The Bechdel Test for Women in Movies

It's not exactly about camera gear but it's definitely about filmmaking.

Basically, here’s how it works.  A movie just has to pass these three simple questions: 

1.  Are there two or more women in it who have names

2.  Do they talk to each other,

3.  Do they talk to each other about something other then a man.

The spooky thing is I think both Shellter and Shadows pass the test...

Happy New Year!

Compact Primes V.2

I wish Santa would have brought me a set of these for Christmas.

Why do I think these are so nifty?  
1.  The front diameter is the same 114mm size on the standard set
2.  The focus and gear positions are the same
3.  14 blade iris for truely round bokah/circles of confusion
4.  You can change the mount for PL to EF to 4/3 to etc.
5.  They cover a full sized 24mm x 36mm sensor
6.  They have a long focus rotation.  


Oh,  and they are sharp, fast and relatively cheap.  And did we mention they're made by Zeiss?


Why is it so important they have the same front diameter and the focus and gear positions are constant?  Because you don't have to change the mattbox and follow focus every time you switch lenses.  This takes more time than the actual swapping of the lenses and that's a lot of time saved over a production day.


I also mention the long focus rotation.  If you're operating and pulling focus you want a short focus rotation.  On a video lens I can go from 3' to infinity without have to turn the focus ring  half way round.

But for a 1st AC this short rotation is a major pain in the butt.  Short rotation focus pulls are tiny and hard to hit exactly.  The CP.2 lenses rotate a full 300 degrees and it's much easier for a first to set and hit focus marks.


On the other hand, it's almost impossible for an operator to pull focus from 3' to 30' feet.


There are a couple of other small bummers.  Check this out:


http://www.freshdv.com/2010/10/mmm-zeiss-primes.html


They bring up an interesting point about the 18mm:  It vignettes on the 5D.  What they don't mention is the 18mm is slower than the rest of the set, too.  


I don't think the 18mm is considered part of the "standard" set, which are listed as the 21mm-100mm lenses (not including the close focus lenses).

What makes the "CP.2's" better than the original Compact Primes?  The first version of these lenses were made for RED owners and are only PL mount.  Also, the lens back was longer.  If you wanted to use the CP's on a DSLR you had to pull out the mirror and put in a PL mount.


The CP.2's have a shorter end and it's easy to change the mount to just about anything.

Here's an interesting manual for changing the mount and adjusting flange depth on the Compact Primes.  Makes you wish they had a back focus...


http://www.zeiss.com/C12575690045D103/EmbedTitelIntern/MountChangeInstructionsCP.2/$File/MountChangeInstructionsCP2_EN.pdf

F3 Footage from Philip Bloom

Philip Bloom gets a Sony F3 for Christmas (and I mean just for Christmas) and makes a little short with his sister.

It's the first I've seen of the new lenses that come with the camera.  I wish he had left the footage clean so I could see how sharp the lenses are instead of using all the post filtration.

He makes some interesting observations between the Panasonic F-101 (the European version of the F100) versus the Sony F3 and the Sony lenses versus the Zeiss Compact Primes.

http://philipbloom.net/2010/12/26/stardust/

3 Ways To View IMDB

If you're like me you use IMDB to check out the credits of movies but the new layout pushes credits down to make room for photos, videos, trivia and star signs.

How would you like to get rid of all that and be able to go straight to the credits like this:

Writer John August from johnaugust.com (a ton of useful information about screenwriting) has come up with IMDB Less that brings the credits to the top anytime you go to IMDB.

BIG TIP of the day:  Still miss the original version of IMDB?  Just add a "+" symbol to the end of any imdb url and there's the original layout

Try it for yourself.  Here's the new SHELLTER IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1378339/

And here's the original SHELLTER IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1378339/+

http://quoteunquoteapps.com/less-imdb
http://johnaugust.com/archives/2010/less-imd

Toland ASC iPhone App

For those of you who like toys and iphone apps there is the Toland ASC Digital Assistant from Chemical Wedding.  This is more for AC's than anybody, is kinda pricey but it does splits.  Nice!

Chemical Wedding also has the Helios Sun Calculator.  Some of the views require a real imagination to figure sun position and shadow length but I guess like anything else if you use it enough you'd get good with it.

Also fun, even for non-camera types is the Director's Viewfinder.  Good for telephoto but since the iphone is like a 27mm in Super 35mm what do you do about wide angle lenses? 

