Author Topic: diy 'Electronic Viewfinder' on your PEN (Read 14247 times)

Tobias · « **on:** August 13, 2009, 01:19:13 AM »

I'm sure others have adopted this as well, but thought I'd share my way of attaching it. I'm using a Hoodman 3" Hoodloupe but didn't like attaching it to the camera with rubber bands as it kept moving around. So I used a piece of aluminum strip:

to attach it to the hotshoe.

It works perfect. The loupe is attached very firmly and there's no light leaking in at all. This makes shooting with MF lenses soooooo nice! And with a little cut it will still fit in it's pouch

:

Cheers!

Tobias
www.pekelharing.com

ae8za · « **Reply #1 on:** August 13, 2009, 06:45:45 AM »

Can I say WHOAH!!! Nice one anyways...

loa · « **Reply #2 on:** August 13, 2009, 08:27:45 AM »

Nice. I just received mine yesterday and am liking it, but was displeased by all my rubber bands

I may try this, thanks for the idea! I was thinking of attaching to the tripod mount but hotshoe is better.

cosinaphile · « **Reply #3 on:** August 13, 2009, 08:32:58 AM »

very nice , ive thinking of doing something alomg those lines for a while now but homermade, i would have considered mounting it from below for asthetic reasons , but bravo,you! , is this hoodman expensive is therere a shorter one ? very cool

JsH / E-P1 · « **Reply #4 on:** August 13, 2009, 08:56:00 AM »

Super-impressed by all your modifications and ideas Tobias!

Tobias · « **Reply #5 on:** August 14, 2009, 03:32:17 AM »

Thanks!! I can realy reccomend doing this, and if you use short screws they don't obstruct your view of the LCD. I chose this over attaching it to the tripod mount because it is really plug-and-play and I can still attach the leather case to the tripod mount. You will love shooting this way.

mapleflot · « **Reply #6 on:** August 14, 2009, 06:08:56 AM »

Thumbsup Tobias!

A lack of viewfinder has kept me away from the E-P1. But I also know that if I had the camera I would end up using the LCD anyway for 80-90% of shots. So this jury-rig version of essentially creating a `super'viewfinder for the remaining 10-20% of shots is highly appealing. I like the diaopter adjustment on the loupe.

Turning the `small' E-P1 into a `big' camera for merely 10-20% of the shots I would take... this solution .... which would probably save 100s in cash over the eventual `E-P2' price... is VERY tempting.

So it fits perfectly and doesn't obscure any of the controls on the right-side? Do you have a photo from the other side (re: Photo 2 above)?
Hoodman should develop a purposebuilt E-P1 hotshoe clip/lock and have at it.

Tobias · « **Reply #7 on:** August 14, 2009, 08:11:23 AM »

Thanks mapleflot!

Yes it fits perfectly and very solid and it only covers the icons next to the buttons on the right, but not the buttons themselves (and by now I've learned what the four buttons do anyway).

Because i love using the MF lenses I end up using this setup most of the time. I will also use it for some handheld video shooting this sunday when we're shooting a commercial on the E-P1! Go for it, you won't be disappointed. Maybe I should trade my idea with Hoodman for some free gadgeds

mapleflot · « **Reply #8 on:** August 14, 2009, 12:34:55 PM »

Thanks for the `other side' photo....
Hoodman could print the button icons onto a E-P1 dedicated hood.....!

count_zero · « **Reply #9 on:** October 02, 2009, 06:14:47 PM »

Thanks for the idea. I ended up using a plastic strip instead of metal, and used self cling wrap instead of bolts. Then I used the stupid rubber bands to hold it all down. If it gets loose, I'll just re-tighten the wrap and rubber bands.

mapleflot · « **Reply #10 on:** December 14, 2009, 08:25:15 AM »

Ok I have ordered the 3" Hoodloupe and I am going to embark on this project!
Not sure if I will find the exact width aluminum strip... but I have yet to try.
Was thinking maybe thick styrene might also work (with bolts and sans rubber bands) and although possibly not as long lasting would be relatively easy to replace and easier to cut to fit if aluminum width is impossible to find..

voyager · « **Reply #11 on:** December 20, 2009, 10:47:04 PM »

Let us know how it turns out.

mapleflot · « **Reply #12 on:** July 06, 2010, 09:06:27 AM »

bump.....
update... I've finally got this project done. Had to find someone who would cut some metal to an exact fit since I couldn't find anything snug that I was happy with. But now that it is snug. Wow. Its great. Thanks for coming up with this Tobias!
4 photos on Flickr:
Hoodman Loupe with home-made attachment to E-P1 A
Hoodman Loupe with home-made attachment to E-P1 B
Hoodman Loupe with home-made attachment to E-P1 C
Hoodman Loupe with home-made attachment to E-P1 D

mapleflot · « **Reply #13 on:** September 05, 2010, 03:34:24 AM »

Well... it looks like Hoodman have (over-)engineered a generic equivalent...

:
http://www.hoodmanusa.com/prodinfo.asp?number=HCRN

Helgen X · « **Reply #14 on:** September 06, 2010, 10:59:23 AM »

Sorry to be off topic, but since I am new, I can't seem to PM as of yet unless to moderators.

