Site Supporter Registered: July, 2008 Location: Baltimore, Maryland Posts: 11,590 | | Review Date: March 20, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $79.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Does the job | | Cons: | Yep, a pet hair magnet | |
Some sort of lcd shade is indispensable accessory with mirrorless cameras. I know there are fancy ones which attach to the camera--some with glue (I don't think so!) or magnets or the tripod mount. That's unnecessary afaic. The Hoodman is deliciously simple: you hold it together with the camera and look through--easily done. It feels natural to this old dslr viewfinder hand.
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Site Supporter Registered: December, 2007 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,249 | | Review Date: September 9, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $129.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | Indispensable device | | Cons: | rather expensive | |
The Hoodloupe is becoming one of these indispensable device for serious photographers. It basically transform your back LCD into an EVF.
In sunlight, reviewing or taking shots with the LCD is virtually impossible. Even the best LCD/OLED screens are problematic. This hoodloupe fix this.
Doing MF while using video on a DSLR is very difficult. But put this Hoodloupe (attached with the "cinema strap", not included) on the LCD and it's much easier, the LCD becomes an EVF and having this pressed against your face also helps stabilizing the camera.
The original Hoodloupe comes with a small pouch and a lanyard. I don't use the pouch (see below why) but the lanyard allows me to leave the Hoodloupe around my neck so I can use whenever I need to review a shot.
There two other accessories that are recommended:
- The Cinema Strap allows you to fix the Hoodloupe to the camera. It's mostly useful for video.
- The Hoodmag 3x magnifier with rubber eyecup. Highly recommended to get a even bigger view of the LCD. It works very well with two caveats. First it won't fit in the original pouch. Second the eyecup is coupled with the diopter adjustment. You have to hold it to force it to not move while adjusting the diopter. Not a big deal once it's done though.
- There is also a Hoodriser for 4" screens but I don't use that.
The optics are quite good. A small bit of smearing in the corner but otherwise it's sharp. The diopter/focus adjustment is very smooth and extended.
It's also highly recommended for older people like me who start to get short sighting difficulties.
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Veteran Member Registered: April, 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 2,054 | | Review Date: March 8, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $79.90
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | well-made, great optics, case and lanyard included | | Cons: | rubber construction is a dust, hair and lint magnet | |
I ordered this thing because I intend to start using live view more for critical manual focusing. Turns out it is fantastic for that use. While it is not a magnifier, the optics are so good that it almost seems as though the screen is magnified, your view is just that clear and crisp. The built-in diopter is first-rate and has a lot of travel to it's rotation. I can't imagine anyone not being able to dial in a crisp view. It feels very well constructed .
The unit itself is coated in thick rubber, leading to the impression that it is flexible, but it isn't, it's actually quite rigid and the inside of the hood is smooth plastic. This is a good thing, because the rubber is a magnet for dust, hair and lint. Having to clean the inside of the hood would be a pain.
My main motivation for buying this was the shading of the screen in outdoor, bright-sunlight conditions, and it does that as well as you would imagine, of course, but the optics were a delightful surprise. This feature is what makes this such a pleasure to use. I know there are cheaper versions of this available, and they may be good, too, but I am really pleased with my purchase.
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