Find out at:

http://www.chemicalwedding.tv/home.html

CN-126 LED Lights

These CN-126 LED's are kinda cool for the price.  I know Robin Banando bought a couple but hasn't had a chance to use them a bunch.  I'm hoping he'll send me a review.

I guess the color temperature is kinda funky and the first thing you should do with the included orange gel is toss it in the trash.  Keep the white diffuser to hold the gel you'll have to use.  Or you could go down to Litepanels and buy their hard plastic gels and cut them to fit.

Check out the review at http://www.hartzphotographic.com/photo/for-photographers/gear-review-cn-126-led-light/

DSLR Aliasing & Moire

Here's an oldie but a goodie: http://www.dvxuser.com/articles/article.php/20

Yesterday I was questioned about moire in a DSLR images.  There's a great explanation that's about halfway down the post.  It explains the false color artifacts you get with fast moving water which I've noticed this in shots I've taken of fountains and in wind blown seas.

According to the article artifacts are created because of motion but I've seen aliasing on a brick building shot on a tripod.  The aliasing is there in video but is not there in a still.  I've been told this all has to do with throwing away lines going when from a 25 megapixal still camera to a 1080 image.

RED EPIC Ships

Well, kinda...

These are special EPIC-M (machined) that will be sent to a chosen few RED faithful.  The production version EPIC-X is still not available.

http://www.studiodaily.com/blog/?p=5043

And check out video of the first "working" Scarlet.  Do you really want an expensive 2/3" sensor DSLR?  The lens has just one focus ring that controls focus, zoom and iris.  That's won't be confusing....

Inglorious Bastards Camera Angel

A lesson in How to AC for everyone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=195DIZY-C3Y&feature=player_embedded



And, Hi Sally!  We remember you...

I Get My Hands On The F3

I went up to Band Pro's One World open house this afternoon (thanks for the free burger Amnon!) to see the Sony F3 up close and personal to find out why it's worth 3 times the money of the Panasonic AF-100.

Generally, the Sony F3 reminded me of my old PD-100.  If you've ever used a PD-100/150/170 you'll be right at home with the F3.  Let's start with what I didn't like:

1,  The viewfinder is really cheap for a $16,000 camera.  The image is just passable but what really feels cheesy is how it's connected to the end of the handle.  It's all plastic and feels like it's going to snap off with the first bump.  This is really bad.  Really, really bad.

2.  I hated the subject they had to shoot, a silver and black bike with lots of chrome against a white background.  Perhaps they were trying to show off how the cameras handled specular highlights.  I would have preferred the standard cute girl with bowl of fruit.  In other words, skin tones and color, what I shoot everyday.

3.  I had heard all about how well it did in low light, especially when upping the gain.  I'm here to tell you the gain on the F3 is just like any other video camera.  Clean at zero, practically nothing at 3db, a little noise at 6db, definitely there at 12db and I'd only use 18db on have to have shots like Jesus and Elvis together at night.

3.    They didn't have the 3 prime lenses that Sony will sell with the F3.  Both I and the guys at Band Pro were hoping to have a set to play with but that didn't happen.  Instead, they had to use a set of brand new Leica primes for all the cameras there.  Nice lenses and if anybody has $175,000 I can have to buy a set please call.  But it still didn't tell me about what I would use.  Zeiss was there with a set of Compact Primes sitting on the table but not on the camera.

4.  The F3 has some unknown Sony mount with a PL adapter.  I have a distrust of adapters in that there may be back focus issues.  On the other hand, in the end maybe the Sony mount is a good thing.  There is a zoom rocker on the top right of the camera and I'm sure they'll have some kind of Sony lens that will zoom and have auto focus at some point.

So what did I like?

1.  The F3 has a bigger sensor than the AF-100.

2.  The F3 seemed faster than the AF-100.  I was able to swing an Alexa, F-35 and 9000 at different subjects and I got the sense it was right around 500-600 ASA.

3.  The F3 has dual link.  This means you can shoot SxS for lower end projects but use the same camera to shoot uncompressed 10-bit RGB 4:4:4 on high end productions.  On the other hand, isn't 4:2:2 just fine?

4.  It has four 1/4" holes in the top for screwing on accessories.  It's the little things that make a camera great.

5.  The F3 was connect to the same monitor with a 9000 and F35.  There are very few clients who could have told the difference between the 3 cameras when switching between them.

