So I got bought a 5D mk II and I knew I'd have to get a loupe/viewfinder for videowork. Everyone was talking about the Zacuto Z-finder, but the price was waaaay out of range for me. 419 euros? Forget it. Then I stumbled upon a cheaper alternative which was the Estonian LCDVF. I read a bunch of reviews and people seemed to like it and then decided to buy it. It was about 110 euros or so.
I got the package today and it had the following items in it:
-The LCDVF loupe, with a lanyard.
-A very snazzy looking neoprene bag for the LCDVF with a belt loop and a carabiner hook so you have a lot of ways to attach it to you or your bag etc.
-2 mounting frames, so you can keep one as spare or if you have an another camera that has about a 3 inch screen. Very cool.
-A microfiber cloth.
-A Blue Star viewfinder eyecushion you can (and should) put on the LCDVF.
It looks really plasticky in pictures but the unit itself feels really well made. It's some sort of hard plastic or such. It didn't come with instructions but you can get them at their website. So basically the mounting frames are made of metal and the viewfinder has 4 small, but quite powerful magnets on it, so it's easy to snap in to place and easy to remove if you want to take stills. Just put the lanyard around your neck so you the LCDVF just hangs there when you need it.
When you're installing the frame they said that you should shoot about 12 minutes of video with it to make it warmer so the adhesive will bond better. Then take of the backing tape and press and massage the frame into place. I found it easier just to snap the frame on to the LCDVF, peel away the backing and with your eye on the viewfinder you can see where the edges are so you won't miss the LCD screen. Then after it has set a little, take the viewfinder off and put something heavyish on the frame. The adhesive is at about 75% strength in 15 minutes so if you're in a hurry it shouldn't take that long. Of course the bond will be better if you have the patience to not play with it.
I was a bit worried about the lack of diopter correction (it keeps the unit cheap though) that the Zacuto has. I'm a bit nearsighted and it works well. It's super sharp and I can see the whole LCD screen. I also tried it on with my medium sized eyeglasses and the Blue Star cushion works really nicely with them. You can push on the viewfinder quite hard and it still feels comfortable. It really helps in stabilizing the camera when you have an additional contact point.
I'm letting the adhesive set for a while and then I'll start shooting some footage and let you know how does it work in a real situation.
And maybe I'll post some pictures of the contents. Who knows... If you have any questions, please do ask.
And if you're interested check out the website: http://www.lcdvf.com/
