[pearsaab]

i know olympus and sony (for the nex) make the viewfinder that attaches to the hotshoe and you can see what the camera is doing with manual focus...i want one for the q and was wondering if anyone looked at the olympus to see if it would work on the q...i know the nex won't just by looking at it..
Amazon.com: Olympus VF-2 Electronic ViewFinder (Black): Electronics

Amazon.com: Sony FDA-EV1S Electronic Viewfinder for NEX-5N Digital Camera: Electronics


also anyone look at the portable lcd monitor...i know the price is crazy but it appears it would work for the q...i want to be able to easily manual focus and i am just not happy the hoodman and other type viewfinders to do the job on the screen
Amazon.com: Sony CLM-V55 5-Inch Portable LCD Monitor for DSLR cameras: Camera & Photo

[jpzk]

Interesting.

I have not used an OVF "yet", so I am sorry to barge in without an educated opinion on the usage, but I owuld also like to know if someone out there has used one with the Q.

I have always a huge fan of "viewfinders" vs. a LCD monitor for focusing.
To me, nothing replaces a viewfinder in cameras, that's my ten-cents.

Anyway, I did look up these two OVF's and both are impressive, but pricey( especially the Sony).

The question is: would you spend that much if that's going to help "focus properly" (and compose the image) with a camera that is worth less than the OVF ?
Furthermore, is this OVF an accessory that you will be able to use on different cameras in the future, just in case that the Q has become "obsolete" to you?

I would certainly consider a good OVF if I am sure to be able to use it for an extended period (years) on the Q AND with other cameras.

BTW, does any of these two OVF cover most of your needs in terms of "angle of view", depending on which lens you are using?

Good thread ... looking forward to some feedback too.

JP

[GXRUser]

i know olympus and sony (for the nex) make the viewfinder that attaches to the hotshoe and you can see what the camera is doing with manual focus...i want one for the q and was wondering if anyone looked at the olympus to see if it would work on the q...i know the nex won't just by looking at it..
Amazon.com: Olympus VF-2 Electronic ViewFinder (Black): Electronics

Amazon.com: Sony FDA-EV1S Electronic Viewfinder for NEX-5N Digital Camera: Electronics


also anyone look at the portable lcd monitor...i know the price is crazy but it appears it would work for the q...i want to be able to easily manual focus and i am just not happy the hoodman and other type viewfinders to do the job on the screen
Amazon.com: Sony CLM-V55 5-Inch Portable LCD Monitor for DSLR cameras: Camera & Photo

Your point is well known. Welcome to the club.

I have be very frustrated that Pentax has chosen not to implement accessory EVFs with the Q, Q10, MX-1, and K-01. There is not an accessory port for any EVF. This is a missed opportunity.

btw: Leica uses the Olympus EVF for the M type 240.

Panasonic yesterday introduced a very compact camera (Lumix DMC-LF1) with a small integrated EVF that shows how it can be done with a small camera with minimal increase in size. The EVF is only a low resolution 0.2" (5cm) size, but should be very usable in bright outdoor light. I would love a similar design for my Q and K-01.

For the 01 Prime Lens, a 50mm equivalent is useful for framing, but not focusing.

I find the clearviewer to be an excellent solution for using the LCD to fine focus, especially now that focus peaking is implemented. The folding version that attaches via the tripod socket is very useful and not bulky like the hoodman types.

ClearView Product page

[Rob22315]

also anyone look at the portable lcd monitor...i know the price is crazy but it appears it would work for the q...i want to be able to easily manual focus and i am just not happy the hoodman and other type viewfinders to do the job on the screen
Amazon.com: Sony CLM-V55 5-Inch Portable LCD Monitor for DSLR cameras: Camera & Photo

I did some quick research - you can get a high res (800x600) monitor for a car camera on ebay for around $100 that will take a composite video input. At lower resolution, you can get a small car camera TFT monitor for $20-$30. There's even one for testing security camera's that you can wear on your wrist.

Just for a lark, I hooked my K-01 up to an old CRT TV. The focus peaking seemed fine despite the low resolution.

