Enables RED firmware update for Hasselblad Viewfinder
With the mount and the new “Prism Mode”, users can enjoy a wireless viewfinder with a classic touch.
If I’m being honest, the EVF market isn’t so hot right now. There aren’t many options. Zacuto most likely owns most of the market, but I still find it annoying that their flagship products don’t have on/off switches. Instead, they will sell you a Cable $150 to fix this error.
So it’s nice to see some renewed meaning from RED and Viper Gears. They created a stand that can fit the Hasselblad viewfinder on top of the Komodo monitor. It will work with a 500 Series waist-level viewfinder and a prism viewfinder. When releasing the frame of the Viper Gear, RED added “Pirus Mode” to their surveillance settings. This will flip the screen so that the image is displayed correctly through the Prism PM5 45 degrees. This firmware update has been out for about a year now.
Normally, I would be fairly skeptical of lo-fi hacks, but Mark Holtze thinks this is a pretty nifty setup. He claims that the picture looks great, keeps the setup compact, and doesn’t require any power. This seems like a great device for street photography on a sunny day.
While the setup is cheaper than any of the Zacuto options, it doesn’t come cheap. The frame from Viper Gears costs $255. Then further $300 will be needed for a good quality Hasselblad viewfinder. The caveat that Holtze points out here is that users will lose access to the touchscreen. Depending on your setup, you may find it annoying to pull out the viewfinder just to change the exposure. This would probably work better with a separate screen to control the camera, or at least a side grip with limited controls.