EVF for video or use magnifier on LCD?

[Rider]

I'm shooting with E-PL1, which has a lower res LCD than the E-P2 (I think).

So I thought maybe the EVF would improve manual focus accuracy with video. Has anyone tried that with fast 3rd party lenses?

I was wondering whether I might be better off with using a magnifying loupe on the LCD.

 

[Jackson Miller]

Well a good cheap 50-100 dollar loupe could get you nice results for probably cheaper, though I don't know what the resolution on the EPL1 EVF is. However, i thought the EPL1 was better for video in all regards than the EP2 even though if I recal the ep2 is more expensive. It has been a long time since I read up on them though.

 

[Rider]

I tried a both. A magnifyer on the LCD shows you only a little bit more detail, not much--eventually you're just magnifying the LCD dots. So sometimes the LCD is better and sometimes the EVF is better. Unfortunately you can't swith between them while recording.

 

[Krang]

If shooting handheld, I would go for the magnifying loupe and a pistol grip. I shoot a lot with super 8, and this is by far the most stable setup. I think that with the added stability combined with the magnification will make the focusing easier…

 

[Rider]

If shooting handheld, I would go for the magnifying loupe and a pistol grip. I shoot a lot with super 8, and this is by far the most stable setup. I think that with the added stability combined with the magnification will make the focusing easier…

What's a good pistol grip for a tiny camera like E-PL1?

 

[dixeyk]

I'm shooting with E-PL1, which has a lower res LCD than the E-P2 (I think).

So I thought maybe the EVF would improve manual focus accuracy with video. Has anyone tried that with fast 3rd party lenses?

I was wondering whether I might be better off with using a magnifying loupe on the LCD.

Just used my EPL1+VF2 for video. It worked pretty well. I held it low and looked down into the VF2 for extra stability.

 

[Rider]

Just used my EPL1+VF2 for video. It worked pretty well. I held it low and looked down into the VF2 for extra stability.

Did you have to manual focus with an f2 lens at f2?

 

[dixeyk]

I used a Super Takumar 28/3.5 and I set it to infinity as I was shooting out the front of a windshield. I believe it was set at f11 as it was very bright and I wanted good DOF. I regularly use my MF lenses wide open I couldn't use them without the VF2 but I have yet to use the VF2 for video at F2 on one of my F2 lenses.

 

[Krang]

What's a good pistol grip for a tiny camera like E-PL1?

I remember seeing one japanese grip for GF1 and I think this would also go well with the E-PL1. It was a combo with both a loupe and pistol grip. The problem is that I cannot find it anymore in the net

When using manual focus lenses with my GF1, I usually just pull the neck strap tight and use the other hand for focusing. This works really well with 20/20 vision and adequate light. It's also easy to shoot wide open.

I also have some lenses that are harder to focus during video than others. This depends heavily on the construction of the focusing mechanics.