Hoodman HoodLoupe 3.0 Review: Useful -- to a degree.

I bought the Hoodman H-LPP3 HoodLoupe 3.0 Professional 3-Inch Screen Loupe from Amazon a few weeks back and just wanted to share my opinion on it for all of you Canon 7D / T2i / 550D video lovers out there.

Why would you possibly need a viewer for your LCD?  Because when it's bright -- you can't see your LCD!  I gave it 3 out of 5 stars on Amazon for the following reasons...

GOOD:

• Let's you view your focus on LiveView in the bright sun.
• The lack of magnification doesn't burn your LCD if the sun accidentally gets in.

BAD:

• There's no magnification so there's really no reason to charge $80 on this except to bump up the margins. The cost to manufacture this runs around $8-$10 (my estimate only). Yes, you will feel ripped off as you buy this. It's like forgetting your toothbrush, being charged $80 for it, but you have no choice as there are no other solutions that's cheaper (until recently, see updated comments below). And yes, no one is forcing you to buy it -- but now you know what kind of build quality this is.
• The camera straps that runs $16-17 are useless rubber bands. Do not buy.
• Aside from the useless rubber bands (which I gave a separate review for), there's no way to hold the hood up except maybe perhaps glue it or you can build a 'trap' using the tripod hole which I've seen some people do.

Update!

There's a new product out there called the LCDVF in the $150-$160 range.  It has a mounting plate PLUS the ability to magnify!  Let's see how this works out.  We are patiently waiting for its delivery -- as it is out of stock.

Creating your own camera slider

Friedhelm Fischer just created a very easy, DYI tutorial on how to make your own camera slider, similar to the glidetrack but definitely less expensive. The tutorial can be found on his web site. Definitely worth a look!

Apparently, most of the parts can be bought from: Igus.com

Manila's Hidden Hero - A Don Sausa short film, shot with Canon 7D

Modern Manila has spectacular skyscrapers, modern super malls, yet its greatness doesn't come from these modern amenities, it's splendor comes from an older, often forgotten source. Manila's Hidden Hero highlights Intramuros, the city's oldest district, and the hero that sacrificed it all to bring Manila and the Philippines to democracy and independence.

Canon's EOS Rebel T2i (550D) just made Nikon ask, "Why do I even exist?"

The new Canon EOS Rebel T2i (550D) was just recently announced, with similar manual exposure controls like the 7D's -- shooting 1080p at 24fps, with low light handling.  Nikon, bested in prosumer, bested in consumer -- why do you even exist?

Specifications

Type
Type	Digital, single-lens reflex, AF/AE camera
Recording Media	SD memory card, SDHC memory card, SDXC Memory Card
Image Sensor Size	22.3mm x 14.9mm (APS-C size)
Compatible Lenses	Canon EF lenses including EF-S lenses (35mm-equivalent focal length is approx. 1.6x the lens focal length)
Lens Mount	Canon EF mount

Image Sensor
Type	High-sensitivity, high-resolution, large single-plate CMOS sensor
Pixels	Effective pixels: Approx. 18.00 Megapixels
Aspect Ratio	3:2 (Horizontal: Vertical)
Color Filter System	RGB primary color filters
Low-pass Filter	Fixed position in front of the CMOS sensor
Dust Deletion feature	(1) Self-Cleaning Sensor Unit (2) Dust Delete Data appended to the captured image (3) Manual cleaning of sensor

Recording System
Recording Format	Design rule for Camera File System 2.0 and Exif 2.21
Image Type	Still: JPEG, RAW (14-bit, Canon original), RAW+JPEG Video: MOV (Image data: H.264, Audio: Linear PCM)
File Size	(1) Large/Fine: Approx. 6.4MB (5184 x 3456 pixels) (2) Large/Normal: Approx. 3.2MB (5184 x 3456 pixels) (3) Medium/Fine: Approx. 3.4MB (3456 x 2304 pixels) (4) Medium/Normal: Approx. 1.7MB (3456 x 2304 pixels) (5) Small/Fine: Approx. 2.2MB (2592 x 1728 pixels) (6) Small/Normal: Approx. 1.1MB (2592 x 1728 pixels) (7) RAW: Approx. 24.5MB (5184 x 3456 pixels) Exact file sizes depend on the subject, ISO speed, Picture Style, etc.
File Numbering	Continuous numbering, auto reset, manual reset
Color Space	sRGB, Adobe RGB selectable
Picture Style	Standard, Portrait, Landscape, Neutral, Faithful, Monochrome, User Defined 1-3

Image Processing
Type	Auto, Daylight, Shade, Cloudy, Tungsten Light, White Fluorescent Light, Flash, Custom
Color Temperature Compensation	White balance correction: ±9 stops in full-stop increments White balance bracketing: ±3 stops in full-stop increments Blue/amber direction or magenta/green direction possible
Color Temperature Information Transmission	Provided

