Review of ClearViewer optic device

I have looked at the ClearViewer device a number of times, but never reached the conclusion that it would be useful enough to justify the purchase. Having used the M and M2 for a good while, the use of a ClearViewer seemed like it might be helpful due to the lack of an EVF or OVF.

ClearViewer is a simple magnifying lens mounted in a camera model specific frame that holds the lens a couple of inches from the camera display. You hold the camera up so that the lens is quite close to your eye. It allows you to see the entire LCD screen, although you may have to shift your eye around a bit to see the outermost edges of the frame. It works well for me, with or without my glasses. They make two different styles. One attaches to the tripod socket of the camera. The other style simply slides into the camera’s hot shoe. I bought the latter, since I always have a quick release plate attached to the camera. I also felt like it would be helpful to be able to remove and attach the ClearViewer very rapidly. I can take it off in a flash (no pun intended) to store the camera away with no additional protrusions. The obvious downside of this version is that it cannot be used in conjunction with a hot shoe mounted flash.

The company also makes each of these versions with your choice of two lenses. The premium lens is recommended for camera with a 3 inch display. I bought that higher quality lens. I find there is a degree of pin cushion distortion at the outer edges of the display, but it’s not enough to be a concern.

In my use of the device, I have found it to be very beneficial in many shooting conditions, primarily outdoors. When shooting in bright light, you can see the display easier. Because your entire field of view is used in seeing the display, your eye is not taking in a lot of extra information as it is when the camera is held a foot or more away from your eye. It's not like shooting a view camera with a black cape over you, but it does help.

An even larger advantage is that you can actually press the device against your face, anchoring the camera for a steadier hold. With the hot shoe mounted version, you can hold the device against your skull right at your eyebrow. I don’t know if the tripod socket version is as easily anchored to your face. Perhaps it can rest on your cheek below your eye. I find this method of resting the camera against your face gives you a similar advantage to shooting with any camera with an EVF or OVF. The camera becomes considerably easier to hold steady for longer exposures or manage with longer, heavier lenses.

The final advantage I have noticed is the added benefit in manual focusing. I still magnify the screen up to 5X, but it is really easy to nail the focus very quickly. Once again, the added stability aids when magnifying the scene. The lag time in the display contributes to the only hindrance in fast focusing. Since I have just started using some Zeiss, manual focus only lenses, the ClearViewer makes the use of these lenses much more appealing.

The cost of these units with the premium lens is $53 for the tripod socket mounted version, and $40 for the hot shoe mounted version. You can see pictures of these units on their website: http://clearviewer.com/Products.html The pictures will make my descriptions much easier to understand. I feel certain I will get $40 worth of usefulness out of mine.