Zigview digital viewfinder updated
By
Mike Tomkins
(Thursday, November 10, 2005 - 10:24 EST)
Seoul, Korea-based Seculine Co. Ltd. has released an updated version of its oddly-named "Zigview" digital viewfinder, according to the company's website.
The SC-V100R "Zigview R" digital viewfinder has been upgraded to allow it to function as a remote shutter release for a range of digital SLR cameras, including Canon's EOS Digital Rebel and Rebel XT, EOS 10D, 20D, 5D, and EOS-1Ds Mk II, as well as Pentax's *ist D, DS, DL and DS2, Nikon's D1H, D2H, D2X, and Konica Minolta's Maxxum 5D and 7D. (There may be other models that are compatible via a cabled release as well, as the site makes liberal use of "etc.", but we'll err on the side of caution and assume only cameras specifically mentioned are compatible).
Seculine notes that cameras not supported directly by the cabled release function may still be able to take advantage of the Zigview R using a cable with an infrared emitter. The infrared cable is optional, as are cables specific to all but the Pentax and EOS Digital Rebel models, which are supported by a bundled cable.
As well as the ability to function as a remote shutter release, whether mounted on the camera's viewfinder or not, the Zigview R can also function as a fairly sophisticated interval timer that can be set to capture a specific number of shots at a specific interval period, and can also be set to capture shots for a specific duration or until a specific end time.
We don't have exact details as to the interval periods possible, but Seculine's website shows a screenshot that suggests the ability to enter an interval ranging from as long as 10 days, with an accuracy down to partial seconds.
Equally useful is the ability to set the device to function as a bulb timer, automatically triggering your camera's shutter release to start and end a bulb exposure with a specific length of time between 1 second and 23 hours.
Perhaps the most unusual feature of the Zigview R mentioned on Seculine's site, however, is the ability to serve as a motion detection shutter release. Since the Zigview can be connected to your camera's viewfinder and offer a live preview display, it is nicely suited to also monitoring the status of the viewfinder image. Seculine have given users the ability to divide the viewfinder display into nine areas, and to set a threshold level for each sector at which the Zigview should decide that a change in brightness has translated to "motion" - in which case it will automatically trigger the shutter.
Obviously, the usefulness of this will depend on how quickly the Zigview can detect motion and trigger the shutter, after the motion has actually happened. If the refresh rate and response time are high enough, though, we could imagine this being rather a useful and fun tool!
Pricing and availability aren't mentioned on Seculine's site, but UK-based Intro2020 are apparently importing the device into that country, with availability slated for the end of this month, at a rather hefty price of £199.99. Still, given that there's essentially nothing else with a comparable feature set that we can think of, doubtless quite a few photographers will be hoping for a Zigview R this holiday season!
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