Viewfinder
Type	Eye-level SLR (with pentamirror)
Coverage	Vertical/Horizontal approx. 95%
Magnification	Approx. 0.87x (with 50mm lens at infinity, -1 m-1 (dpt))
Eyepoint	Approx. 19mm (from eyepiece lens center)
Built-in Dioptric Adjustment	-3.0 to +1.0m-1 (diopter)
Focusing Screen	Fixed, Precision Matte
Mirror	Quick-return half mirror (transmission: reflection ratio of 40:60, no mirror cut-off with EF600mm f/4L IS USM or shorter lenses)
Viewfinder Information	AF information AF points and focus confirmation light Exposure information Shutter speed, aperture, ISO speed (always displayed), AE lock, exposure level, spot metering circle, exposure warning Flash information Flash ready, flash exposure compensation, high-speed sync, FE lock, red-eye reduction light Image information Highlight tone priority (D+), monochrome shooting, maximum burst (1-digit display), white balance correction, SD card information
Depth-of-Field Preview	Enabled with depth-of-field preview button

Autofocus
Type	TTL-CT-SIR AF-dedicated CMOS sensor
AF Points	9 AF points (center AF point is cross-type)
Focusing Modes	Auto, One-Shot AF, Predictive AI Servo AF, AI Focus AF, Manual Focusing (MF)
AF Point Selection	Automatic selection, manual selection
Selected AF Point Display	Superimposed in viewfinder and indicated on LCD monitor
AF-assist Beam	Intermittent firing of built-in flash Effective range: Approx. 4.0m/13.1 ft. at center, approx. 3.5m/11.5 ft. at periphery. When EOS-dedicated Speedlite attached, the Speedlite's AF-assist beam is emitted instead.

Exposure Control
Metering Modes	63-zone TTL full-aperture metering Evaluative metering (linkable to any AF point) Partial metering (approx. 9% of viewfinder at center) Spot metering (approx. 4% of viewfinder at center) Center-weighted average metering
Metering Range	EV 1-20 (at 73°F/23°C with EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)
Exposure Control	(1) Program AE (shiftable) (2) Shutter-priority AE (3) Aperture-priority AE (4) Depth-of-field AE (A-DEP, non-shiftable) (5) Full Auto (Program AE, non-shiftable) (6) Programmed Image Control modes (6 modes) * Flash OFF, Portrait, Landscape, Close-up, Sports, Night Portrait (7) Manual exposure (including bulb) (8) E-TTL II autoflash program AE * Evaluative metering, Averaged metering
ISO Speed (Recommended Exposure Index)	ISO 100~6400 (in 1-stop increments), H: 12800 Basic Zone modes: ISO 100~3200 set automatically
Exposure Compensation	Manual: ±5 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments (can be combined with AEB)
AE Lock	(1) Auto AE lock * In the One-Shot AF mode with evaluative metering, AE lock takes effect when focus is achieved. (2) Manual AE lock * With AE lock button. (AE lock is updated each time you press the button.) Enabled in all metering modes.

Shutter
Type	Vertical-travel, mechanical, focal-plane shutter with all speeds electronically controlled
Shutter Speeds	1/4000 sec. to 1/60 sec., X-sync at 1/200 sec. 1/4000 sec. to 30 sec., bulb (Total shutter speed range. Available range varies by shooting mode)
Shutter Release	Soft-touch electromagnetic release
Self-timer	10-sec. or 2-sec. delay or 10-sec. delay plus continuous shooting
Remote Control	Remote Switch RS-60E3 Remote Controller RC-1/RC-5/RC-6

Built-in Flash
Type	Retractable, auto pop-up flash
Flash Metering	E-TTL II autoflash
Guide Number	13/43 (ISO 100, in meters/feet)
Recycling Time	Approx. 3 sec.
Flash-ready Indicator	Flash-ready icon lights in viewfinder
Flash Coverage	Up to 17mm lens focal length (equivalent to 27mm in 135 format)
FE Lock	Provided
Flash Exposure Compensation	±2 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments Flash exposure compensation for built-in flash and Speedlite can be set with the camera.

Drive System
Drive Modes	Single, continuous, self-timer (10 sec. or 2 sec. delay)/remote control
Continuous Shooting Speed	Max. 3.7 shots/sec. (with One-Shot AF or AI Servo AF)
Maximum Burst	JPEG (Large/Fine): Approx. 34, RAW: Approx. 6 Based on Canon's testing standards with a 2GB SD memory card, ISO 100 and Standard Picture Style Varies depending on the subject, SD memory card brand, image-recording quality, etc.

