Hoodloupe Mag 3.0

[Wayne Avanson]

I did exactly what Tony explains in his video with my Hoodman about a year ago and can confirm that it is a very good solution. Locks tightly to the eyepiece frame when in use, but can slide on and off quite easily for transport.

I don't use it now because I bought the Z-Finder and a couple of mounting frames, one for my 5D2 and one for my 7D. However, if I was to get another 5D2, (Unlikely) I would probably give the new x3 Hoodman eyepiece a try and fit it to the new cam rather than using anther Z-Finder mounting frame.

The problem is, you can't use the Hoodman/cheap sunshade system while there's a Z-Finder mounting frame in position as it won't lie flat to the camera back, so it's one or the other I'm afraid.

But essentially, what Tony describes in his video is an excellent way to work with the Hoodman hoodloupe.

Avey

[Jerry Porter]

Got my magnifier and man what a great piece. It's just enough to make it look great and just enough to let you see mistakes that the regular magnification won't show you. Everything looks great on that tiny screen, but when you put it on a bigger screen it you say.... What was I thinking???? Now with the magnification you can see those mistakes right away. Don't know if it's better than some higher priced versions, but at this price point it's a no brainer if you already own a Hoodman.

[Cody Dulock]

I just got my hoodloupe and hoodmag in the other day and mounted it up with my redrock microfinder loupe kit and it works pretty good. I have looked through the Z-Finder before, but I cannot recall how it differentiated from this setup.

Does anyone know what size BlueStar eye cushion will fit the hoodman loupe with the hoodmag? loupe viewfinder cushion

[Jimmy Toha]

Has anybody tried this?

Cinema Kit Pro-Hoodman Corporation

It's announced on front page actually but Hoodman finally came around to release their own loupe mount called 'HoodCrane'. Sold together as a bundle 'Cinema Kit Pro' with the original loupe and mag 3.0.

I would need an LCD Viewfinder at some point in the future, and so wondering about everyone's experience with this more complete set up. Like some of you guys, I find that Zacuto Z-finder is a great choice, both practically and aesthetically. But like lots more of you guys, I also think it's insanely-priced.
So this looks like the next viable alternative.

[Evan Donn]

Hoodcrane looks like a decent solution - certainly more flexible than most of the mounting systems out there. For the price though ($99 on it's own) I'll skip it.

I just got my pop-up sunshade a couple days ago, haven't had a chance to glue the loupe to it so just gaffed it for now. Works perfectly, very securely mounted even just using tape, and much lower profile than the hoodcrane. Snaps on and off in a second so I don't see a lot of advantage to having the flip up capabilities of the crane. Hard to beat for $12.

[Jerry Porter]

To bad they don't make them for the 7D or that would be the route I would take as well. For now the RR mount works for me, but I wish taking it off and on was easier.

[William Chung]

Anyone have a picture of them mounting the viewfinder on the lcd hood?

Does it fit perfectly inside the lcd hood or do you glue it on the bracket itself

[Evan Donn]

Here's a quick shot of my temporary tape mount job - you can see it doesn't fit inside the LCD hood frame, it sits flush with the sides of the frame, so it'll have to be glued along the edge of the loupe where it contacts the frame.

[John Mastrogiacomo]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Toha

Has anybody tried this?

Cinema Kit Pro-Hoodman Corporation

It's announced on front page actually but Hoodman finally came around to release their own loupe mount called 'HoodCrane'. Sold together as a bundle 'Cinema Kit Pro' with the original loupe and mag 3.0.

I would need an LCD Viewfinder at some point in the future, and so wondering about everyone's experience with this more complete set up. Like some of you guys, I find that Zacuto Z-finder is a great choice, both practically and aesthetically. But like lots more of you guys, I also think it's insanely-priced.
So this looks like the next viable alternative.

Saw it today at NAB. Worked quite well. When looking through the loupe the edges of the video appeared blurry but overall it is fine. I liked the view of the Zacuto better.