I asked Brian Secky if the F3 worth 3 AF-100's?   He looked at me like I had worms crawling out of my ears.  His thought was film people would want the extra quality the F3.  Plus, if you are already using Sony stuff, like SxS cards, it can all be used with the F3.

Of course, the real test will be the clients and whether they are willing to pay more for the quality.

Band Pro is still offering Pre-Orders with no money down.  They think the Sony PMW-F3 may be the answer for productions currently using DSLR cameras for depth of field, but hungry for the professional and familiar camera outputs and workflow.  The sale price for the camera body with PL mount is $13,300. The sale price for the camera body, PL mount and 3 Sony prime lenses (35mm, 50mm and 85mm T2.0) is $18,950.


If you're interested or have questions call 818.841.9655 and ask for Brian Secky.  He's a really nice guy.


http://www.bandpro.com/component/virtuemart/?page=shop.product_details&category_id=75&product_id=126


http://www.bandpro.com/products/new-products-and-specials/96-sony-f3.html

Time Lapse and Motion Activated Cameras

Need a cheap weather proof "set and forget" Time Lapse Camera?

Perfect for actually watching grass grow.

Need a Motion Activated Camera for taking wildlife photos?

Or finding out who's sneaking in your yard every night and making the plastic reindeers hump...

Take a look at Wingscapes look takers.

http://www.wingscapes.com/catalog.aspx

Phone-O-Scope: A 35mm SLR Lens On Your iPhone

Don't have the big bucks for the OWLe?  No problem!

As long as you do have an iphone, some old SLR lenses and some duct tape...

Check it out:  http://blog.cow.mooh.org/2009/12/phone-o-scope-attaching-slr-lenses-to.html

OWLe Bubo

Where have I been? This has been around since July but I saw it for the first time today.

Go see the OWLe Bubo at http://www.wantowle.com/

And check out this you tube video. This Blunty guy is slow to start but once he gets going it's the most informative.

Cinematographer vs. Producer

Whenever I need a laugh...

Panasonic GH-2

I was hoping Panasonic's new camera would be more like the AF-100 and F3 but all I see out there is Panasonic's new DSLR, the  GH-2 .

As you might guess, the new GH-2 is improved over the GH-1 and the video looks pretty darn good but I still think the Canon 60D and 5D are the bitchin' DSLR's.

These blogs also have some interesting comments about the different sensor sizes and how they are getting a 16x9 image from these non 16x9 sensors.

http://philipbloom.net/2010/11/21/gh2/

http://prolost.com/blog/2010/12/5/the-panasonic-gh2-dslrs-and-funky-frame-rates-for-creative-e.html

http://philipbloom.net/2010/12/07/whichdslr/

http://prolost.com/blog/2010/10/12/do-you-want-to-be-a-grown-up.html

More things F3

More on the PMW-F3 including footage and other things Sony.

Sony has announced a lens set for the F3 including a 35mm, 50mm and 85mm T2.0 that will come in both PL and F mounts.  The MRSP of the F3 alone is $16,000 and with the lens set it's $23,000.  That 3 lenses for only $7000.  Makes you wonder what the quality of the lenses will be or whether they will offer more lenses in the set.

I don't know I still wouldn't want a matched set of Compact Primes.

http://prolost.com/blog/2010/11/17/sony-pmw-f3-shoots-scores-has-a-little-brother.html

http://www.xdcam-user.com/?p=1204

66mbps Hack For 5D

Magic Lantern has come out with a hack that increases the bit rate to 66 mbps for the 5D MkII.

What's the catch?  Several.  First, this is a Beta version and should be used with extreme caution, as with all hacks.

The big catch is if the CF card can't keep up with the data rate the camera will display a buffer-level bar on the LCD and stop recording when it's full.

For you techie's out there check out this Google group.

http://magiclantern.wikia.com/wiki/Bit_rate

http://groups.google.com/group/ml-devel/browse_thread/thread/0cab1d6c8dd22ee4/50cd5784e6b5b940?pli=1

Canon DSLR Output Signals

Don't get me wrong, I like shooting with the 5D.  I certainly like the weight of the camera, much lighter than toting around my F900!  And the 5D makes some nice images.  It's a great "Grab some b-roll shots" camera.

But the 5D can be a pain in the butt with it's audio issues, no way to judge exposure, non-tilting viewfinder, monitoring issues, etc.

