calling it a review and start calling it what it really is, a sales pitch. This isn't the first time you've posted this link and you admit that you make a commission from the link to purchase on your site. It may be an in depth review but it's useless if it is only one sided.
Click to expand...

Sad that you see it that way. It's a product I really think turned out exactly what I hoped for, so sorry for sharing my enthusiasm. I made clear in the beginning that I didn't expect much after that childish cat and mouse game between Redrock and Zacuto, but I was extremely surprised when I used it the first time at NAB.
If you blame me for prefering to test products I like, I am the culprid ... I just don't enjoy working with stuff I don't find good. And there are also Zacuto products I don't find good, just take the Z-Finder Jr. ... that standard mounting bracket is beyond aweful and doesn't match the rest of the product. I said so before and will say it again.
 
okidokes. my initial Mini review after 2 days of using my EVF

Pros
. build quality- seems really good and sturdy
. battery life- seems to last the whole day....or pretty long
. love all the features it has and customization options and camera specific presets (see website for full list of features)
these features include peaking and zebras YEESS
.Ease of use.- This things is ridiculously user friendly.
.Hdmi Loop through

Neutral
Screen resolution to my eyes I dont see a big difference to the LCD on the back of the 7d. I will say that i dont see any pixels like i do on the 7d when using my zfinder. So thats good and comes back the their dot pitch ratio zacuto evf has.

Cons
.Biggest issue i have with it is its lag. Its laggy, not by much but it is noticeable to me and 2 other people who tried it out. That was the very first thing they said... "how does it look...so...odd. like its going slow or sumn". These were in separate incidents and on separate days, so they had no contact with each other. It doesnt happen all the time when recording...but i notice it more and all the time when i playback clips. You kinda get used to it when recording.. and as i said its not that slow when recording. Or to put it another way...its not hindering me. Steve has said the next firmware update should speed up the lag a bit, so thats good.

. other con was the colour out of the box. It had a greenish cast to it. after properly white balancing though it looked more natural....but still a bit green/yellowish. So i went into the chroma settings and took out some of that to make it more neutral.

Bottom line though is i'm pleased with the product and t really helps make the job much more convenient. I dont have my heavy 7 inch monitor hanging off the side tiltling my rig...i can feed video to that other monitor now for a director if needed... I can pull focus more accurately and expose my image better. I'm also excited about the fact that it can be updated with firmware...and i know they will be striving to make it even better as time goes by . I'm yet to fiddle with alot of settings so this is an initial quick review
 
Last edited:
so when you say there is some lag when playing back are you saying that the video is delayed from the audio that you are monitoring while playing back?

david
 
Does the Evf pro have both the LCD and the Z-finder loupe included?

As it looks like it does on the zacuto site, though it's not labelled clearly, and I'm looking at it here in the UK at CVP and their description seems to suggest it's not which would be crazy.
 
The Z-Finder EVF Pro includes the LCD and the Z-Finder 2.5x. If you just get the EVF Flip or Snap, it does not come with a loupe. Let me know if you have any other questions.
- Mandy from Zacuto-
 
Last edited:
david_p said:
so when you say there is some lag when playing back are you saying that the video is delayed from the audio that you are monitoring while playing back?

david
Click to expand...

No that's not what I mean David. The EVF does not output audio at this time. That is slated to be in a firmware update I believe. What I mean is that the motion when playing back can seem as if it were playing in slowmo just for a small fraction of time as if playing "catch up". This also happens sometime when I'm recording (or basically not on playback). So basically not fully in real time. Its not sufficient to deter me but I have noticed it and thought I would share. They are working on lowering this delay or lag in the next firmware update.
 
david_p said:
so when you say there is some lag when playing back are you saying that the video is delayed from the audio that you are monitoring while playing back?

david
Click to expand...

No that's not what I mean David. The EVF does not output audio at this time. That is slated to be in a firmware update I believe. What I mean is that the motion when playing back can seem as if it were playing in slowmo or stuttery just for a small fraction of time as if playing "catch up". This also happens sometime when I'm recording (or basically not on playback). So basically not fully in real time. Its not sufficient to deter me but I have noticed it and thought I would share. They are working on lowering this delay or lag in the next firmware update.
 
Last edited:
I don't mean to bump an old thread, but it's better than creating a new one. Anyways, have you guys noticed an improvement in the lag since the newer firmware updates? Is it a pain to work with when working with sports and motion?
 
No improvement on the lag which is obvious when I first used it but I'm use to it now.
No support for 1080p for the fs100 or the gopro hero2 either. Seems weird and limiting for a display unit to be so picky about its inputs considering my old ikan v5600 works with everything I've thrown at it. I'm wondering if the smallhd dp4 is as picky because I'm thinking about a trade.
 
bimdas said:
No improvement on the lag which is obvious when I first used it but I'm use to it now.
No support for 1080p for the fs100 or the gopro hero2 either. Seems weird and limiting for a display unit to be so picky about its inputs considering my old ikan v5600 works with everything I've thrown at it. I'm wondering if the smallhd dp4 is as picky because I'm thinking about a trade.
Click to expand...
Does the lag make it unusable for things like sports?
 
JAWflyer3 said:
Does the lag make it unusable for things like sports?
Click to expand...
I haven't shot any sport with it so I can't really comment but if you have to track something that zigs and zags at a fast rate, you'd probably have a problem. If it's a predictable tracking shot like a car around a track than it's not so much of a problem.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top