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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

RECENT EVF opinions????

Stephen Pruitt

Stephen Pruitt

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Hi all. . .

Now that EVFs are shipping in number, I'm curious what the word on RED Street is concerning this incredibly expensive accessory.

I'm all eyes. . .

Thanks.

Stephen
 
Hmm not sure if I agree with "incredibly expensive", now a nice $75,000 zoom lens, that's pricey. This is kind of a bargain for what you get...

Noah
 
it is awesome. must have the buttons to control menus are great.

If you consider the price of the camera with the viewfinder its still cheaper
than JUST the body of the HDX900
 
The EVF is fantastic. The image is wonderful and it's worth it just for the extra functionality you get from the buttons and wheel. It's hard to say it's expensive, when you compare it to a sony color evf that will set you back $10k+ for less resolution and image quality.
 
First impression is probably that it is big and heavy. Much bulkier than you would think from the pictures. I also think it is ugly but that's my personal opinion and doesn't get in the way of functionality. But the weight and bulk does raise the question about how to support. The RED arm works but is not really up to the task, the ET arm probably is but it is much more expensive.

The image is nice, on build 15 it seems more saturated than the LCD and the darks are better visible. I wouldn't describe it as a religious experience but I haven't used many viewfinders before myself. It is also nice to have a few more buttons available with shortcuts to the menu. Some people say it is easier to focus with the EVF than with the LCD, that might be the case but the difference is not that big.

For my own work I can do with just the LCD. But I mostly rent it out and a lot of DP's like to use it or at least like to have both the EVF and the LCD on the camera. If a DP is happy with using just the EVF than the biggest advantage is being able to use the LCD for the focus puller and/or the director.

So in short: it is nice to have but you can do without it. Whether it is worth the money is up to you and what you do with it but it would be good to have a look at one in real life before you decide to order it.
 
I think it has a place like all other accessories. I shot a full feature without one, albeit mostly hand held and steadicam. Friends/colleagues of mine have been talking bout it as if it was the holy cow of Red film making. I have not taken mine out of the camera case since receiving it and testing. Personal preference I suppose. Part of this i am sure is down to me lighting and operating and the nature of the jobs we do where mobility is needed, when I was operating straight drama from a fixed position on a Chapman Peewee for instance I'm sure I would have used the EVF more.

One of the good things about view finders in general is that if you need thinking time you can close one eye and look down it and people think you are busy and generally wait for you to 'surface'. Or if you have a hangover from the night before, close both eyes and have a little catnap. I've been caught out by this one and fallen off the dolly when the grip has moved it! So be warned!

Seriously though it is good for an EVF and ofers another point of contact with the camera that I enjoy!

Mike C
 
Costelloe Michael said:
One of the good things about view finders in general is that if you need thinking time you can close one eye and look down it and people think you are busy and generally wait for you to 'surface'. Or if you have a hangover from the night before, close both eyes and have a little catnap. I've been caught out by this one and fallen off the dolly when the grip has moved it! So be warned!
Click to expand...

LOL! Brilliant.
 
Costelloe Michael said:
Or if you have a hangover from the night before, close both eyes and have a little catnap. I've been caught out by this one and fallen off the dolly when the grip has moved it! So be warned!
Click to expand...

Jut make sure that you purchase ET's EVF mount, or similar, since you're effectively leaning on your EVF :biggrin:
 
It's the holy cow of Red film making! I couldn't live without it. One glance through the EVF was enough to sell me on it. It's so much better than just the LCD alone. The added functions of the user buttons and the rotary control are essential.
 
Mucho gracious for all of the comments. My EVF is now on its way.

Now, about that ET mount. I don't even know if I want to know how much that puppy will set us back.

:-(

Stephen
 
The Picture on the EVF is great, I think it's the best electronic viewfinder made right now, and also the least expensive HD one that I know of. However there is a little trouble in viewfinder paradise. The buttons are a little too easy to press by accident when moving the camera about. It's a bit more of a serious problem now that the jog wheel can do things that cause permanent image harm affecting things like shutter and variable speed.

You need the ET mount, just consider it part of the price...

Matt Uhry
www.mattuhry.com
 
I've had my RED EVF since the first week of last December. I've been using high-end electronic viewfinders extensively for decades now - and in my opinion the RED EVF is the best I've ever used. On top of that, if you do a quick price check of the retail cost of other high-end electronic viewfinders, you'll find the RED EVF is a bargain in price.

It is big and heavy - but there is a serious diopter in it and it is well built. Matt brought up a good point about the buttons and wheel. Their placement requires you to be careful about inadvertently bumping them while you work. When doing a lot of hand held work I like to set the camera down between shots or takes. The viewfinder is heavy and though the camera will stand up fine, I sometimes worry about setting it down because I don't want it to fall over onto the viewfinder side. I tend to lean the camera against anything I can find on the viewfinder side, but I've learned to avoid having what I lean it against push the EVF buttons and change my settings. The addition on my rigs of the ET Shock Mount, side mounting the RED Drive on the smart side of the camera has been a good improvement in cross-balancing out the weight of the EVF on the other side. I'm proto testing the new ET V plate mount for the RED Brick, which can also help to laterally balance the weight of the EVF from the other side.

Attention should be paid to the EVF refresh rate setup options detailed in the camera operations guide.

I've had ET EVF mounts since late last November, first the solid mount proto, then the current adjustable tube mount proto, which I received to test in late December - and have been using ever since. The ET EVF tube mount is solid, adjustable several ways, and well engineered. The end result with that combo on RED is "serious support for a serious EVF".

On my rigs, if I'm using the EVF I support it with the ET mount, and if I'm using the RED LCD I use the RED noga arm. At times I use both mounted at once - depending on the complexity and range of shots I'm shooting that day. I use the EVF for shots where I can get my eye to it, and the LCD for high-angle, low-angle, and stabilizer use.

I'm generally a sight focuser, shooting the majority of my shots at apertures between f4 and f11, using edge color and 2:1 magnification to focus - and I've had no problems at those apertures (and at f2.8) focusing RED in almost 11 months using the RED LCD, and 8 months using the RED EVF. That said, in my opinion the EVF is easier to see critical focus with than the LCD, something you would expect due to its good diopter and higher resolution (1280x848 for EVF, 1024x600 for LCD). For outdoors sight focusing with the LCD I've found a sunhood helps me see focus.

When I do traditional cinematography using an AC to pull focus I still really like the detail, lookaround, and features of the EVF. Matt Uhry and lots of other traditional workflow cinematographers who have used the RED EVF seem to like it also. Whether you sight focus or focus traditionally using an AC, or do both, I think the RED EVF is a very good tool for your work, and well worth the $3k investment.

There has never been any perfect electronic viewfinders made in this industry - but IMO the RED EVF is the best I've used in a 3-decade career.
 
Well, mine just arrived. . . now I get to try it out. . .

Sadly, we're shooting all this week, and I don't know when I'll have time to really put it through its paces. But BOY is that thing big and heavy!

Thanks for all of your help guys.

Stephen
 
The viewfinder is a sharp beast! But what confuses me is the diffferent colors i´m getting from the viewfinder, lcd and my 17¨ panny. Dunno which one to trust!

Anyone got the same issues?

yean
 
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