Live View Functions
Shooting Modes	Still photo shooting and video shooting
Focusing	Autofocus (One-Shot AF): Live mode, Face Detection Live mode, Quick mode; Manual focus (5x or 10x manually)
Metering Modes	Real-time evaluative metering with image sensor
Metering Range	EV 0-20 (at 73°F/23°C with EF 50mm f/1.4 USM lens, ISO 100)
Grid Display	Provided (Two grid displays)
Exposure Simulation	Provided
Silent Shooting	Not provided

Video Shooting
File Format	MOV (image data: H.264; audio: Linear PCM (with internal mic: monaural, with external mic: stereo))
File Size	Recording Size: 1920 x 1080 (Full HD): 30p (29.97) / 24p (23.976) / 25p, 1280 x 720: 60p (59.94) / 50p, 640 x 480 (SD): 60p (59.94) / 50p), Movie Crop recording in 640 x 480
Continuous Shooting Time	Approx. 12 min. (1920 x 1080), 18 min. (1280 x 720), 24 min. (640 x 480) Based on Canon's testing standards using a 4GB card
Focusing	Autofocus: Quick mode, Live mode, Face Detection Live mode; manual
Exposure Control	(1) Program AE for movie shooting * For shooting modes other than manual exposure. * Shutter speed (1/30 - 1/4000 sec., signal accumulation time), aperture, and ISO speed automatically set. (2) Manual exposure * For manual exposure. * Shutter speed (signal accumulation time), aperture, and ISO speed (auto/ manual) manually set. The shutter speed (signal accumulation time) is limited to 1/4000 sec. at the maximum and to 1/30 sec. at the minimum for 24/25/30 fps or 1/60 sec. or higher for 50/60 fps.
Exposure Compensation	Up to ±3 stops in 1/3- or 1/2-stop increments * Possible only with autoexposure.
Audio recording method	Linear PCM (1) Internal monaural microphone (2) External stereo microphone jack * Recording level automatically adjusted. * Sampling frequency: 48 KHz, Bits: 16 bit x 2 ch * Compatible with a commercially-available external microphone with 3.5mm dia. stereo mini-jack.
Video Playback	Playback, slow motion (variable speed possible), jump to first frame, previous frame, next frame, jump to last frame, cut out first or last, frame, and audio volume (6 levels, including mute). * The audio level when the camera is connected to a TV set is adjusted with the TV set.

LCD Monitor
Type	TFT color, liquid-crystal monitor
Monitor Size	3.0 in.
Dots	Approx. 1,040,000 dots (VGA)
Coverage	Approx. 100% Viewing angle: 160°
Brightness Adjustment	7 levels provided
Interface Languages	English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Greek, Russian, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Romanian, Ukraine, Turkish, Arabic, Thai, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese

Image Playback
Display Format	(1) Single image display - Two types of single-image full display and two types of shooting information display. (2) Index display - 4-image index and 9-index image. (3) Jump display - 10/100 images, shooting date, movies, stills
Highlight Warning	Provided (Overexposed highlights blink)

Image Protection and Erase
Protect	Erase protect (or cancel) each image individually
Erase	Single image, selected images or all images in the SD card can be erased (except protected images)

Direct Printing
Compatible Printers	PictBridge-compatible printers
Printable Images	JPEG images compliant to Design rule for Camera File System (DPOF printing possible) and RAW images captured with the EOS Rebel T2i
Easy Print feature	Provided

DPOF: Digital Print Order Format
DPOF	Version 1.1 compatible

Direct Image Transfer
Compatible Images	JPEG and RAW images Only JPEG images can be transferred as wallpaper on the personal computer screen

Customization
Custom Functions	Total 12
My Menu Registration	Up to 6 menus, Custom functions and other top-tier options can be registered

Interface
USB Terminal	For personal computer communication and direct printing (USB 2.0 Hi-Speed)
Video Out Terminal	(1) Video OUT terminal: NTSC/PAL selectable (2) mini-HDMI OUT terminal

Power Source
Battery	One Battery Pack LP-E8 AC power can be supplied via AC Adapter Kit ACK-E8 With Battery Grip BG-E8, AA-size batteries can be used
Number of Shots	Number of shots (approx.) Temperature Shooting Conditions AE 100% AE 50%, FA 50% At 73°F/23°C 550 470 At 32°F/0°C 440 400 Live View shooting at 73°F/23°C 200 170 Live View shooting at 32°F/0°C 180 150 Movie Shooting Time 1 hr. 40 min. 1 hr. 20 min. The above figures apply with a fully-charged Battery Pack LP-E8. The figures above are based on CIPA (Camera & Imaging Products Association) testing standards.
Battery Check	Auto
Power Saving	Provided. Power turns off after 30 sec., 1, 2, 4, 8, 15 min.
Date/Time Battery	Built-in secondary battery
Start-up Time	Approx. 0.1 sec.

Dimensions and Weight
Dimensions (WxHxD)	Approx. 5.1 x 3.8 x 3.0 in./128.8 x 97.5 x 75.3mm
Weight	Approx. 18.7 oz./530g (CIPA standard, includes battery and memory card.)

Operating Environment
Working Temperature Range	32-104°F/0-40°C
Working Humidity Range	85% or less