NEC/Renesas 400+ pixels per inch QHD 2.7" display

At least we got call from Nec...
Allright, it costs $800 per piece and in bulk of 10000 units the cost comes down to whereabouts of $Eoo.


... makes me wonder why even Sony doesn't use these same spec QHD LCD screens anymore. Instead all Sony Broadcast Viewfinders use 3.5" displays nowadays.


So 24 bit colors at 300+ pixels per inch? Where were we.

Display options for an electronic viewfinder?

There are two types of EVF solutions. Either it's a LCD screen with a bit of magnification or it's solved by using much more compact LCOS imaging element often found in digital projection systems and in some cases in high end personal 3D glasses.


Advantages of LCD based electronic viewfinder:

• Can be used as an external monitor, albeit small but at 3" it can be used for akward angles, on sliders etc.
• Magnification factor of 2X to 3X will not introduce major optical distortions like pincushioning and CA.

Disadvantages:

• Relatively high power consumption (half a day, maybe even less on built in batteries)
• 300+ pixels per inch with 24 bit colors under 3.4" are quite pricey. Most manufacturers won't consider a QTY under 100K pieces as the affordable ones are mostly designed for mobile/consumer applications.

Advantages of LCOS based system:

• Low power consumption
• High resolution, statistically
• Compact* size, less than 1" diagonal, often even less than 0.5"

Disadvantages:

• *Requires high magnification which introduces image degradation, 10X or more to achieve the relative image size comparable to LCD based viewfinders like the 2.7" Sony HDVFC30WR
• Can't be used as "monitor" for low or high angle shots.

There is little hope left for mechanical, add-on LCD viewfinders

As we (ar LCDVF) try to decide if and how to implement a really solid mechanical connection for all the popular HDSLR cameras it seems that the only solution is a electronical one. No way that mirrors or prisms or even optical fibers will be as universal as a cable would. Problems with powering and HDMI instead. Could be solved with design and by additional batterie(s).
Had a meeting with Steve from Manios Digital. He briefly described the same problems on 16th of April at NAB to me - operators need the ergonomics of ENG or film cameras. My take was the Aaton XTR PROD as a year ago we had an experimental Canon 5D MKII rig designed to the spec of a XTR but it was left in dust because of the obvious.
But here we go...

Diopter module from LCDVF

We have the designs for ENG-like diopter module but the mounting options for different cameras and screens are overwhelming. We can have interchangeable "skits" system but it's still doubtful.
Will see what the NAB brings.
More designs to explore and verify - diopter adjustment must feel natural and fast - else the inherit human diopter accommodation for slow diopter adjustment will cause discomfort - you just might get used to a little bit wrong setting as the time it takes to adjust the mechanical diopter correction might be too slow therefore the eyes accomodate to the false diopter setting that at the time seemed right.

Movietube PR

At last we got the Movietube PR.
After seeing one at IBC 2009 I fell in love with it: the only real camera-like rig for DSLRs
Big bulky and a bit uncomfortable. No way you could use it on left shoulder.
Our home made Aaton-style handgrip turns it into an ENG camera, almost.
Got 501, 601 and a 701 viewfinder off the eBay.
Only modified the Sony 701 CRT viewfinder. Still not that good.
All the options for an electronic viewfinder are either second hand or crazy expensive, well, relatively.

On a side note: Not surprisingly the older viewfinders are of a better build quality and much more complicated mechanically.