Mikon Haaksman: A Solution for the C100 Z Finder Pro

I've owned my C100 now since November 2013, and the biggest issue I've had out in the field has been critical focus. I began trying to solve this issue by placing a Zacuto eyepiece over the teeny tiny viewfinder on the camera with moderate luck.

Zacuto eyepiece over viewfinder.

I was pretty happy with the setup - until I had a big shoot where I didn't have time to mess with checking and rechecking focus over and over.

I still had a Zacuto EVF which I loved using with my dslr's, but the issue there is twofold -
1.) It adds a lot of bulk to the camera
2.) If you want to record to an external recorder, you have to turn off the evf display information.

So I started looking around at other options.

I have followed the progression of the c-cup but have yet to try it. It looks like a great piece of kit and I will undoubtedly use it.

I also saw the Zacuto C100 Z Finder Pro. Admittedly, my two primary hesitations were cost and weird application to the camera. There were mixed reviews on the viewfinder, but none complained about the optical quality.

So I bit the bullet and made my purchase. Just as had been previously reviewed, it was good optically, but very unwieldy with the rubber band solution. Not Zacuto's fault - just trying to make the best of a difficult situation. I appreciate them for their efforts.

While trying to figure out a good solution, I came across a photo posted by Jim Karnik (look at the "May 2104 Production Update") on the C100 Facebook Page. My hat's off to him for this solution. It's so great, I want to share it.

As you can see below, the Z Finder is now held by a magic arm.

It's Magic!

I can easily loosen the arm, adjust the lcd, and then lock it in place. It's pretty easy to use and so sturdy that I just leave the Z Finder attached to the camera all the time.

To attach it to the camera, I wanted to keep the ability to mount a Ninja or other device, so I happened to have a Zacuto Zicromount that I had from an older rig.

Zicromounts are a lot cheaper these days.

I mounted it to the top handle threading on the C100, screwed the magic arm into it upside down, and then used a 1/4" screw and a rubber thumb screw washer (I don't know what the technical term is - look at the photo) from my pile of discarded photo gear and I had a mount point.

The Zacuto Z Finder has a 1/4" threaded hole perfect for the magic arm.

Like it was meant to be.

The other nice thing is I can loosen the magic arm and let the Zacuto sit out of the way if I need to get to the lcd directly.

Watch your head when you do this!

It looks really impressive too!

Is it perfect? No. But we all know, neither is the camera in that regard. Does it work? It does for me. And it provides another point of contact with the camera. My handheld shots are more solid and my slider shots are smoother too. And when I use a monopod, I can run and gun with confidence. That's a real pretty sight!