Cosinaphile, you are selling a VF1 right? I am desperate for one, I lost mines and it's quite sentimental to me. Please contact me, as I am in NYC as well.

adash · « **Reply #15 on:** September 06, 2010, 11:05:39 AM »

Quote

Sorry to be off topic, but since I am new, I can't seem to PM as of yet unless to moderators.

Maybe something's wrong with the PM system....why don't you drop a line about it in the Bug reporting thread?

mikmas101 · « **Reply #16 on:** September 12, 2010, 03:47:05 PM »

Thanks for the great tip Tobias!!!

I have now rigged up a Bronica waist-level finder to the back of my E-P1 and it works a treat.....big difference when focussing on a sunny day but also useful in all kind of ways.

Instead of the metal strip I've used the plastic hinge from a folding ruler - with very minor modification I can slide it into the hotshoe; the other end is screwed onto the Bronica finder. Advantage of the hinge is that it folds down when I stow it away.

Bronica finders are plentiful on ebay or elsewhere and usually much cheaper than the Hoodman or the Hasselblad finders that others have used (although not as classy)

Ian Tindale · « **Reply #17 on:** September 12, 2010, 11:43:59 PM »

Hmm, thatâ€™s a good point. Iâ€™ve got a Bronica prism, on my, er, Bronica.

mapleflot · « **Reply #18 on:** February 13, 2011, 01:02:23 PM »

photo of DIY Hoodloupe attachment with dimensions added in:
http://tinyurl.com/6dkcbyp

Zelebrator · « **Reply #19 on:** March 11, 2011, 03:08:21 AM »

Quote from: Tobias on August 13, 2009, 01:19:13 AM

I'm using a Hoodman 3" Hoodloupe but didn't like attaching it to the camera with rubber bands as it kept moving around. So I used a piece of aluminum strip:

...

Unfortunately, the images are no longer existing. Is there a chance to make them public again? I would really like to see how you did this!

Z.

voyager · « **Reply #20 on:** March 11, 2011, 11:30:30 PM »

Very old thread.

traveler_101 · « **Reply #21 on:** March 12, 2011, 01:07:42 AM »

Quote from: Zelebrator on March 11, 2011, 03:08:21 AM

Quote from: Tobias on August 13, 2009, 01:19:13 AM
I'm using a Hoodman 3" Hoodloupe but didn't like attaching it to the camera with rubber bands as it kept moving around. So I used a piece of aluminum strip:

Unfortunately, the images are no longer existing. Is there a chance to make them public again? I would really like to see how you did this!

Zelebrator, are you going to rig something up? This home-made solution from mapleflot looks workable:
Hoodman `Loupe 3' with home-made attachment to E-P1

As Voyager pointed out, this thread is quite old. One has to wonder whether mapleflot and Tobias have by now bought the E-P2 with the EVF?

Zelebrator · « **Reply #22 on:** March 13, 2011, 01:13:54 PM »

I like the idea of attaching the loupe in the proposed way. However, I wouldn't be able to cut such a piece of metal. Asking someone would mean to pay for it, and then it might not be that cheap anymore. In addition, I think the combination would be quite bulky. I now went for a 3" Delkin pop-up shade. This is of course no viewfinder replacement, nor will it give more stability, but it might still help in bright sunlight conditions.

For the stability issue, I now went for a very light-weight tripod (the Nanomax by Cullmann). As I bought my E-P1 only a few months ago, from a local dealer, so no cheap internet offer, I would lose quite some money by upgrading to the E-P2 plus VF-2. E-Plx is no option for me, from design perspective as well as limited shutter speed. And, to be honest, I never liked the concept of the VF-2 somehow placed on top. If an EVF, than integrated, or none at all.

I'll simply wait for the Pen with the EVF in the body, instead of the rather useless integrated flash of the Pl's. If, by that time, the mFT collective would offer a wide range of lenses, from low-price to high-price, so that one would have a wide choice, then I would certainly consider to invest some more money :-)

Z.

mapleflot · « **Reply #23 on:** March 17, 2011, 12:28:47 PM »

Quote from: traveler_101 on March 12, 2011, 01:07:42 AM

As Voyager pointed out, this thread is quite old. One has to wonder whether mapleflot and Tobias have by now bought the E-P2 with the EVF?

I haven't bought the E-P2/VF-2. No plans to.

Centauri27 · « **Reply #24 on:** June 07, 2011, 11:03:50 AM »

Quote from: Zelebrator on March 11, 2011, 03:08:21 AM

Quote from: Tobias on August 13, 2009, 01:19:13 AM
I'm using a Hoodman 3" Hoodloupe but didn't like attaching it to the camera with rubber bands as it kept moving around. So I used a piece of aluminum strip:

...

Unfortunately, the images are no longer existing. Is there a chance to make them public again? I would really like to see how you did this!

Though the images embedded in this thread are broken, the photos do appear on Flickr when you click the links earlier in this thread.

Author Topic: diy 'Electronic Viewfinder' on your PEN (Read 14247 times)

JsH / E-P1

Ian Tindale

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