550d view finder

[Barry21]

Hi
Does anybody know on the Canon 550d how to change the viewer from the Lcd to Evf, on Video mode, here in the Canaries its very sunny all year round and practically imposable to see the lcd. Screen, so what I do is if the camera is on a tripod, turn the camera to photos, look through the evf, line everything up then turn the camera to video without moving it and shoot, thats o.k if I don’t want to pan though, I find the lcd on my pana 400 better in the sun.

Cheers Barry

[Dave Baker]

Hi Barry,

The 550D does not have an EVF, what you see through the eye-level viewfinder is the image from the lens before it reaches the sensor. It has a mirror in front of the sensor that reflects the image up through the penta mirror system, which is how you see it, it is a live image. The mirror flicks up to allow the light to reach the sensor when you take a still photograph.

To see the video image on the LCD, the mirror is raised so the light reaches the sensor, the image is then fed to the LCD. If you push the video button while in the still mode, it raises the mirror so you can see the image on the LCD if you wish. You cannot use the eye level viewfinder in video mode.

What you need is some kind of LCD shade, either a simple shade, or a loupe which will convert the LCD into a viewfinder. Bruce (Bif) recommends the Hoodman loupe, I am looking into the various options for my wife for Christmas - promise you won't tell her! The Hoodman Cinema Pro kit looks favourite at the moment.

If you search the forum, there is a thread by Tom Dickerson which has a photo of Cherrie using the Cinema Pro kit.

Dave

[joshua]

I got the LCDVF for my 2Ti
It attaches to the camera magnetically by means of a metal frame which is stuck on the the camera.
It is very easy to attach and remove.
Only problem I have is that this loupe does not have any diopter adjustment.  It is fixed, and that is a big big minus.
Also, because of the magnetic frame, you are warned to keep it away from Heart pacemakers, CRT monitors, television, mechanical watches, and all things that can be sensitive to magnets, including Credit cards, diskettes and video tapes.
If it were not for the warnings and lack of focus adjustment, it might be nice to use.

Would I buy it again?  NO

[Tom Dickerson]

We purchased the Hoodman Cinema Pro kit and it's fantastic. I would imagine there might be less expensive alternatives by now. I wouldn't attempt to shoot any series video without one.

[Dave Baker]

Actually Tom, most of them are more expensive!

From what I've read, the Hoodman is not so good in the optics department, but it is quite affordable and, frankly, I'd rather trust yours and Bruce's recommendation than a professional revlew. I tend to use reviews only to find out the options.

Barry, I found this multiple review while doing my research, hopefully it will help you http://ninofilm.net/blog/2010/07/01/dslr_viewfinder_review/

Dave

[Pangea]

Actually Tom, most of them are more expensive!

... and I don't know how a plastic piece with a simple loupe could cost such money. Zacuto ( http://www.zacuto.com/z-finder-dslr-viewfinder ) is the most "professional brand". If you are proprietary of any oil well in Texas you could buy one. They are manufacturing this kind of finders for $400, so it's an arm and a leg and more than some zoom lenses. On the other hand, Foto-Tip in Poland ( http://www.foto-tip.pl/sklep/lcd_viewfinder_for_video_dslr_3_2-p-1844.html ) made this one for €51.74 ($69 actual change) which remains expensive in my appraisal.
Personally, I've no problems with the LCD screen, but when I want to correct my long-sightedness view and be as close to the screen as I need, I do use one of these cheap goods that always did the job, and cost me a few euros:
http://www.vs-medical.com/product291.html
Please, don't laugh at me 
 

[Barry21]

Sorry I haven’t  got back sooner we’ve had a tropical storm here in the canaries so the office  was closed yesterday.
 
Thanks for  the links, I also think like Dave & Pangea these accessories are expensive  many things cost more or nearly as much as the camera and lens, how can they  justify the prices.
 
 Ha ha !! NOT laughing Pangea just got a funny  bad cough. You must have good sight to see through those, cough cough. Why  not use the bottom of a coke bottle or in our case Dorada bottle. 
 
I dont know  why the hell you dont have a problem, you live in the same neck of the woods as  me, my sight is quite good dont ware glasses only recently needed sometimes for  reading at night if the light is not very good and the print is small. But the  550d screen on a sunny day I cant see a thing, yet the Pana 400 all I do is  shade the top of the screen with my hand and I can most times see.
 
The link  you sent Pangea looks o.k, price is affordable for me but is it the same one  that Joshua said he wouldn’t buy again.
 
Barry
 
P.s how is  your new photo workshop going?
 
 
 
 
 

[Pangea]

 Ha ha !! NOT laughing Pangea just got a funny  bad cough. You must have good sight to see through those, cough cough. Why  not use the bottom of a coke bottle or in our case Dorada bottle. 

Ha! 

I dont know  why the hell you dont have a problem, you live in the same neck of the woods as  me, my sight is quite good dont ware glasses only recently needed sometimes for  reading at night if the light is not very good and the print is small. But the  550d screen on a sunny day I cant see a thing, yet the Pana 400 all I do is  shade the top of the screen with my hand and I can most times see.

Sorry, I haven't got the T2i (550D) but the 5DmkII seems to me enough bright and clear for working in sunny days. If you get the clip&flip loupe (4 diopter) that I told you in before post, your eyes will be as close as a few cms from the LCD screen for a complete focus control. Not kidding. I bought it in the optician's for €5 and it was a great deal for me.

The link  you sent Pangea looks o.k, price is affordable for me but is it the same one  that Joshua said he wouldn’t buy again.
 
Barry
 
P.s how is  your new photo workshop going?

Joshua is right, a focus adjustment should be great but there are some brands through the internet and some of them are magnetically attached. Personally, I don't use heart pacemaker (thanks god!), CRT monitors, CRT TV's or mechanical watches... and by the way, my credit card is always far from the camera but if you are worried about magnetic fields, a simple audio speaker (blinded and shielded) could damage your credit card so be careful when you are listening to Terry Oldfield (that I know you like)
PS) My workshop was finished with success. Thanks for asking.


Cheers all!