Super Members BTM_Pix Posted March 12, 2018 Super Members Share Posted March 12, 2018 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. 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. 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. 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 tupp, IronFilm, JordanWright and 4 others 5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tupp Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Nice! Does the acrylic case conform tightly to the monitor, or is it more bulky (to include a Raspberry Pi board)? BTM_Pix 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowfun Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 Genius. (But hopefully not the display used by the Hydrogen!) BTM_Pix 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted March 12, 2018 Author Super Members Share Posted March 12, 2018 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. 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowfun Posted March 12, 2018 Share Posted March 12, 2018 1 minute ago, BTM_Pix said: You'd probably be able to persuade something like this to fit in it. I like the use of the word “persuade” in that sentence... BTM_Pix 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted March 12, 2018 Author Super Members Share Posted March 12, 2018 5 minutes ago, Snowfun said: I like the use of the word “persuade” in that sentence... Indeed. Snowfun 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flip21 Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 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. 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. 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. 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? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted March 15, 2018 Author Super Members Share Posted March 15, 2018 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. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flip21 Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Just now, BTM_Pix said: 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. Can you send me the link? I cannot see the inputs from the pictures Thanks BTM_Pix 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted March 15, 2018 Author Super Members Share Posted March 15, 2018 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flip21 Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 Thanks. I'm gonna look for a cheap and small power bank also. Can you advise me one? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted March 15, 2018 Author Super Members Share Posted March 15, 2018 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flip21 Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 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 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Super Members BTM_Pix Posted March 15, 2018 Author Super Members Share Posted March 15, 2018 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 ! flip21 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flip21 Posted March 15, 2018 Share Posted March 15, 2018 ok, thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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