Quick Review: Varavon Pro Finder

September 16^th, 2010

by Sebastian WöberSeptember 16^th, 2010

By: Sebastian Wöber

Since there’s a new competitor in the lcd loupes segment and I like it I thought I’d share this one with you. Here’s the Varavon Pro Finder Set (www.varavon.com)

The way it works: Attach metal baseplate, attach finder to baseplate. No tools necessary. Setup is very simple and easy and you can take off the viewfinder very quickly.
If you have a 7D and a 5D you can use the same Finder, you only have to use a different baseplate. The baseplates are equipped with a small metal bolt that sticks into the right place in the dslr body. This way the plate doesn’t move. Quality is very good. At the bottom of the baseplates there’s a thread 1/4″ thread for your rig baseplate or tripod plate.
The Finder baseplate might be a problem for those people with rig baseplates that don’t have height adjustments.

While the baseplate is made of solid metal, the finder itself is made of hard non bendable plastic. Nevertheless it feels solid enough to do the job. The rubber eye part also fits a cushion if you prefer that.

The glass is good. There’s also a diopter adjustment, which can’t be locked, but instead the knob is hard to adjust. A downside is that the circular eyepiece blocks sight to the very edges of the screen depending on the way the diopter is adjusted. You have to decide for yourself if that’s a minor or huge problem.

What comes in very handy are the two mirrors that are built into the system. You flip it open and can see the lcd from atop. The image is clear. This is very useful in numerous situations but also for example when filming people that are sitting from a tripod.

The Varavon Pro Finder comes in a very handy case that can be attached to a belt with a safety strap and can also hold a backup lens instead which I find very very useful.

+ Can’t fall off
+ Mirrors to see lcd image from above
+ case
+ quality baseplate
+ quality hinge-joints
+ quality mirrors
+ diopter

– lcd edges more or less blocked (depending on diopter setting)

For my personal work I like to use the LCDVF and the Varavon side by side. The LCDVF when I need perfect image quality. And the Varavon when it’s really stressy and I have to adapt quickly. Cheers, Sebastian

price: 363$
(through B&H)
www.varavon.com