PD-170 eye-cup replacements?
 

Hi,

I recently received my PD-170 but can't get comfortable with the factory eye-cup - is it just me?

When handheld, I can't hold the camera firmly to my eye without the eye-cup collapsing and even if I'm really careful, focussing is extremely variable due to the flexibility of the rubber - Unlike on my VX-2000, there appears to be some edge diffraction in the PD-170 viewfinder which affects focus as my eye moves off-centre. I just need a cup that will hold my eye more firmly in the optimum position.

I seem to remember reading of someone else with the same issue a long time ago (before I had the camera) but have been unable to find out if a suitable, more rigid, alternative is available. Any suggestions? (preferably in the uk).

Cheers

Colin

Colin,

Look at the I-cuff at www.bhphotovideo.com
It might work for you.

Regards,

Mark

Thanks for coming back so quickly Mark.

Any further suggestions still welcome. And I would be very interested in users' opinions on this subject - or do I just need to see an optician?

Colin

I fixed my PD170 eyecup with a layer of gaffers tape on the back side of the eyecup. It stiffens it up enough that you can lean into it a bit more. It still collapses at times but near as much as it used to.

That eyecup is one of the most disappointing things about the camera in my opinion.

I have been really disappointed with the eyecup on the 2100/170 as well. The eyecup for the 2100/170 has a bigger magnifier with the intent of making the viewfinder image look larger. The downside is that the larger magnification makes the position of the eye more sensitive, i.e., small changes in the distance between the eye and the viewfinder cause the picture to go in and out of focus. If you are very still while looking into the viewfinder, then it works OK. But if you move around a lot when panning the camera, then keeping the viewfinder crisply in focus becomes a challenge. I prefer the 2000 viewfinder, but now I have two of the other style. I might try making the rubber a bit stiffer and see if it improves things, but I have basically gotten used to the 2100/170 eyecup over time such that it no longer bugs me...

Modified Raider i-cuff
 

I recently bought the Raider i-cuff DV Viewfinder Hood for Pro-Sumer Camcorders at B&H for about $30. While I like it better than the stock Sony eyecup for the PD170, I found I had to make some modifications to really work like I wanted it to.

The i-cuff is mounted to the viewfinder simply by slipping it over the viewfinder, and then tightening the fit with an external velcro strap. Unfortunately this presented two problems:

(1) The i-cuff could still move, sliding further down the viewfinder, when you press your eye to it. This causes the viewfinder to go out of focus.
(2) The focus adjustment for the viewfinder is covered up by the i-cuff.

So, I made three modifications:
(1) Cut off the external strap, and cut a 2-inch cut from the back of the i-cuff toward the front. This allows you to open up the back of the i-cuff for easy adjustment on the viewfinder.
(2) Added velcro to the INSIDE of the back of the i-cuff where it goes around the viewfinder. Also applied velcro to the view finder barrel. Now I can position the i-cuff on the viewfinder and it will not move.
(3) Cut a small rectangular opening on the bottom of the i-cuff to expose the viewfinder focus adjustment.

With these modifications, it works quite well.