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Best 'budget' EVF solution for Red Epic now that there are more options available?

M

Mike Quill

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I've been looking for a proper EVF solution for my Epic Dragon for a while now. I thought I had finally found a solution with the SmallHD 502 and Sidefinder combination, but I've determined it's not quite cutting it. The monitor is really fantastic; I love all the focus and exposure assist features and its LUT capabilities, however, the way it works in conjunction with the Sidefinder is less than ideal. I thought this solution would be the best bang for the buck, because I'd be getting a monitor (packed with new tech) and EVF for the price of one, but I'm now convinced that I just need a dedicated EVF.

I'm now considering the following 3 options:

Zacuto Gratical X ($1,650 + a la carte assist tools)
Used Red Bomb OLED (~$2,000)
Used Red Bomb LCOS (~$1,000)

I've come to appreciate the importance of having a very compact, well-made EVF that does a couple of things really well: namely, allow for accurate focusing, provide quick access to basic exposure tools, and framing in hand-held (shoulder rig) shooting scenarios.

If I go the Red Bomb route, I would not be purchasing a +1 module and would be OK with swapping out the cable if I needed access to my touch monitor.

So, I suppose my main two questions are:

1. Is the Gratical really that much better than the Red Bombs for: determining focus, framing and exposure?
2. Is the OLED worth the extra cash over the LCOS? To my surprise, I did a side by side comparison of the two Bombs at the Red store, and I think I actually preferred the look of the LCOS. My testing, of course, was limited to only a few minutes at the store, so I'm not totally confident my initial impression was accurate.

The idea of having a 'universal' EVF in the Gratical sounds nice in theory, but the reality is that I really only shoot with my Red. The Gratical also looks really bulky (cables coming off the top with rubber cover pushed to the side), needs to be battery powered, and just sort of looks lame design wise.

I know EVFs have been discussed a lot on RU, and I've read through much of it, yet I still find myself undecided.

I would really love and appreciate some feedback!

Thanks,
Mike
 
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I am on the waiting list for the new 1080 Bomb EVF, despite it's cost, as I really want a high performance EVF. Until I actually have some hours with the unit, I really don't know how good it will be. That's a financial risk I am willing to take in my quest for a great EVF, and, fortunately, I like the more compact design and believe it will be a good match for the Weapon - both aesthetically and size wise.

I have yet to see a truly great electronic viewfinder from anybody, but I remain hopeful...

Cheers - #19
 
I've been thinking about this a lot too... The best in my mind is the new weapon evf.. I want to wait till that becomes a little cheaper.. But I have deff considered the older red models... Stay away from companies that make evfs for dslrs.. They just don't feel right. If I had to pick one of those tho I would go with the smalHD 502 + sidefinder, they have a deal going where I think you get the sidefinder for free... Pretty dope little monitor
 
Matthew Quinn said:
Thats a joke right?
Click to expand...

im sure he is quite serious, people figured out how to use them on epics and even dlsrs, apparently they are really good. i just think it would be weird having a blackmagic part on your red, but whatever.
though i am too curious of the old bombs, are they horrible?
think they would be fine on a weapon or raven?
 
Lol. I've heard it's a nice evf, but my god, it looks even more lame than the Gratical.
 
ok, so whats up with the old red bombs, i see them cheap as hell on ebay, a ton of them.
i did hear they could work on the weapon and raven with a lemo adapter kit.
 
The OLED version of the bomb EVF looks great to some people and janky to others. From what I understand it has to do with refresh rates and the performance of each individual's eye-brain processing function. Similar to how some people find S3D headache inducing and others think it looks good. In the immortal words of Sean Fairburn - test, test, test. It's a wetware-hardware compatibility issue.

The OP was looking for budget alternatives, the newest 1080 RED Bomb EVF is hardly that - but if it performs well, it's not really that pricey for pro kit. IIRC the Alexa EVF is roughly $2,000 more...

Cheers - #19
 
I've never liked red evf's at all. I've tried it all, sidefinder, gratical etc. I'm hoping the weapon evf is gonna be the one. From reports from those who've seen it it sounds like it. I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and buy one. The gratical is the best I've tried, but I still didn't like it really
 
Hey Jake, what in particular do you dislike about the Gratical? And would you say the Oled is day and night better than the Lcos Bomb? And if not, maybe picking up an inexpensive used Lcos would be the way to go to hold me over to something better?

Jake Wilganowski said:
I've never liked red evf's at all. I've tried it all, sidefinder, gratical etc. I'm hoping the weapon evf is gonna be the one. From reports from those who've seen it it sounds like it. I think I'm gonna bite the bullet and buy one. The gratical is the best I've tried, but I still didn't like it really
Click to expand...
 
Matthew Quinn said:
Thats a joke right?
Click to expand...

Hardly a joke - while ergonomically a nightmare out of the box - the Image is FANTASTIC.

There will soon be an accessory upgrade kit from Wøøden Camera to attach this to your Red or other SDI port equipped camera that will make it MUCH sexier. When I mod mine I'll post pics...

11917737_168141666856898_1569101411_n.jpg

https://scontent.cdninstagram.com/h...e35/11917737_168141666856898_1569101411_n.jpg

click to see reduced size of the BlackMagic ViewFinder
http://bit.ly/1ijOUmp
 
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I didn't like the field of view on the gratical and the general design. I really dislike the oled red, just not happy with picture quality, but what I'd suggest is go to a rental house, then you can see em all...
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Would love some more specific impressions of the LCOS vs OLED Bomb. Again, after quickly comparing them at the Red store, I didn't see much difference besides color temperature.

Is the OLED much better for nailing focus? In reading RU posts from several years ago, it seemed that people felt the LCOS image was 'washed out,' but was it subsequently improved with firmware updates?

Ultimately, at this point in time, is the OLED worth $1k more than the LCOS?

Thanks!
Mike
 
MichaelJQuill said:
Thanks for the feedback everyone.

Would love some more specific impressions of the LCOS vs OLED Bomb. Again, after quickly comparing them at the Red store, I didn't see much difference besides color temperature.

Is the OLED much better for nailing focus? In reading RU posts from several years ago, it seemed that people felt the LCOS image was 'washed out,' but was it subsequently improved with firmware updates?

Ultimately, at this point in time, is the OLED worth $1k more than the LCOS?

Thanks!
Mike
Click to expand...

Hi Mike!

Yes!

Yes!


And you can sharpen the image as well, through Menu Look, etc..
Thank you very much

Fury
 
I've never liked the LCOS image but I absolutely love operating from my OLED EVF. +1 for OLED.
 
A little offtopic, but have any of you guys tried Amira viewfinder? How does it compare to the Gratical?
 
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