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£30 DIY EVF & Front Facing Vlogging screen


BTM_Pix
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This was originally in response to @IronFilm asking in the Blackmagic area about a cheap screen for vlogging on a BMPCC but thought it might have some interest for other cameras too.

Plus, I've moved it on to be just a bit more than a vlogging screen as well.

So...

This is all based around of the 3.5" monitors that are designed for the Raspberry Pi.

It is completely barebones but supply it with an HDMI feed and some USB power and it'll do the job for you.

I just put it in a cheap phone hotshoe mount and voila, cameras like the GX80 here can have a front facing vlogging screen.

5aa660b7a96fa_P1000194(1).thumb.jpg.70271255bab2bea62425c245e31c3c09.jpg

If you want to be posh then you can have it in an acrylic case for a tiny bit more !

Because of its resolution, you're only going to want to use it as a framing and a "is this thing on?" aid but if thats all you need then its adequate for that.

I've tested it with Panasonic (GX80/G7), Canon (EOS-M), Sony (RX100), Nikon (D500) and Fuji (XT-2) cameras but I can't vouch for it with all cameras. Its got a fairly low res screen but the the cameras I've tested it on scale their output but with the JVC LS300, you have to set it 480 and there may be others out there like that but for £12 the worst thing that can happen is you've got a handy little plug in HDMI cable checker.

There are a gazillion sellers so take this one as just an example 

EDIT >> ORIGINAL EXAMPLE LINK DIDN'T HAVE HDMI SO CHANGED TO NEW EXAMPLE - SHOP AROUND FOR BETTER PRICE THOUGH

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/1080P-IPS-3-5-inch-HDMI-LCD-Screen-Display-for-Raspberry-Pi-w-Acrylic-Case/382391593643?epid=8015535815&hash=item590850aaab

 

So, the additional part is that this morning I've been busy with the gaffa tape and the lateral thinking and turned it into a full blown powered EVF.

I'm using the loupe that comes with the Sigma DP0 but any old £12 DSLR one off eBay will do and you can supply power via a usb power bank and in this example I'm even running it off a little box that gives you USB power from 3 AA batteries.

P1000204.thumb.jpg.ce48c27017767466068d33d73d44724b.jpg

Once you have it like this then you can then put it on an arm or whatever to make a fully fledged adjustable system. My loupe has a plate underneath for mounting it to the tripod thread of the camera and a lot of the cheap DSLR loupes have this as well for adjustment which makes it easy to attach an arm.

P1000201.thumb.jpg.b7289f882e00423ebc0a70cb77838b98.jpg

I have to stress that the resolution is not all that so take it on the merits of it being a cheap and cheerful way of adding a vlogging screen or a more flexible EVF than your DSLR offers for those occasional times when you may need them without having to invest a load of money and you won't go far wrong.

For the LS300 though, which has an utterly abysmal EVF that is so bad that you will actually question whether its faulty, then this combo actually completely smokes it.

To recap

Screen : £12

Loupe : £12

Power : £3

Mount : £3

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15 minutes ago, tupp said:

Nice!

 

Does the acrylic case conform tightly to the monitor, or is it more bulky (to include a Raspberry Pi board)?

Yeah, they have space to hold the Raspberry Pi, so this is what a typical one looks like.

acc38e5222.thumb.jpg.62f8829d92a19e11e8b40e5a71d70594.jpg

To be honest though, its not such a bad thing as you could use the empty space where the Pi would have gone to house a USB power bank for it.

You'd probably be able to persuade something like this to fit in it.

51dY56oHSuL._SL1200_.thumb.jpg.e24fdac4c4c02c068f0e4e50e1b217e1.jpg

 

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On 12/03/2018 at 11:33 AM, BTM_Pix said:

This was originally in response to @IronFilm asking in the Blackmagic area about a cheap screen for vlogging on a BMPCC but thought it might have some interest for other cameras too.

Plus, I've moved it on to be just a bit more than a vlogging screen as well.

So...

This is all based around of the 3.5" monitors that are designed for the Raspberry Pi.

It is completely barebones but supply it with an HDMI feed and some USB power and it'll do the job for you.

I just put it in a cheap phone hotshoe mount and voila, cameras like the GX80 here can have a front facing vlogging screen.

5aa660b7a96fa_P1000194(1).thumb.jpg.70271255bab2bea62425c245e31c3c09.jpg

If you want to be posh then you can have it in an acrylic case for a tiny bit more !

