Viewfinder
 

Does anybody know if the viewfinder works when shooting HD, or do you only get an image on the LCD while shooting?

Because of the way the video recording works, there won't be an image through the viewfinder. It'll be LCD display only. The key to video mode on these cameras is Live View mode, which locks the shutter in the open (up) position, blocking light from reaching the viewfinder for as long as Live View is activated -- and movie recording is available only in Live View mode.

Short answer, 'cause it's an SLR.

The viewfinder is still optical as per specs so I assume that you must use the LCD in movie mode.
From DPreview - they have stated that it is the same prism/lens assembly from 1D series and seeing the diagam/illustration it still is optical because none, I mean none of the electronic viewfinders can compete with a bright optical one. Specially so when you consider the 30fps refresh rate.

T

Which means that Zacuto hood/magnifier thing for 400 bucks would probably be necessary for most people. It looks pretty decent.

Are the stats for the LCD known? I know the Mark II's LCD isn't as sharp as most DPs want...

john

Specifications are identical between the 5D Mk. II and 7D LCD displays...

TFT, 3.0 in., appx. 920,000 dots (VGA), appx. 100% coverage, viewing angle: 170°

For those of us who don't own a Mark II, do you think the LCD screen is good enough, or should a potential 7D buyer also plan on buying a portable monitor for pulling focus?

john

I would say yes you'll probably need one. We have a number of monitor threads in the 5D Mk. II forum (maybe I should copy a few of them over to this board).

Thanks! Saving my pennies...

john

John:

Since you don't yet have a 7D, you should be aware that the camera's HDMI output will exhibit 1080 or 720 output when in standby, but when you begin to roll, the resolution out to the monitor will drop to SD when the camera is rolling. You cannot effectively pull focus with SD output when shooting HD, there is not enough resolution to tell if the picture is in sharp focus in HD.

So an external monitor, while handy for framing, is kind of somewhat useless for racking focus shots with the 5D MKII or 7D.

Dan

Indeed -- thanks for pointing that out, Dan!

But as long as we're not moving and can mark the two focus points we setup beforehand it should be good. I don't like pulling focus during a shot unless I have a destination already in mind.

That brings up another question--I wonder if you can see a distance readout in the LCD. By having the readout in the VF and screens of the 1/3' chip cameras, a guy can follow focus himself without an assistant in most cases.

With the 5D Mark II and some additional software, yes you can:
http://images2.wikia.nocookie.net/ma...cus_screen.jpg

Another one to consider might be the one discussed here:

http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/photo-hd-...ef-s-lens.html

Or you can watch his video here:

Shallow DOF on T1i with Canon EF/EF-S lenses on Vimeo

It appears he is using this unit from CAVision:

Cavision | DSLR LCD Viewfinder Set for the Canon 5D | MHE52-RCM

Mr. Bruce Foreman is using it on the Canon T1i (500D) but B&H lists it as being for the 5DM2, so it will very likely work on the 7D as well. And it's a lot less expensive than $400 USD.

I found out about that Cavision one yesterday and got email back today. It has a swing out feature too for quick still shooting, and the bottom of the bracket has a 1/4" tripod socket, so you can mount it to a tripod or use it handheld. Price is less than half the Zacuto unit. All Zacuto products I've seen are top-notch and beautifully made, but expensive. This one might be closer to what people want to spend.

This is higher resolution than the EX1's LCD right? If so it should be ok for focusing as the EX1 is.

Interesting. But how does it compare to the Zacuto performance wise?

According to Phil Bloom the LCD is much better on the 7D than the 5Dll.

Edit: Then again he was talking about the use of an external monitor and how the HDMI does not drop down in resolution when in use.

I believe the 7D and the 5DII have the same LCD. It is certainly better than the EX1, but that's not saying much.
I don't have any problem with initial focus, but I don't do much follow focus with small DOF.
Also, the lens can be focused in still mode before flipping over to video. The LCD was designed to be viewable from an angle, which is one nice thing about it.

Yes, I read Philip's report as well amd I am somewhat confused by exactly what the 7D outputs via HDMI when recording. I keep reading that it doesn't lose resolution while recording, yet I also read that the output is 4x3 LB? I can't understand how you can be viewing full HD resolution if the signal is somehow reduced in size and letterboxed?

I know that the 5D MKII does drop it's output to 480 when recording, which is useless for tracking focus, but I am a little foggy about what exactly you are seeing on the HDMI output of the 7D when recording. Regardless, it doesn't look as if it is full 1920x1080 HD in any case.

I guess it remains to be seen if the output is high enough resolution to accurately track focus on the 7D.

Dan

If you're going to be shooting hand held, just give up and get the Z finder. Your other choice is to buy a less expensive product and then the Z finder. You may as well avoid purchasing a finder twice.

You don't feel you can track focus with 480 on a high quality monitor like Marshall? Some of the inexpensive monitors are only 200 or so lines.

Both provide a magnified view, 3X for the Zacuto and 6X for the CAVISION. If you are placing the viewfinder on the LCD by hand and holding it in place for the time necessary to focus as needed (like the Hoodman Hoodloupe on a neck lanyard), performance should be almost identical (I do like the idea of 6X though, faster focusing for me).

Mounted on the camera is a bit different. From what I've read on the Zacuto once you have attached the mounting frame to the camera mounting the Zacuto viewfinder is simpler and quicker. The CAVISION takes me about 2 to 3 minutes to attach to my Canon T1i (I have an extra riser plate necessary to get the viewfinder in vertical position over the LCD, the mounting plate bolts to that, and then I have a Manfrotto quick release plate to attach to the bottom of that), If I did it a lot I could probably get that time down to a minute or minute and a half.

All in all the Zacuto may very well be the better product but both are very well engineered in my opinion. The CAVISION cost me (with mounting hardware) somewhere around half of what I hear the Zacuto product sells for and I am very satisfied with the way it works for me. But for most of us using DSLR's for video I feel like one or the other will make life a lot easier.

Bruce Foreman

Well…it’s probably similar to what it did accidentally with my HV20. With the HV20, while in picture mode, I was able to capture a (30p) 29.97fps image over the PC's firewire (we all know the HV20 doesn’t do 30p). I was able to select all the picture modes while doing this (16:9-1920x1080, 16:9-1440x1080 …and 4:3 25##x 1538) . That last aspect ratio I was able to use the entire sensor…but because it was a size bigger than the 16:9 it basically letterboxed the image on the LCD…and it also recorded the 4:3 within a 16:9 frame. So that mode, though it used the entire sensor, turned out to be useless for me because of the pillar-boxing. I’m only assuming that this is what’s happening in the 7D….which would mean a diminished resolution.

No, definitely not. I have been down that road with numerous other cameras. I cannot track focus accurately when trying to view HD on an SD monitor. How could you, SD does not have enough sharpness and resolution to tell when an HD image falls into sharp focus.

I lived that nightmare first with the Sony Z1, there was not any affordable Hi Def monitors available to me at the time and with the HVX200, which really has an SD LCD monitor but shoots Hi Def images. I have used both cameras and the 5D MKII with SD monitors and it is useless, you cannot hit focus at all.

Dan