Vocas EL-40 Eyepiece Loupe for the Sony PXW-Z300 Introduced – Magnetic Tool-Free Mount, Flip-Up Design, Swappable Camera Attachments

by Johnnie BehiriToday

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Sony’s PXW-Z300 ships without a built-in viewfinder, and Dutch accessory maker Vocas has now filled that gap with the EL-40 Eyepiece Loupe. This optical viewfinder slides over the camcorder’s LCD and locks in place magnetically, without tools. At IBC 2026, we spoke to Vocas’ Michael about the loupe, the support bracket that keeps the Z300’s screen arm from sagging, and the swappable base that lets the same optics move to the FX6, FX9, FS7, BURANO, and Canon C400.

Vocas first showed the loupe as a prototype at NAB earlier this year and launched the final product shortly before IBC. The name stands for eyepiece loupe, and the idea is simple: take a 3 to 4-inch LCD on a Sony or Canon camera and turn it into a viewfinder, while keeping the option to fold the loupe up so the screen and its touch functions are still usable for low angles. Vocas builds the whole thing in the Netherlands, with parts machined domestically and assembly done in-house, and ships worldwide through distributors in the US and Japan and dealers across Europe and Australia.

Why Sony asked Vocas to build it

The EL-40 exists because of the Z300. Vocas has worked with Sony for decades, and when the FX6 came out, the company noticed that owners wanted to use the FX9 loupe on the smaller camera to make it into a shoulder rig. Vocas built a bracket to hold the FX6 monitor in place under the weight of the Sony loupe, and we covered that LCD monitor support kit for the FX6 when it launched. According to Michael, those FX6 accessories are what brought Sony to Vocas early in the Z300’s development, with a direct request to make a loupe for the new camcorder.

The Z300 itself we covered at its announcement: a 1/2-inch 4K 3-CMOS handheld with a 17x zoom and, as its headline feature, C2PA content authentication that embeds a digital signature in the recorded file. That is why the camera is popular with news organizations, since the clip’s origin can be tracked through the pipeline. Not every ENG operator wants to work with a handheld palm-style body, though, and Sony wanted a shoulder configuration. Sony already moved the Z300’s screen further forward on an extending arm with a loupe in mind, but as Michael put it, the arm was still not strong enough to carry the high-quality glass Vocas puts in the viewfinder.

The bracket that holds the screen up

Vocas’ answer is what Michael called an exoskeleton holder: a magnetic friction bracket that fits over the Z300’s original LCD arm. It locks out horizontal play, so the screen no longer flops to one side once the loupe’s weight is added, and it adds friction on the tilt axis so the monitor stays where the operator sets it. The bracket has a bit of drag built in for fine adjustments, and the intention is to set it up once and leave it.

The loupe itself slides over the LCD and snaps into place with a click. Michael demonstrated the flip-up on the booth: the loupe hinges up, the touchscreen is available for low-angle work or menu navigation, and it snaps back down for shoulder operation. Removal is the reverse, pulling the bracket away from the loupe first and then sliding the loupe off the screen. According to the Vocas product page, the complete Z300 kit weighs 385g (13.6oz).

Diopters for what Michael called experienced eyes

A +1 close-up filter is already fitted inside the EL-40, and the red focus ring on the eyepiece handles diopter adjustment. For operators who need more, the M52 thread under the rubber eyecup accepts +2 and +3 filters, sold as a set, so the loupe can be used without reading glasses. Swapping is a matter of unscrewing one filter and threading on the next. Vocas also notes on its product page that the optics can concentrate direct sunlight onto the LCD when no eye is against the eyecup, and it recommends folding the loupe away or shading the camera whenever it is not in use.

One base unit, many cameras

Vocas did not want to spend the design effort on a single camera model. During the design phase, the colleague responsible for the flip-up mechanism also made the base piece fully removable, so the EL-40 base unit pairs with camera-specific attachments. The Z300 attachment includes the support bracket described above. Vocas launched the loupe alongside an FX6 bracket, which has since been updated into a single attachment for the FX6, FX9, and FS7. There are attachments for the Sony BURANO and the Canon EOS C400 as well, and Michael said the company keeps looking for screens it can mount the loupe to.

The FX6 comes with a caveat. Because the camera’s LCD hinge was designed for the monitor’s own weight only, the FX6 attachment needs to be combined with one of Vocas’ existing FX6 screen support brackets (the same brackets originally made for the Sony FX9 loupe), otherwise the screen flops down. The C400 attachment likewise needs to be paired with Vocas’ own brackets on that camera’s original monitor arm. The FX6 attachment itself weighs 35g (1.2oz), according to the Vocas product page.

Price and availability

For a full Z300 shoulder conversion, Vocas offers the ENG shoulder kit, which combines its Lightweight Base Plate with VCT-14 style quick release, the EL-40 loupe, the Z300 attachment with friction bracket, and a magnetic shoulder pad, for €1,255 excluding VAT. Operators who already have a base plate can buy the EL-40 with the Z300 attachment for €779, and the M52 +2/+3 close-up filter set costs €49. The base unit alone is €515, with the FX6/FX9/FS7 attachment at €169, the BURANO attachment at €169, and the C400 attachment at €339; the corresponding complete kits are €649 for the FX6/FX9/FS7 and BURANO versions and €799 for the C400, all excluding VAT per the Vocas webshop. According to Michael, the products are already listed online but currently on backorder, with stock expected soon. For more information, please visit the Vocas website.

Do you shoot the Z300 or FX6 handheld from the screen, or would a loupe and shoulder rig change how you use it? Don’t hesitate to let us know in the comments below!