Click here for full Cineroid EVF-4MSS HD-SDI Electronic Viewfinder Product Page.

The new electronic viewfinder from Cineroid, the EVF-4MSS, builds on the design of Cineroid's previous model, the EVF-4L. But, there have been substantial improvements since the 4L debuted months ago.

While the early EVF was designed more for DSLR cameras like the Canon 5D MkII and the Canon 7D, which only had HDMI outputs, many cinematographers wanted to use them on a new generation of compact digital cinema cameras, such as the Sony PMW-F3 and the Panasonic AF-100. The requirement to use the camera's HDMI output while the perfectly good and professional HD-SDI output sat unused frustrated a number of users. An HD-SDI connector actually "locks" into place, which prevents it from becoming disconnected during camera movements and from accidentally bumping the cable. It short, HDMI falls short of the rough and demanding situations in which many production cameras find themselves.

Enter the Cineroid EVF-4MSS Electronic Viewfinder. The new EVF not only features the coveted HD-SDI input, but also has a loop-through HD-SDI output so that it can feed to other onset monitors as well. In another nod to the rigors of production, the housing of the EVF-4MSS has been redesigned out of solid metal, replacing the plastic housing of the previous model. The metal makes the viewfinder more durable but without adding a great deal of weight.

Additional features of the new design are the ability to flip up the viewfinder's eyepiece, leaving a small hood around the LCD screen to cut down on glare. The eyepiece can also be removed entirely and without tools using two pressure buttons on the top of the unit. This allows the viewfinder to be converted directly into a small onboard monitor in seconds. To see a series of images demonstrating the different positions of the eyepiece, visit the Cineroid EVF-4MSS Product Page, and click on the Images tab.

The new metal version of the Cineroid Electronic Viewfinder comes in two other I/O configurations. There is an HDMI in/HD-SDI out version, and a HDMI in/out version as well.