Speaking of monitoring, the HDMI outputs a higher quality signal that the mpg4 recorded to the internal cards.

Some people are talking about trying to take the 5D to the next level using a KiPro to go straight to Pro Res.  I'm not so sure that works...

http://videos.smallhd.com/the-truth-about-canon-dslr-output-signals/

USC vs. UCLA

All your fountains are belong to us(c)

10. UCLA JOKE: What does a UCLA fan do when his team has won the BCS championship? He turns off the PlayStation.

10. USC JOKE: One morning, the seven dwarfs go to work in the mine. When Snow White delivers their lunches, she finds there has been a cave-in, and there's no sign of the dwarfs. Tearfully, Snow White shouts down the mine shaft, "Hello! Is anyone there? Can you hear me Sneezy, Sleepy, Grumpy, Dopey, Doc, Happy and Bashful?" A voice floats up from the bowels of the mine: "Lane Kiffin is a great football coach."
"Thank goodness," says Snow White, "at least Dopey's still alive!"

9. UCLA JOKE: The Rolling Stones are playing at the Rose Bowl next week. They're 10-point favorites.

9. USC JOKE: A USC and a UCLA fan, fighting side-by-side, were captured during World War II and sentenced to die by firing squad. The enemy commander asked the USC fan if he had any last requests. The Trojan said, "I want to hear 'Conquest' one last time." The UCLA fan was then asked if he had a last request. "Yes," he said, "shoot me first."

8. UCLA JOKE: What's the difference between a former UCLA football player and a large pizza? A large pizza can feed a family of four.

8. USC JOKE: What's the difference between a litter of puppies and USC fans? Eventually puppies grow up and stop whining.

7. UCLA JOKE: What's the difference between a UCLA football player and a dollar? You can get four quarters out of a dollar.

7. USC JOKE: A guy in a bar leans over to the guy next to him and asks, "Wanna hear a USC joke?" The guy next to him replies, "Look, fella, I'm 6 feet tall, 200 pounds, and I'm a USC grad. The guy next to me is 6-2, 225, and he's a USC grad. The big dude next to him is 6-5, weighs 250, and he's a USC grad. You still wanna tell that joke?" The first guy replies: "Not if I'm gonna have to explain it three times."

6. UCLA JOKE: What do medical marijuana and UCLA football have in common? They both get smoked in bowls.

6. USC JOKE: How many USC football players does it take to change a light bulb? Just one, but he gets four academic credits for it.

5. UCLA JOKE: What do you call a Bruin in a BCS bowl game? A referee.

5. USC JOKE: Did you hear about the fire in the USC football dorm that destroyed 20 books? The real tragedy was that 15 hadn't been colored yet.

4. UCLA JOKE: USC is playing UCLA at the Rose Bowl, and the Bruins have a first down with 3 minutes left in the half. A UCLA fan sets off a firecracker, and USC, thinking it's the end of the half, runs off the field. Three plays later, UCLA punts.

4. USC JOKE: What happens when Lane Kiffin takes Viagra? He gets taller.

3. UCLA JOKE: A security guard at the Rose Bowl notices two UCLA fans climbing a fence. The guard grabs them by the collars and says "Now just get back in there and watch the game until it finishes."

3. USC JOKE: If you see a USC fan on a bicycle, why should you swerve to avoid hitting him? It might be your bicycle.

2. UCLA JOKE: What do you get when you cross Rick Neuheisel with a groundhog? Six more weeks of bad football.

2. USC JOKE: What does the average USC football player get on his SAT? Drool.

1. UCLA JOKE: Did you hear that UCLA's football team doesn't have a website? They can't string three "Ws" together.

1. USC JOKE: Four alumni were climbing a mountain one day. Each was from a different Pac-10 school and proclaimed to be the most loyal fan. They argued all the way up the mountain, and finally as they reached the top, the Cardinal hurled himself off the mountain and shouted "This is for Stanford!" Not wanting to be outdone, the Oregon alum threw himself off the mountain yelling, "This is for the Ducks!" Seeing this, the Bruin shouted "This is for everyone" - and pushed the Trojan fan off the mountain.

Fight on...

More Free Beta Software: Storm For The RED

Do you like free stuff?   Do you shoot RED?  Then check out Storm from the Foundry.

