I am sure you have the same experience as I have when shooting in full sunlight: you cannot see what is being displayed on the LCD screen of your digital camera. The screen is not bright enough so you cannot see if you focused correctly or if you have overexposed your highlights. Turning your back to the sun and shielding the display has no effect. The alternative is to walk into the shade, but you do not always have that option.
Scott Kelby and other photographers carry a Hoodman Loupe just for these situations. I also used one on my last trip to Dubai and I agree with Scott: it works way better than you would expect. On the Canon 50D you can review the photo on your LCD screen in full daylight. The Hoodman Loupe is even more valuable on the Panasonic DMC-TZ7. This camera has no optical viewfinder, so framing your subject in full daylight using the LCD screen is challenging, to say the least. But when you place the Hoodman Loupe on the LCD screen you can see clearly what your photo will look like.
The Hoodman Loupe comes with a lanyard to hang around your neck. Unfortunately the Hoodman Loupe tends to get in the way, because I am also wearing my camera around my neck. Larry Becker has a nice solution for this. He proposes to use a retractable keyring and carry the Hoodman Loupe on your belt.
The Hoodman Loupe has a rubber ring with an attachment eye to attach the lanyard. Using this attachment to connect to the retractable keyring is not advisable. I am afraid the rubber ring will loosen or break. Larry must have thought about this as well. In his post he uses a Velcro strip to attach the retractable keyring.
Based on Larry’s design, I have made one modification. I use a key ring release to connect the retractable keyring with the Hoodman Loupe.
When somebody else wants to use the Hoodman Loupe I can give them the loupe still attached to the keyring, or detach the loupe if necessary.
Make sure you get a retractable keyring with a cord. I tried a keyring with a key chain and that was not satisfactory. The key chain is not so flexible when pulling the Hoodman Loupe to the camera. It is much smoother with a cord. The standard length of the cord could also be on the short side when someone else wants to use the loupe while still attached to your belt. If your cord is 120 cm long, you should not have any problems.
This is how my Hoodman Loupe setup looks like:
UPDATE: Read my post ‘Hoodloupe Mag 3.0 Magnifier for Hoodman Loupe’ to know more about this accessory for the Hoodman loupe.
Components used:
- Hoodman Loupe
- Keybak 485 HDK with 122 cm Kevlar cord
- Tesa Velcro Cable Manager 10 mm x 5 m, order number 55239
- Key ring release
So the loupe dangles on your waist belt? How do you protect it from dust getting in, or from getting it damaged?
ReplyDeleteYou can attach it to your waist belt of the backpack, or your trousers.
ReplyDeleteThe rubber is not easily damaged. Everything gets dusty though. The lens can be cleaned with a micro fiber cloth. But is hasn't gotten that diry yet.
You have the same problem when you carry it around your neck.