I can see myself having one of these attached to my Canon SX210 IS Point and Shoot camera as an extra handle for stability or setting it down on a table when i'm having dinner. This could come in handy as the handles for my Johan Rig too allowing me to set the rig down. Very neat little monopod-table top tripod-handle. Not a bad price on sale for $16.99 at Calumet.
DIY LCD Viewfinder for Canon T2i from Marc Schreibman on Vimeo.
I think this is officially the first DSLR DIY i've seen where there was a 3D Printer involved. Sure it's a bit larger than the LCDVF, possibly to compensate for the step up filters used for magnification. I don't know about you guys, but i'd love to see that 3D printer actually working. Enjoy the awesome work from Marc Schreibman on Vimeo, and thanks Dave for the tip! This is a really cool DIY.
LoupeTalk DIY Adapter for Hoodman Loupe from emmagination on Vimeo.
A couple of people have commented about how their LCD Viewfinders can lose adhesion from the metal frame to the LCD glass. Just wanted to remind everyone about an old video I posted a while back that might be a good solution by permanently (epoxy) attaching the LCD Viewfinder to an LCD Hood Shade. Originally this video was for the Hoodman since I thought the LCDVF had a decent solution, but appears even the LCDVF sticky frame can cause problems. There's even a shade available now for the Canon 550D / T2i so that you can quickly mount and dismount the LCD Viewfinders. You can find the LCD Shades for the Canon 550D / T2i for as low as $12.50 + Free Shipping here.
click image
click image
Alright this post is a little weird. A tip from Cheesycam reader 'Tony', pointed me out to this EXACT replica of the original LCDVF now available on eBay. I mean dead on exact, and LESS THAN HALF THE PRICE! Looks like some of those plans leaked out, and now a company in Poland is manufacturing these on their own. Wait wait wait!!! Isn't the original LCDVF from Poland and the guy who makes the LCDVF go by the name Tony too?? Don't quote me on all this, but I have a feeling it's really the LCDVF coming out of the same manufacturing plant.
Yeah i'm not sure where this is all going just yet, but this "replica" of the LCDVF is going for a ridiculously cheap price + FREE Shipping for any LCD Viewfinder, so i'm not here to complain. Everything about this unit seems to match the original. Even the 2x magnification. All of the auctions appear to be no less than 5 days old from the same seller (in Poland). From what I can tell about 17 of them have already sold in the last 5 days so it's picking up a bit of steam. The seller has an awesome reputation on sales, so maybe we're just all getting hooked up with some super cheap prices on what could be the original LCDVF?? If anyone grabs one, let us know how that turns out. Check out this LCD Viewfinder that looks like an exact replica of the LCDVF.
The kit comes with:
click image
Above is the famous little photo sent in by Johan about his DIY DSLR rig using Automotive Plug Wire Clamps. I originally posted this article: http://cheesycam.com/diy-dslr-rig-four-thirds-rig/. I really liked the look of this thing, but couldn't decide if it were going to be beefy enough to support an actual DSLR. It's hard to visualize the support rods actual dimensions.Well I got a chance to find some rods and Yes, they are very beefy indeed.
While cruising around random aisles in my local Walmart (searching for items for another DIY), I happened upon the Camping aisle and found an awesome set of Black Fiberglass Tent Poles! For just $6.88 a set, one set can complete a simple DIY DSLR rig. Especially for something as simple as a Canon 550D, T2i, Sony NEX-3 / NEX-5, and other Four-Thirds cameras.
So I grabbed a set of these black Fiberglass tent rods from the Walmart camping aisle and immediately placed an order on the plug wire clamps. They just came in today so I'm very curious as to what I can come up with for a fun little support rod rig.
got my clamps in...