I thinking it's meant to be used on set to check exposure, focus and color with real-time playback, multiple viewers and real time scopes.  Plus you can export to Quicktime and has the option to export a bin structure or timeline to FCP.  Here's the link to the download:


http://www.thefoundry.co.uk/products/storm/try/


What's the catch?  There isn't any.  Except if you want to keep using it past the v1/0 release scheduled for March 1, 2011, you'll have to pay $375 bucks for it.  Isn't this like REDCineX... which is free? 


http://www.thefoundry.co.uk/products/storm/

Canon Locking Dial for 5D & 7D

Canon is going to offer a locking dial on the 5D and 7D.  I think this standard on the 60D.

I don't know how many times this knob got bumped in the heat the moment.  I could always tell because of the way the info is displayed on the viewfinder but it would be nice if it didn't move if you didn't want it to move.

But it costs a $100 bucks.  It seems this fix should be for free, like a software update that added a menu item to disarm the knob.  I always shoot manual so that would be OK by me.

http://blog.planet5d.com/2010/12/canon-announces-mode-dial-locking-update-for-canon-eos-5d-mark-ii-and-canon-eos-7d/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Planet5dBlog+%28Planet5D+Blog%29

Free NLE

How would you like a Non Linear Editing program for free?

Liteworks is offering a Beta version for nada.  What's the catch?  There isn't any!

Well, there is one, it's only for PC at this time.  They'll have a Mac version in 2011.  But you still can't beat the price!

http://www.lightworksbeta.com/

AirPaint Wireless Paint Control System

Keith Stephenson over at Raleigh wanted me to mention the AirPaint Wireless Paint Control in my blog.

Another step in my never having to over&under another cable.

http://www.skydreams.tv/SkyDreams.TV/AirPaint.html

Easy As Shooting Fish In A Barrel

For all my brother and sister camera ops who have maybe, just maybe,  fallen in the water...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CVwZ7Ymh3mo

Litepanel Micropros

Even with HDR there are certain things you can only do in post.

As you might know, I spent 110 days on the road this year, shooting in 15 countries and I wanted to share this shot of a bar in Bangkok.  What's so unusual about this shot?  I basically lit it with one AA battery powered Litepanel Mircopro.  And no stands.

Each lit area is a separate still.  I sat the Lightpanel in the chair to light the girl in the f.g.  Because the Litepanels don't create heat you can do that without damaging furniture.  The talent with his back to us held the Litepanel to light the talent in the b.g.  My producer walked around down lighting all the points of interest in the shot.  Finally, I took one shot in the dark for the exterior city scape.

The ten shots were combined in post.

I literally went around the world four times this year and here's what I carried.  Note the two Litepanel Micropros at the bottom center of the picture.

Sometimes we would use "house" lights or grip truck and crew but most of the time the two Lightpanels were my entire lighting kit.

FYI, we tried both re-chargeable and lithium batteries and I'm here to tell you use the lithium AA's.  It's amazing how long they last.

If I had just one c-stand to hold the light steady we could have done the bar shot in video, too, with a lot of layers and wipes in post.  Still haven't figured out how to get a c-stand in my luggage.

http://www.litepanels.com/lp/products/micropro.html

Band Pro's One World

In case you've never been, Band Pro's One World is their open house.  Band Pro is a high end sales house and they usually have a mini expo with a select few sales reps there to answer questions.

More important, there's free food and drinks!  If you're in the area the afternoon of December 16th it's worth stopping by.

http://www.bandpro.com/events/68-band-pro-one-world-on-hd.html

The Most Popular Camera For Network Series Production

So, what's the most popular electronic camera for television production?  You may be surprised.

You may be thinking the RED or the Alexa but after you think about it for a second, it will come to you.

The answer is Sony.  The F-35 is the most used and, if you add in the F-23 and F-900, Sony is the hands down leader.

Now that I think about it, all the video shows are probably all shot with Sony cameras, too.

Arri does come in second but more shows are shot with the D-21 than the Alexa, although that should change this year.

The Panavision Genesis, the precursor to the F-35, comes in third.

And the RED?  That's considered more of a "second" camera.

Of course, the favorite medium of most network television shows is still film but that changing, too.

Read all about it at:

http://createasphere.com/En/insider-view/2221-most-popular-cameras-this-tv-season.html

Secretary, Graphic Artist and a Cat

I think we've all been there... on one side or the other.

http://jezebel.com/5582562/clueless-secretary-makes-for-hilarious-office-email-thread

RED's HDRx

I'm not a real fan of the RED for a bunch of reasons (which may be a blog one day) but RED may be the first to deliver a game changer: HDR (Hight Dynamic Range).

