Perhaps the answer is to add an eyepiece to your hood (copying the EX3 approach). If I knew how to link in a photo of mine, I would. Maybe this? http://www.dvinfo.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=961
and this
http://www.dvinfo.net/gallery/showimage.php?i=962&c=2

The eyepiece is made from two +3.5 diopter spectacle lenses (making 7 diopter). Flips up for direct viewing of screen. Made of 6mm foam core, so very light, if not convenient enough (doesn't fold) for normal use -- just a proof of concept.

im building one of those at the moment. The Tupperware Update!

Alex, I did in fact build one of these but with no lens but made for both eyes. It was too heavy and strained the LCD hinge. Can you disclose what you are doing?

Mike

You mean like this/ Made since my last post. It has a graduated vari-focal lens in eye-piece.

Mike

Mike, yes, that's the way. Actually you shouldn't need a graduated vari-focal, but I guess you had that on hand; single focal length is what you need. I bought a pair of generic "reading glasses" and took the lenses out of the frames. $4 at the bargain shop.

Serena: You got screwed. 99 cents here for reading glasses in the 99centsonly store!

The vari-focal is there because I'm in the process of surgery on both eyes and they are always changing and I have no prescription lenses at the mo., and as you say, it was on hand.

Another feature of the one I made and shown is that the tube telescopes, so I can use it to focus.

Mike

The focusing feature is a good idea and I'll add that when I get to prototype stage (fixed is fine for a single user).

Moving back to "film look", I've just noticed that my American Cinematographer Manual says in relation to telecine: "film look refers to the appearance of a print as seen in direct projection......the subjective appearance of the image with its smoothly graduated highlight and shadow contrast".
But, as we've seen, it means many things to many people.

I admire your DIY viewfinders, but have been thinking of another approach (the EX3 being a bit too expensive for me to upgrade any time soon).

Can anyone in touch with Sony service ask whether it's viable to replace the poor EVF with that of the Z7 camera? I always wondered why Sony put the Xtrafine EVF on the Z7 but not on the EX1, and - after EX3 announcement - concluded they did it on purpose, to make the EX3 even more attractive...

So, if someone has an opportunity to ask about it (and costs involved), please do so and share it with the rest of us. Ideally, if it proves to be just a swap operation, buying the Z7's Xtrafine unit and mounting it ourselves would be great...

You might have noticed that the X3 doesn't have an EVF. Just the LCD. That is a far superior approach.

Yes Serena, exactly - but since I have an EX1 and NOT an EX3, I am talking about a good, IMHO, way to get both: a great LCD, and a usable EVF. The latter from the Z7, if I am still unclear:)

My guess is that Sony would not want to start treating their EX-1s as lego-type designs, switching parts out with their other models. They create a better model and want to sell it to us, rather than upgrade our existing model to more closely resemble their pricier one. But, hey, if someone gets Sony to do that then that is great news.

Would it not be better to see if you can get the LCD hood for the EX3 and put it on the EX1? I wonder how much a replacement hood would be and if it is detachable or hinged permanently to the EX3 LCD.

For me, my telescoping unit cost only the lens from a discarded pair of specs and a cardboard box. I had to steal the eye cup from the viewfinder when I realized I did not have a spare. Funny, the Z1 had two eye cups and I only just now noticed the EX1 only has one.

So the question is: why do you want both? Everyone agrees that the EVF isn't great -- useful but not up to the standard of the camera. The LCD on the EX1 is the same as on the EX3 and the obvious thing is to copy the EX3 approach. The problem, as Mike mentioned, is that the EX3 has a much more robust mounting for its LCD, so one has to be careful in translating the EX3 system to the EX1. However our simple "proof of principle" tests have shown it is possible and so effective that I have switched off the EVF. Now for some work on developing a very light-weight yet robust prototype hood. Maybe the EX3 hood is the best answer; but it will be expensive and may be too heavy.

One can wish for many things in a camera, and generally the more you pay the more of them you get. A camera is a tool, like a hammer or a saw, and you can use it to make beautiful things, as does Phil Bloom with his EX1, or you can sit around asking why your hammer doesn't incorporate a saw.

The answer is simple: the great EX3 wievfinder works best when the camera is shoulder monunted, i.e. with the EX1 body shape.

For shooting EX1 handheld, or on additional mount like the "El Cheapo", its original EVF would be better for me, should it have enough resolution.

EVF on EX1 vs Z7? What is the actual difference?

From reading all the posts on "film look", I think that there is a wide range of subjective qualities but I think the point can be summed up as, "not video look". I agree that seeing the Show Scan 60p film projection demos, proved to me that for artsy stuff, I don't want film to look like reality. But for sports and reality shows, 60fps is the way to go, baby.