Kinotehnik launches viewfinder for Canon 5D MKIII: LCDVF 3C, now has diopter correction.

(LAS VEGAS, NV, April 16-19 2012). Kinotehnik, a Northern-European maker of photo and video accessories famous for the original LCDVF range of viewfinders, announces a new viewfinder specially designed for Canon 5D MKIII cameras.

Kinotehnik launches much anticipated universal
Electronic Viewfinder LCDVFE at NAB

(LAS VEGAS, NV, April 16-19 2012). – Kinotehnik, a Northern-European maker of photo and video accessories, is launching the much anticipated universal Electronic Viewfinder LCDVFE at NAB Show in Las Vegas. The Electronic Viewfinder, compatible with a wide range of cameras with HDMI signal output, allows the operator to hold or mount the camera in various positions, turning DSLR and other cameras into professional, convenient filming gear.

For a start, we will spare you from cheesy excuses. The fact is that we are further few weeks behind the schedule − and we are very sorry for that.

The first patch of LCDVFE's is are being assembled as planned but we are on a waiting list to get the lab certifications for the product. This is slowing us down.

We initially overlooked the need for getting certified in our project timeline; however we decided not to skip the step despite of the great hurry.

For example FCC certification is very important to get the goods to US market and furthermore, even to be able to travel there with your personal unit without a risk of being confiscated at the customs. Also, thorough testing plays major role in the final reliability and quality of the product.

News in all other departments is good, though. Test units have been travelling all over the world in expos and test shoots and have gained really good feedback. We have fine-tuned some features based on the extensive feedback so there will be positive surprises for you on the launch!

To cut the long story short, we are as eager to get the stuff out of the shop as you are.

We will start taking preorders based on the waiting list this year and shipping in January. We’re not huge fans of taking preorders without having imminent stock, so we have been holding it off a bit too. But we’re really nearly there now.

So once again, thanks for the patience and we're back to work now!

Kinotehnik goes Japan! Tarmo and Lars will be attending Inter BEE Expo in Tokyo Makuhari Messe from 16 to 18th of November. We will be showcasing both our regular LCDVFs and of course brand new LCDVFE-s.

We do not have a stand of our own so look out for our the booth of our friends and resellers called GTEC... or just for two tall handsome-looking Scandinavian blokes.

To set up meetings, please call/text to Lars at +3725161279. We would be happy to showcase you the products and talk about our future plans. 

See you in Tokyo next week!

Just wanted to check in after IBC and let you all know that we are very much alive and kicking.

As you must know, IBC was a huge milestone for us. We have put so much work in launching the LCDVFe lately that finally making it to the show with working units was a huge pressure off the shoulders.

We had so much great feedback that we are still overwhelmed. It is especially great that the things that we considered very important seemed to make sense to others too. And not to just some random people, but to true enthusiasts and hard-core professionals. So greetings to everyone who dropped by!

But in addition to just praise, we also got constructive critisism and most importantly, a number of new feature requests. Few of them will already be included in the first major build - for example audio meters and color lookup tables. So we might be getting very close to a perfect viewfinder or at least really trying to get there.

There are few features worth highlighting once again as they were underlined by many: ultra-fast startup (0,8 seconds), no latency (always less than 2 frames), very good battery life (up to 6 hours), one hand operation (no camera crew required to open the flip for example), automatic suspend and wake on camera signal, to name but a few. 

But now to the most important question for most of you: So when can I get one?

In November.

The reason why we cannot ship sooner is that we are experiencing global shortage for the FPGA's. However, the first patch of these is almost here and as soon as we have them, the production of first major batch will begin. The guys at DHL are already standing by. 

Thanks again for your feedback and support!

PS: All comments, questions and feature request are much appreciated. We have a Facebook commenting option below.

Busy times at the stand. Cinema 5D crew on site.

Sony F3 and LCDVFe - a killer combination.

KINOTEHNIK *almost* spelled right :)

IBC 2011: LCDVFe - All you need to know about Kinotehnik’s EVF from cinema5D on Vimeo.

We're at Hall 11, stand number 11.F72.

Make sure you pay us a visit, when around. We'll have some cookies... and more!

www.ibc.org

We have some good news and some not-so-good news.

Firstly, as you can see, we have a new website finally up and running. We have tried to put together extensive materials not only about our LCDVF and our Electronic Viewfinder, but also about our company. Most importantly, everyone now has an option to buy our products directly from us, including fast and free worldwide shipping.

Needless to say, we have had the busiest beginning of summer this far. Lots of work has been put into pushing the Electronic Viewfinder to the market. However, we are behind the promised schedule.

During and after the NAB Show we have been overwhelmed with your initial feedback. In addition, more and more input from current EVF users keeps coming in, suggesting what could be improved.

So the race is still on, but not for getting there first, but getting it right.

We want to thank everyone for their patience, but more importantly, thinking along with us and helping us to perfect our EVF.

For example, based on your feedback, we have been fine-tuning our ENG-style mounting system to fit it to the latest professional cameras such as Red EPIC or Sony F3, at the same time not compromising DSLR-mounting ergonomics. We have also improved the design of our internal battery compartment. Furthermore, we have been working on the software aspects and additions, making sure we make most of our hardware potential. Last but not least: we made the final design compatible with our upcoming HD-SDI version.

The process of developing the EVF has been a great ride for us and we hope the final outcome is worth the wait. Please bear with us for few more weeks before we start shipping. We will keep everyone in the loop of the progress we make.

We're nearly there!

Best regards,

Tõnis & the rest of Kinotehnik team

Two cables are included:

• HDMI to Mini
• HDMI to HDMI (either for loopthrough or if you happen to have a regular HDMI equipped camera)

Framebuffer disabled with color bars enabled to show the actual HDMI switching delay when used with a Canon 5D MKII and T2i/550D. If the framebuffer is enabled it looks quite seamless but it's kind of fooling the operator for some 5-15 frames. Anyhow when compared to any other device this is quite fast as the blankout on the only other HDMI viewfinder we can compare to is about 90 frames. And the other one claims just under 60 frames (two seconds).

Vacuum laminated double element achromatic lens construction utilising Ultra Low Dispersion glass, 51mm in diameter common from broadcast EVF desgn.