That's the boy!

Cheers Dan, iCuff. Briliant.

Avey

Z-Finder Feedback
 

I just wanted to report that after two weeks of shooting with the Z-Finder, I am extremely happy with it. I only noticed two factors that would keep me from giving it a perfect 10. The first factor is that when shooting in extreme heat and humidity, the Z-finer can fog up a bit. But to be honest, this can happen with any eyepiece and I found that just breaking my eye slightly away so that the eyecup wasn't sealing airtight around by eye socket was a good remedy.

The second opportunity is the Velcro. I used Steve Weiss' recommendation for affixing the Velcro the 5D MKII body, no problems with that, it has not pulled up or off or become loose, just as Steve said it wouldn't. But the top quadrant of the eyepiece does have a tendency to become slightly looser than the sides or bottom quadrant. It doesn't come all of the way off but it does sometimes become a bit looser than the rest. It is remedied by just using a lot of force and really pushing the Z-Finder down hard to the back of the 5D MKII. It is not bad, totally usable and not a deal breaker. Just in case, I have ordered the Hoodman rubber band strap which can also be used on the Z-Finder. So far I have not needed it but if I am on the road and the Z-Finder does begin to flop around and get too loose, I have a backup to hold it in place.

The optics are superb. The field of view is spacious, you can easily focus and see all of the detail you need to in order to focus using Nikon manual focus lenses like I am shooting with.

I hate to be visually so boring but making the V2 Z-Finder housing all black and or gray would make it stand out much less than the silver that the main housing is made of now makes it. I was stopped by almost every photographer who saw me at a music festival I shot at last weekend, asking me, "what is that eyepiece you are shooting with? Why are you using it? Can I look through it?" Ughh, what a nuisance. Make it all black and or dark gray.

I am very happy with the Z-Finder and if the V2 is going to improve on the V1, it will by far be the best solution out there for the 5D MKII.

Dan

Thanks for that Dan, I picked up a Schneider loupe the other day to have a play and I do think it is very fine quality. I'm still a little worried about the velcro but in the end I guess I'll end up just sticking gaffers tape all over it to create a more solid mount to the camera.

I'm going to wait for the v2 Z-finder now.

Dan

Dan,

Thanks for the report. Despite my initial scepticism that the Z-finder was worth the money I am being talked around:-) I need to use one before I am fully convinced but the more that I use the Hoodloupe the more I dislike it.

There are good & bad points to the Hoodloupe. The dioptre adjustment is excellent (a point that is weak on the Z-finder apparently). I am short-sighted & wear glasses full-time. I can view the LCD screen on the 5DII really well by taking off my glasses & pressing my face right up to the screen. However I then cannot see anything except the screen until I put my glasses back on & then I cannot see the screen without holding the camera at arms length. After adjusting the Hoodloupe I can view the screen through the loupe with my right eye & the scene with my left eye at the same time.

At first glance the optics of the Hoodloupe seem OK when looking directly straight through the loupe but if you are looking at any slight angle then distortion is very evident. You can see the centre of the LCD screen well but as you move towards the corners the view is very poor because of the distortion. So focusing is improved but framing the shot is worse. The loupe also does not let enough light pass so the image is dimmed even with the brightness cranked up to maximum.

From the photos I have seen it looks like the Schneider loupe that is the basis for the Z-finder is much larger than the Hoodloupe so I am guessing that the glass is bigger & more light passes.

My home-made mount with the Hoodloupe glued to the frame of an LCD shade sounds like a more satisfactory solution for fixing to the camera than the velcro or rubber band of the Z-finder. Perhaps all I need to do is glue a Schneider loupe to an LCD shade frame to have the best of both worlds? Adding the i-cuff for extra comfort.

It looks like a DIY loupe is the only option for the next couple of months.

From the Zacuto site

Nigel,

Better get one of these then Google Translate

Just kidding!

Dan

Nigel:

If you can wait until around June 22, let's meet up and go shooting and you can try out the Z-Finder for yourself.

Dan

I dunno. I would be worried that I really liked the Z-finder & then be frustrated that I needed to wait another 6 weeks before I could buy a V2:-)

Seriously, it is a great idea to meet up. We will have the manual aperture firmware upgrade by then so you can really enjoy using my 'L' lenses & perhaps even 'enjoy' using my Hoodloupe.

We are working on an alternative to the Z-Finder V2 ;)... in stock in 4 weeks. Stay tuned.

Just as an aside. I got my icuff this morning and it instantly makes using the hoodloup much easier.
OK so it still doesn't magnify and is still a little too dark, but so much easier.

Just thought I'd mentio

Avey

The main problem I find with the Hoodloupe is that your eye needs to be exactly centered to get good results. Any offset, and the image smears terribly. I'd love to get an eye cup that helps me center from the get go. Fortunately, once you learn this about the Hoodloupe, it's not hard to recognize the offset problem and to adjust. Then again, it's yet one more thing to divert the operator's attention.

Hi Sean, I'm finding the Red Rock quite comfortable as I kind of tuck my elbows against my body and that helps support the weight. I did place an order for some extra rods that I could I could experiment with as longer handles (but I think it's good to have your hands higher so they are close to your focus controls, exposure lock and exposure compensation, etc...) The Zacuto looks really solid as well, I don't think you can go wrong with either setup.

I mounted a eyecup from the Sony PD-170.. it works great..

the part number is 3-087-515-01

I did a quick search & that would cost me just under $100 including shipping.

While the Z-Finder isn't cheap, to me, being able to comfortably and accurately focus and see the LCD clearly in bright daylight makes it totally worth the cost. For those of you on the fence or not happy with the Hoodman, go for the Z-Finder (V2) when they become available, you will find that it makes having the 5D MKII a much better experience overall.

Dan

Nigel,
I find with the iCuff, I can move it around a little as I press my eye to it (it is a kind of stiffish material) and it makes it easier to get that central position on the Hoodloup. That AND it's comfortable and blocks out the light.

Dan,

i think I'd like to get a ZFinder sometime in the future and enjoy the 5D2 experience more. For now though, I'll have to stick with the Hoodloup and I'll wait to see more reviews from the good people here.

Avey