lonemantis
Well-known
After a shoot for a theatrical show I was covering, I found that the eyecup for my OM-D had broken off and wouldn't stay on anymore. I wasn't terribly enthusiastic about paying $30 for a new one, so I decided to try out the cup from my old Olympus E-420 DSLR. (still one of my favourites!)
It was a bit of a tight fit, but surprisingly, it works! Then, I had a brainwave. The viewfinders on the old 4/3 DSLRs were pretty anemic, so I had bought the ME-1 1.2x magnifier to try and spruce it up a bit.
On an optical finder, it was still underwhelming and dim, but on the EVF, it's revelation! The finder is huge, bright, and very easy to judge focus with. By my calculations, the finder is now about 0.7x size in full frame, essentially the same size as the 5D2.
The only downsides are that it blocks the light sensor next to the EVF, so it's always on if the camera is on, and that the view is pretty tight and might be hard to see if you wear glasses. This means it's probably not great for extended shoots, but I could definitely see it being useful for portrait sessions where being able to judge facial expressions clearly is an asset.
These guys sell for around $30-40 where you can find them, definitely worth a try I think!
It was a bit of a tight fit, but surprisingly, it works! Then, I had a brainwave. The viewfinders on the old 4/3 DSLRs were pretty anemic, so I had bought the ME-1 1.2x magnifier to try and spruce it up a bit.
On an optical finder, it was still underwhelming and dim, but on the EVF, it's revelation! The finder is huge, bright, and very easy to judge focus with. By my calculations, the finder is now about 0.7x size in full frame, essentially the same size as the 5D2.
The only downsides are that it blocks the light sensor next to the EVF, so it's always on if the camera is on, and that the view is pretty tight and might be hard to see if you wear glasses. This means it's probably not great for extended shoots, but I could definitely see it being useful for portrait sessions where being able to judge facial expressions clearly is an asset.
These guys sell for around $30-40 where you can find them, definitely worth a try I think!
heed
Member
Wow, what a great find! Thanks for the heads-up!
Lss
Well-known
This sounds like a nice find. One of the issues I have with the OM-D is the proximity sensor that sometimes deactivates the EVF at a crucial time or takes too long to activate in the first place. That's obviously not acceptable. I have used some tape to solve the issue thus far, but this could be a more elegant solution to the problem that offers additional benefits. You mention the E-420 cup is a tight fit. What about the ME-1? Is it quick to remove and put on?
lonemantis
Well-known
The ME-1 is a bit tight as well, but you don't have to force anything. However, after a bit more use I've found that the EVF sometimes won't activate when the camera is first turned on and the ME-1 is already in place. To fix that I just turned the eye sensor off through the menu.
AV Janus
Newbie
When I first had a try of Olympus in the local Olympus office, they showed me the 43 angle finder. It also fits OK. 