FU-1000 w/the XL-H1
 

So I plan on purchasing one of these from a forum member here for use with my XL-H1. Has anyone had any in-depth use of this viewfinder with the XL-H1? Does it really make focusing with the XL-H1 a lot easier? I plan on using it with my 35mm adapter.

Unfotunately, Canon responded to me about a question regarding a high-res viewfinder for the XL-H1. They said that the FU-1000 is the way to go and that they have no plans as of yet to introduce a new high-res viewfinder for the H1 ...

:(

Michael, the FU-1000 is a high res b/w CRT as you know. It also features the same style peaking control found on much more expensive camera viewfinders. The peaking control assists you by highlighting objects in focus with a thin white outline. That, in combination with the fact that you aren't seeing color information as a distraction, will help your HD focusing a lot.

Seeing the scene in black and white has other benefits also. It allows you to know if different colors will have similar gray scale value which reduces the overall contrast of your scene.

-gb-

Hi, There is ons FU-1000 for NTSC on ebay now for USD 600 if I remember right.

Observe the viewfinder is made for NTSC or PAL camcorder. /Johan

Edit:
Today it seems to be another one for USD 700.

Chris, thanks for clarifying this. So these viewfinders are apparently the same hardware, only trimmed to NTSC or PAL and labeled accordingly. They could be adjusted easily by a user as it seems.

There is only one version of the Canon FU-1000 viewfinder. It works with either 50i or 60i systems. See the end of this thread: http://dvinfo.net/conf/showthread.php?t=34554

Michael,
Let us know how this works...
(I hope the city is working out well for you)

J

Ps: Still waiting to see some of your uncomped trailer footage

Hey John,

The city is working out quite well ... thanks.

I just received the unit, but haven't had a chance to check it out yet. I'll let you know when I do.

we'll set up a time so u can come by and check out the footage ... it looks great :)

Michael,
Any time you have - I'd love to come over and check the footage and the viewfinder

Although I am too far away to come by, please let me know what you think of it and if it is an improvement over the standard viewfinder.

I bought an fu 1000 a couple of years ago to help me focus on my XL2. When I sold the XL2 and bought my H1, I used the fu 1000 for a while. It definately helps with focus. The two downsides are lack of color info ( easy to forget white balance settings) and double the battery use. Since I do a lot of weddings, I hated to burn through batteries so quickly. I've kind of gotten used to the stock H1 viewfinder also. So I've been primarily using the stock vf.
But a lot of my shooting is done in hideous low light, and I'm thinking of going back to the fu 1000 to help with low light focus. And since I no longer try to constantly wb, I use auto for in doors and forget about it.So the only remaining issue is battery usage.I have two weddings this week end, and I think I'll switch back to the fu 1000.I'm happy that I didn't sell it...
Bruce S. yarock
www.yarock.com

I have to agree with Bruce. I find that for my purposes it is essential to own both finders. If I am shooting scenics, etc. where I can mostly depend on the auto focus I like to go with the stock finder as I find it hard to get inspired while shooting scenery while looking at the small b&w image of the fu 1000.

On the other hand when I use the big telephotos on wildlife, I feel out of control of the camera unless I use the fu-1000. There is no doubt that it is vastly superior for attaining sharp manual focus quickly and while it does shorten battery life, I can still shoot a satisfactory amount with the stock battery. (When I go on a morning's wildlife shoot I have not had to change the battery yet, and when wildlife is in sight I often let the camera powered up in VCR stop mode for extended periods).

I recently shot a music festival and in this case I used the stock finder with the rear flipped up and also used an external monitor. I used the CH-910 with two 945 batteries from my XL-1s days, and held my stock battery back for spare and I did not have to change until about five hours of continuous shooting. In this case one of my major reasons for using the stock finder was the battery life. I had been using the fu-1000 exclusively for some time, but this experience made me realize how well the stock finder performed in certain situations so I now change it frequently depending on the task at hand.

Hey all,

After using the FU-1000 on a shoot this past weekend with a 35mm adapter, I can say that yes, it is indeed much better for focusing. The fact that it is higher rez, along with being b&w, and having its own peaking function makes me wonder why I didn't own this sooner. Thanks for everyone's input.

I've just got FU 1000 (for my XL2) and the manual carefully avoids saying anything helpful about using or getting the best out of the FU viewfinder. Where are the "advantages & benefits" of the FU 1000 being hidden at present? You Greg have obviously discovered some of its secrets, but where did you find them?

Brendan, did you find a PAL-version of the FU-1000 at last!?
I've been using this viewfinder for some time and it will definitive help you in maintaining good and sharp focus.

As Greg mention above: "The peaking control assists you by highlighting objects in focus with a thin white outline. That, in combination with the fact that you aren't seeing color information as a distraction, will help your HD focusing a lot."

I use this combined with turning the zebra-pattern on. In this way you are able to exposure correctly in the same time that you are sure that your object is in focus. You'll find the peak-knob (P) behind the contrast-knob (C), adjust this until you see a highlight surround the object, turn the focus-wheel until you see the white outline is at the strongest (sorry if this is a bit bad written in english, but I hope you understand what I mean?).

I have been using it on and off for about a month and I have found that I still need to use the peaking built into the camera in addition to the peaking on the fu1000 to be 100% sure it is in focus. Most of the time the peaking on the EVF is enough and it is nice to see the zebra patterns and peaking at the same time. Still, in critical moments the 2 peaking circuits really add together to create an ultimate peaking experience.

Having said all of this, I still find myself missing color and my eyes feel a little strained when using this viewfinder for some reason. Perhaps it is a little too bright or I just havent found the right diopter setting for my eyes, which I admit aren't as good as they once were. I find that I need to move things just a touch further away to get a good focus on them....which is normal as you age.

Great to hear from you Per Johan and Marty,

I am getting a white outline on, for example, the edges of a leaf when in focus by using peaking; if I change the peaking this edge disappears and the edge of the leaf becomes the same dull shade as the rest of the leaf and goes out of focus ... for this reason I am guessing that the white outline is the result of peaking! Is that all that the FU 1000 has to offer? It does not help much with an object that has a depth of field, like a big bird. I must be doing something wrong or failing to do something else, probably quite simple. Surely the actual performance of FU 1000 is discussed and illustrated in detail somewhere? I thought I read somewhere that i should see a distinct white line tightly surrounding the object in focus whether I'm using zebra or not using it. Am I dreaming? Or is the whitening of the edge of the item in focus all I can expect? Whatever I'm doing could not be described as "the ultimate peaking experience". More help please! I'm a long long way from getting peaking to work well and conspicuously on a bird in flight ...