[Jimmy Toha]

Originally Posted by Evan Donn

Here's a quick shot of my temporary tape mount job - you can see it doesn't fit inside the LCD hood frame, it sits flush with the sides of the frame, so it'll have to be glued along the edge of the loupe where it contacts the frame.

Nice DIY, Evan. I agree that this setup doesn't attract unnecessary attention. But it seems like your solution only works for 5D2 so far, unfortunately. I own a 7D, and the LCD screen placement is on the same level as the rest of the buttons - no protruding edge like the one shown in your picture of 5D2 where you can stick the gaffer tape on.

[Wayne Avanson]

Originally Posted by John Mastrogiacomo

Saw it today at NAB. Worked quite well. When looking through the loupe the edges of the video appeared blurry but overall it is fine. I liked the view of the Zacuto better.

So the Hoodman is STILL only good and focussed in the centre? I was hoping the magnifying thing would improve it a little.

[Evan Donn]

The magnifying does improve it, but I've found it's really sensitive to getting the diopter correction right. Just a little off and you get blurry edges, but get it right on and it's mostly clear from edge to edge. Placement of your eye is important too, and the new eyecup makes it much harder to get your eye at the wrong position.

Originally Posted by Jimmy Toha

I own a 7D, and the LCD screen placement is on the same level as the rest of the buttons - no protruding edge like the one shown in your picture of 5D2 where you can stick the gaffer tape on.

That's not part of the camera - that's the snap-on LCD sunshade frame. I removed the sunshade itself, leaving only the frame, and taped to that, so that I can snap the whole unit on and off easily. Unfortunately it sounds like there isn't an equivalent sunshade for the 7D yet, but you might be able to achieve a similar effect with something like this:

LCD Screen Hood Clear Cover Protector fits Canon EOS 7D - eBay (item 380220827200 end time May-05-10 19:24:29 PDT)

If you can glue the loupe to that it might work, assuming it attaches securely enough to support the weight.

[Jimmy Toha]

Originally Posted by Evan Donn

That's not part of the camera - that's the snap-on LCD sunshade frame. I removed the sunshade itself, leaving only the frame, and taped to that, so that I can snap the whole unit on and off easily. Unfortunately it sounds like there isn't an equivalent sunshade for the 7D yet, but you might be able to achieve a similar effect with something like this:

LCD Screen Hood Clear Cover Protector fits Canon EOS 7D - eBay (item 380220827200 end time May-05-10 19:24:29 PDT)

If you can glue the loupe to that it might work, assuming it attaches securely enough to support the weight.

Thanks for the link. It looks like a tougher version of an LCD film protector. From the picture though, I may be wrong here, it looks rather flimsy and not sturdy enough to support the loupe. I may just wait and see if the Hoodcrane Cinema Kit Pro is really worth to buy. Unless Zacuto has a Gold box Deal of the Day like Amazon's :)

[Jon Fairhurst]

FWIW, Cinevate is showing a HOOD loupe prototype at the show. It's HUGE and goes over both eyes. The glass is huge and you can see a good part of the screen from a foot or more off the camera.

The concept needs some refinement, since people's heads are shaped differently, but it's a very interesting solution. And the glass is crisp as can be.

[Jim Giberti]

Originally Posted by Jimmy Toha

Thanks for the link. It looks like a tougher version of an LCD film protector. From the picture though, I may be wrong here, it looks rather flimsy and not sturdy enough to support the loupe. I may just wait and see if the Hoodcrane Cinema Kit Pro is really worth to buy. Unless Zacuto has a Gold box Deal of the Day like Amazon's :)

Check out what I posted about it earlier. We've had a Hoodloupe mounted to the sunshade and it is 100% secure and rugged and stable. It goes on and of the camera several times a shoot and gets hauled all over some rugged outdoor shoots.

I can't imagine a better, easier way to mount a VF than this. As I've posted before, it took minutes to execute, it looks like it was done by Canon and it's light and immediately swappable. What more could you want?

Oh, yeah...it's really cheap too.