I think the easiest way to explain it is how we shoot stills.  Let say I have to shoot a hotel room with a window in the frame.  (I do a lot of shooting for Hilton).


I took one shot exposed for the room where the window was completely blown out and just looked white.  I took another shot exposed for the window as you see it in the picture.  The room was dark.  In post I can combine the images so everything looks exposed correctly (I shot the room was in Cairo, hence the pyramid on the TV that was also added later).

There's 3 ways of making the exposure change between the room and the window:  f-stop, shutter and ASA.  You can't use f-stop because the depth of field changes which gives away the trick.  Changing ASA would change the amount of noise in the picture.  When shooting stills it's best to use shutter to adjust the exposure.


This is not new technology, my iphone can do this... with stills.


But I've always wondered when someone would figure out how to do this with a motion camera.  The camera would have to take two "pictures" at the same time at different exposures and then combine the images either in the camera or in post.

When is now.  When the images are combine in the camera RED calls doing it EasyHDR and when you do in post RED calls it HDRx.


RED has been working on this for awhile and shelved it.  When the Alexa hit the market with 14 stops of latitude, RED dusted off it's HDR technology.  The tricky part is using shutter.  Shooting moving images any image smear shot at two shutter rates don't match.  RED has figured out a way to combine the different shutter rates.


I personally wonder why they don't use ASA.  It would seem to me it would be easier to add noise reduction software rather than trying to combine motion smear.  But maybe that's why I don't design cameras.

RED is now claiming that with the HDR RED cameras would have 18 stops of latitude.  This is a software thing so it would be available in the Epic and the Scarlet for a $1000 premium.  Or at least that's the word on the street.  That the cost of six rolls of gel and I'd never have to ND another window.  Wouldn't hurt my feelings.


Here's a couple of links to check out:
http://reduser.net/forum/showthread.php?t=50483
http://www.theblackandblue.com/2010/09/25/first-hdrx-footage-from-red-epic-digital-cinema-camera/
http://www.definitionmagazine.com/journal/2010/10/21/red-turns-up-the-heat-with-hdrx-and-magic-motion.html

My F900 has something like this, the DCC circuit.  All Sony cameras have it but it really works on the F900 but I never use it.  While it does bring up detail in overexposed areas, the entire image looses contrast and looks milky.  I hate it.  I see a little of this happening in the overexposed areas of the "Barn Picture" but it holds pretty well in the dark.

Don't think RED is the only one working on HDR.  Cannon recently filed this patent:

http://www.engadget.com/2010/06/23/canon-patent-application-takes-in-camera-hdr-to-the-pixel-level/

Like I said, HDRx could be a game changer.  And every camera in the world will have it 10 year from now.  Maybe five.  What am I saying, it will be in my iphone 6 in less than 3 years.

NXCAM

Here's the "other" 35mm sized sensor camera from Sony, being developed at an entirely different factory.

I guess the NXCAM is the direct competitor for the Pansonic AG-100 and will record a Sony version of AVCHD.

http://www.xdcam-user.com/?page_id=5

As a side note, the blog state the Sony F3's native ASA is 800 in normal gamma and hypergamma and 1600 ASA in S-Log. The S-Log not only compresses the highlights and brings up the low lights (hence the S gamma curve) giving more dynamic range but it's also like shooting with the -6 gain switch on.

Zacuto Viewfinder and other stuff

A buddy who's a still photographer bought a 7D to shoot both stills and video after hearing about all my shooting with the 5D.    He tried shooting just using the optical VF and the live View LCD  as he would with his Nikon and, predictably, he was unhappy with the results.

A viewfinder is a must for these cameras.  I like the Zacuto the best.  It's got a great field of view and, more important, you can have your eye pressed to the VF all day.

But this begs a bigger question:  You buy a 7D for $1600, get a VF for $350 or an EVF for $775, or spend another $330 for a audio box , get a AJA HDMI to HDSDI box for $500,  and then some kind of $800 bracket to hold all this stuff.

Now, you have this Rube Goldberg device with all this crap hanging off of it and for less than $1000 bucks more you can get a Panasonic AF-100.

All those pieces are linked back to B&H and here's the link to the Zacuto EVF if you haven't seen it:  http://www.zacuto.com/zfinderevf

It solves the problem of the non-tilting VF.