Zacuto Z-Finder good for stabilization?

S

semajha

Well-known member
Hey everyone, been awhile since I've been on dvxuser. I'm considering buying a Z-finder but I was wondering if the z-finder was good enough at keeping the camera stabilized? Since you're pressing the eye piece up against your face, I'm assuming that this alone should help stabilize the camera pretty well, so for you guys that have the zfinder do you still find the need to have a shoulder mount of some sort?

Also since I haven't been keeping up with camera stuff, are there any new, cheaper alternatives to the ZFinder other than the LCDVF?

Thanks and Happy New Year everyone.
 
The zacuto press releases talk about the finder adding another contact point in conjunction with their hand held rigs, so I would think yes, using one will help stabilise further. Here's another example of a finder, posted by RagdollOp -

http://www.indiproco.com/product.htm

I have a zacuto but don't get on with it, so am selling that and have bought the 'monitor-x' from jag35

http://jag35.com/new/products/monitor-x/

cinevate also have one out but I think that's around the $400 mark - you'll need to google that

HTH
 
Last edited:
Thanks for the input Bill. I'm glad I made this thread before pulling the trigger on one of these VF's... The monitor X looks pretty neat but how does it perform in the sun? What's good about a view finder is that it won't suffer from any glare when used in daylight so unless this monitor X has some kind of anti glare glass, I don't see it having any real benefits except putting less eye strain.

Oh and after doing some research, I found that Letus put out a viewfinder too. So far from what I'm reading it seems to be very good and doesn't suffer from the distorted edges like on the Zacuto.
 
Anyone else using one of these viewfinders or lcd screen viewing aids? I'm leaning mostly towards the Hawk Letus but the only downside about that VF is the small eye cup on those things.. Wonder if it's customizable or if you can swap it out for a big one like the one on the z-finder.
 
Thats exactly what I am wondering about the eye cup. I plan on getting it and trying it for the 10 day trial period. If you don't like it Letus will refund your money.
 
Yeah, it's awesome that they're offering that 10 day trial period, so I guess you can't go wrong. I mean besides the eye cup the Hawk seems perfect. Standard quick release system, small elegant design, apparently has better optics and image than the zfinder, and has almost all the same features as the other competitors. And i'm not sure if the zfinder has the same capability but with the HAWK you're able to upgrade the shroud if say Canon decides to make their lcd screen larger on future dslrs.

Just make sure you get the 3:2 aluminum version if you're using a T2i/GH1... I talked to customer support and they said you could use the regular carbon fiber one on the t2i but it won't fit as nice as the aluminum one. Kind of a bummer that they don't offer a carbon fiber version for the t2i but the aluminum version still looks aesthetically pleasing.
 
i have a zfinder jr and yes it does provide a good additional stabilizing point on my rig setup. I prefer using it with my shoulder rig which is offset to have the zfinder right at my eye as opposed to using a monitor which i use when DPing on projects where other people need to see whats going on.
 
Hey jambredz, I appreciate the input. I'd love to have a full shoulder rig but money's the issue. :( But it's good to hear that these VF's can help with stabilization. I'm hoping that it'll help alleviate micro jitters.
 
semajha said:
Hey jambredz, I appreciate the input. I'd love to have a full shoulder rig but money's the issue. :( But it's good to hear that these VF's can help with stabilization. I'm hoping that it'll help alleviate micro jitters.
Click to expand...

What lens are you shooting with? I don't think a VF will reduce "micro jitters" on anything longer than like, 35mm. Buy a tripod instead of a VF.
 
I'm using a 50mm lens and I do have a tripod but sometimes I'd like to get in some handheld shots without the picture looking too shaky.
 
well i can shoot with 50mm handheld with my zfinder alone and up to 100mm with my counterweighted shouldermount (with non IS lenses). Takes practice. Make sure u have your shutter down at 50 or 60 because if you have it 2 high trying to get proper exposure the micro jitters are going to be worse. So use some kinda ND.

And to the OP...i built my shoulder rig (Cpmfilmtools.com)before i bought one. And i luv it still. So dont make anything stop you. I bought one mainly because i have a cage on it to attach other accessories, so i can upgrade to bigger cameras when needs be...and it can be attached to the tripod.
 
Last edited:
One last note about jag's monitor x - check out the video reviews they have on the website - you'll see it comes bundled with a very deep sunhood, which looks like it should work great. I'll find out in a week or so, anyway..
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top