which viewfinder is better

Starman

Well-known member
Okay,

So I am looking for an lcd viewfinder/monitor to use with my Canon 5DMKIII and also the occasional C300 rental that I do.

I have used the Zacuto Z Finder, but have not been so impressed by it nor the price. I like the Small HD DP4.

Anybody have experience with either and can discuss the pros/cons of each?

Thanks!
 

Run&Gun

Well-known member
Have you considered the Alphatron or waiting on the Zacuto Graticle OLED? I use the Alpha on my C300 and like it, considering it's not a native piece to the camera and some of the drawbacks associated with that. But it can be powered by power cables(like a power tap) or batts, has SDI and HDMI in and outs and the diopter/eyepiece flips up and out of the way letting you view the large 3.5" panel directly.
 

Starman

Well-known member
also thinking of getting a 5 inch or 7 inch Small HD and getting a hoodman and just having a larger monitor in place of a viewfinder? Any drawbacks to this?
 

Capt. Slo-mo

Well-known member
Mostly size and weight and general clunkiness. The Alphatrons are sharp enough to use for focus, but they burn badly at the drop of an overexcited photon.

If most of your Canon 5D/C300 shoots are sticks-based, then the larger monitor with viewfinder makes sense. For hand held, you'll just have to try a few of the HDSDI/HDMI viewfinders and see what works best for your eye and your support gear.
 

Run&Gun

Well-known member
Besides the general clunkiness, like Bill says… Depends on how your 'up close' vision is. I can't go that route. With my contacts in(I'm near sighted), I can't get close enough to a monitor without a diopter for it to be of use as a VF. Bottom line in my opinion and the way I shoot, nothing replaces a good VF.
 

Tv Shooter

Well-known member
Alphatron hands down. Not only do you get a real viewfinder, they have diopter snow that will prevent most screen burns. It's a great viewfinder.

Using a small monitor will kill you in the long run and make the camera less bulky. The Alphatron will convert hdmi to sdi and vice versa.
 

Capt. Slo-mo

Well-known member
Richard is largely correct, with one caveat: the best anti-burn diopter protection also severely limits the range of focal adjustment...the more diopter you need for your aging eyes, the less likely it is that you will be able to get it in sharp focus.

This is a known issue for the Alphatron folks. There is a lesser filtered diopter they can send you (which you must replace yourself by removing some tiny little aluminum screws) but the lesser filter does very little to keep the Alphatron from burning. If you don't religiously remember to close the protective shutter on the unit, or tilt it down every time you take it away from your eye...you will end up with many white spots on the screen, and even some crater like dimples puckering the LCD screen.

Which is a pity, because it's a great viewfinder, with HD-SDI pass through capabilities and a D-tap port to run the viewfinder off the camera brick.
 

Tv Shooter

Well-known member
Yea, I burned mine accidentally. It was $125 to replace the screen, and it never happened again. Regardless that is not a reason to avoid the Alphatron.
 

Starman

Well-known member
I am liking the Small HD AC 7 7inch monitor, would prefer something larger, for use with 5D and C300, but the Alphatron looks tempting! Let me do some research.
 

Tv Shooter

Well-known member
Alphatron. They have a repair facility/warehouse here outside of Atlanta, in Douglasville, GA. Brent is a great guy, got it done very fast.

Alphatron US
Brent McWhorter
3870-B Longview Drive | Douglasville, GA 30135
Phone: 404-877-2090 Email: broadcast@alphatron.us
 
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