Because of its resolution, you're only going to want to use it as a framing and a "is this thing on?" aid but if thats all you need then its adequate for that.

I've tested it with Panasonic (GX80/G7), Canon (EOS-M), Sony (RX100), Nikon (D500) and Fuji (XT-2) cameras but I can't vouch for it with all cameras. Its got a fairly low res screen but the the cameras I've tested it on scale their output but with the JVC LS300, you have to set it 480 and there may be others out there like that but for £12 the worst thing that can happen is you've got a handy little plug in HDMI cable checker.

There are a gazillion sellers so take this one as just an example 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3-5-inch-LCD-display-Monitor-Suitable-for-Raspberry-Pi-V3-0-with-Touch-Screen-H8/162870969536?hash=item25ebddc4c0:g:vH4AAOSws0Jaar-I

So, the additional part is that this morning I've been busy with the gaffa tape and the lateral thinking and turned it into a full blown powered EVF.

I'm using the loupe that comes with the Sigma DP0 but any old £12 DSLR one off eBay will do and you can supply power via a usb power bank and in this example I'm even running it off a little box that gives you USB power from 3 AA batteries.

P1000204.thumb.jpg.ce48c27017767466068d33d73d44724b.jpg

Once you have it like this then you can then put it on an arm or whatever to make a fully fledged adjustable system. My loupe has a plate underneath for mounting it to the tripod thread of the camera and a lot of the cheap DSLR loupes have this as well for adjustment which makes it easy to attach an arm.

P1000201.thumb.jpg.b7289f882e00423ebc0a70cb77838b98.jpg

I have to stress that the resolution is not all that so take it on the merits of it being a cheap and cheerful way of adding a vlogging screen or a more flexible EVF than your DSLR offers for those occasional times when you may need them without having to invest a load of money and you won't go far wrong.

For the LS300 though, which has an utterly abysmal EVF that is so bad that you will actually question whether its faulty, then this combo actually completely smokes it.

To recap

Screen : £12

Loupe : £12

Power : £3

Mount : £3

I don't get it. But do you need the rastberry pi? The screen has no hdmi inputs, nor USB right?

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15 minutes ago, flip21 said:

I don't get it. But do you need the rastberry pi? The screen has no hdmi inputs, nor USB right?

No, you don't need the PI

The screen has a full size HDMI input and a micro USB power input on the edge of the circuit board.

In the first picture you can see HDMI cable going in at the top and the USB power one on the right.

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Thanks to @flip21 pointing out that I'd linked the wrong one in the original post.

That one was direct connect so you need the one with the HDMI connector so something like this one.

Shop around obviously

https://m.ebay.co.uk/itm/1080P-IPS-3-5-inch-HDMI-LCD-Screen-Display-for-Raspberry-Pi-w-Acrylic-Case/382391593643?epid=8015535815&hash=item590850aaab

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1 hour ago, flip21 said:

Thanks. I'm gonna look for a cheap and small power bank also. Can you advise me one?

They are all much of a muchness but something like this would be a neat solution as it is credit card sized and has the inbuilt USB cable.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B015NB1JLO/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1521134037&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=credit+card+power+bank&dpPl=1&dpID=41iAH9jM4kL&ref=plSrch

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3 hours ago, BTM_Pix said:

They are all much of a muchness but something like this would be a neat solution as it is credit card sized and has the inbuilt USB cable.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B015NB1JLO/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1521134037&sr=8-3&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=credit+card+power+bank&dpPl=1&dpID=41iAH9jM4kL&ref=plSrch

Thanks this is great :) Can you tell me what is the USB input? Is it type B, type C, or micro USB? 

I want to order everything fom ebay.uk... I saw this battery on ebay, but it asks me to choose which compatible model is it for. Can you help me again, please? Which on should I choose from the drop down menu, to work with the LCD you told me before?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Power-Bank-Portable-Mobile-Battery-Charger-Credit-Card-sized-For-Mobile-Phone-UK/361974367624?epid=10011033535&hash=item54475a8588:m:mDSFkO7lvumE7ZxHeqmgzCw

Again thanks :)

 

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The power bank in you link had a built in micro USB cable, which is the one you need.

They supply it with your choice of adapter to go from micro USB to either iPhone or USB C so that is just a free bonus so I'd go with whatever type you'll find most useful !

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