Stay tuned, oh and more information on Johan's DIY DSLR rig and where to buy the clamps can be found at this article: http://cheesycam.com/diy-dslr-rig-four-thirds-rig/
more photos from Johan's rig
Wow, thanks Serge! This is a cool looking little gadget that Serge sent in for me to look at. It's not HD, but i'm assuming it's close to the resolution on the DSLR itself. A bit smaller in size at 2.5", but with some type of magnification this would be the solution that I mentioned LCD ViewFinders would be heading towards. With this type of simple setup offset shoulder rigs would be a thing of the past. The camera can remain mounted anywhere and the LCD + LCD View Finder can be moved into eye position by a simple articulating arm.
Depending on how long the cord is, this would work as a lightweight monitor for smaller Jibs / Crane type setups for 'framing' (not sure about focus pulling). It has it's own rechargeable battery pack too, but can accept DC power. A very cool function is that it acts like a Remote Shutter!(shutter function may only be for photography) Wow this is an excellent addition to the Palo Alto adapter for those low aerial shots. I can totally use this for framing shots while the camera is 10' feet high!. Very cool small lightweight product that i'm excited to get my hands on and the price is ridiculous! Oh, before posting this I did place my order in case they run out. Check out the new Remote LCD for DSLR video by clicking here.
Update:: They emailed me asking what Canon camera I have. They mentioned they have cables to support the Canon 5D Mark II, 7D, and T2i. I hope they ship fast, i'm interested in showing what this looks like with a video review.
Ok, so i'm sitting here playing with the Sony NEX-3 Interchangeable lens camera trying to figure out better ways to make this shoot like a real video camera. Next I get an email from Alex Cahiz pointing me to the latest Engadget article about Sony's latest Video Camera announcement. A 3" Swivel LCD, Still Photos, 1080p, 24 frames, and SDHC storage are some of the terminology being dropped, oh and also an estimated street price of $2,000 US. It should be bundled with an 18-200mm lens, so it's not a terrible price for something that acts more like a Video Camera should. Check out the full write up over at Engadget.
From the images above it looks like it has both an LCD and a ViewFinder for sharper focus? It also has a better Stereo microphone position over current DSLR's. The smartest thing Sony can do to really steal back some of the current market is to come out with a Canon Lens adapter right from the start. Hey, Apple went to the Intel platform, supported Windows installations, and now look where they are at. If Sony can adapt for Canon, i'm sure most of the Canon users would love to pick this thing up and test it out with the current gear they are already so much invested in.
Update: Looks like more specs are available and many comments are talking about the correction on 24p. It's actually 24Mbs bitrate which is half the 5D Mark II, and no indication of 24p. This is a big time deal breaker for people who can already afford the T2i with several aftermarket accessories available on the cheap. I don't think Tamron, Sigma, or Tokina are making Sony mount lenses for the NEX? This will definitely put Sony in a niche audience.
Thanks to a reader submission, here's an unusual LCD View Finder for DSLR's that's even viewable at an angle. Through the description it says it's also magnified. It looks to be similar in design as the Zacuto Z-Finder, but doesn't look to be quite the build quality. Prices are pretty steep, and I haven't seen anyone else talking about this or using it, but it's great to share this information I guess. You can find the unusual Angle Viewfinder for DSLR's at this link.
click image to buy from BHPHOTOVIDEO.com
As with my fears for the new Zoom H1 selling out quickly, the LCDVF 3:2 for the Canon 550D / T2i is already listing as sold out. Luckily I grabbed mine a bit early, even though I haven't even mounted it yet. Obviously the Canon T2i was trending in sales much more than the 7D and the 5D Mark II, so I doubt a smaller company like LCDVF could have met those demands. Hopefully they'll have more inventory in short time, but it's interesting to see that nobody has tried to capitalize on grabbing a large inventory and then reselling it at higher prices on eBay. Double the price, much like people are already doing with Apple iPhones and iPads.
It does show that there's a huge demand for these things, so I'm wondering why another player in the LCDVF 3:2 aspect isn't already on the market.
Update: Now in stock and shipping from NYC Grab yourself the LCDVF 3/2 at BHPHOTOVIDEO
Or check out the 'Replica' of the LCDVF here: http://cheesycam.com/lcdvf-nope-lcd-viewfinder-replica/