[panoguy]

also anyone look at the portable lcd monitor...i know the price is crazy but it appears it would work for the q...i want to be able to easily manual focus and i am just not happy the hoodman and other type viewfinders to do the job on the screen
Amazon.com: Sony CLM-V55 5-Inch Portable LCD Monitor for DSLR cameras: Camera & Photo

Hmmm... not for my Q, but that would be great for the K-5 and shooting video! I've been looking for an external monitor w/ focus peaking and pass-through audio...

[pearsaab]

i think the price is crazy but when i think about what i want to achieve is to shoot long distance nature photography with the sigma 500mm and the q i need something that works better than what i have...the thought of being about to manual focus with a bigger screen is very intriguing...i am frustated because i want pentax tt make one and feel they need to to be competetive in the q market...it will work on any camera so anyone with eyesite issues this would be very helpful...i have also looked at cam ranger or similar prohrams that look like you can add an ap to a ipad and do the same thing and am curious if anyone has tried

[pearsaab]

i think the price is crazy but when i think about what i want to achieve is to shoot long distance nature photography with the sigma 500mm and the q i need something that works better than what i have...the thought of being about to manual focus with a bigger screen is very intriguing...i am frustated because i want pentax tt make one and feel they need to to be competetive in the q market...it will work on any camera so anyone with eyesite issues this would be very helpful...i have also looked at cam ranger or similar prohrams that look like you can add an ap to a ipad and do the same thing and am curious if anyone has tried

i also wondered if something could be done to set up with a laptop or other tablets...i'm sure there are some smart people on this forum that could figure out something

[panoguy]

i also wondered if something could be done to set up with a laptop or other tablets...i'm sure there are some smart people on this forum that could figure out something

I can't find the link here, but someone mentioned that laptops and tablets usually only have HDMI out (if anything), and not in. I know there is an app for the iPad that allows screen sharing with a laptop, but again... how to get the signal from the Q into the laptop without tethering software?

BTW, I found a 7" Llliput monitor that is ~$250 with focus peaking (eBay), but no idea about the build quality. That's the thing with Sony, at least it's a known manufacturer and has a warranty!

[pearsaab]

I can't find the link here, but someone mentioned that laptops and tablets usually only have HDMI out (if anything), and not in. I know there is an app for the iPad that allows screen sharing with a laptop, but again... how to get the signal from the Q into the laptop without tethering software?

BTW, I found a 7" Llliput monitor that is ~$250 with focus peaking (eBay), but no idea about the build quality. That's the thing with Sony, at least it's a known manufacturer and has a warranty!

thanks ...i did find that too but the warranty was critical...i found and app called cam ranger and contacted the company but it doesn't work with pentax #$%^, only nikon and canon

[ElvisQ]

Is there any HDMI EVF? (not an 5" LCD)

[Rob22315]

I can't find the link here, but someone mentioned that laptops and tablets usually only have HDMI out (if anything), and not in. I know there is an app for the iPad that allows screen sharing with a laptop, but again... how to get the signal from the Q into the laptop without tethering software?

BTW, I found a 7" Llliput monitor that is ~$250 with focus peaking (eBay), but no idea about the build quality. That's the thing with Sony, at least it's a known manufacturer and has a warranty!

Lilliput monitors are sold by net stores, not just on eBay so they're not some Chinese flash-in-the-pan eBay device. That said, I've never tried one. Another youmightcheck out is ikan.

[kshapero]

I have some old Yashica optical viewfinder. Cost about $28. Must be 30 years or older. And it works perfectly in the super bright sunshine of South Florida.


Shots taken using the OVF to compose:

[theeggplanthunter]

The yashica (telewides) work pretty well if you don't have glasses. They require a nice eye-weld and can scratch up lenses because the eye relief is a bit short. The brightlines do require a lot of ambient light though, as such night shooting is a bit tricky. You want to be careful of the type though. The yashica's have rectangular lines at 6.5mm and ~14mm. The caspeco finder has 2 square outlines which makes it much less useful.

For any more range, you can go with a red-dot or even an acog/4x sight on the hot shoe.

[crewl1]

There is a Petri Telewide in our marketplace ATM buried in a sale from user tmessenger if anyone is interested.

[tromboads]

+1 for those optical finders.

It really is as simple as that.