Limited Edition Carbon Fiber Letus Hawk
The Letus Hawk viewfinder is 100% custom designed from the ground up. We were not satisfied with viewfinders on the market so using our knowledge of optics, we decided to build our own. Unlike others on the market, our viewfinder uses totally custom optics designed and manufactured by Letus. We use a 3 lenses in 2 groups rather than a single, off-the-shelf diopter. Diopters are inexpensive but they tend to "pin cushion" the image. Our lens groups produces a totally flat image with no warping or sharpness loss on the edges of the image frame.
We have built our viewfinder with a 2.75x view factor. We have found this to be the ideal zoom for LCD screens. It produces a large image that you don't have to look around at when viewing it. At larger zooms, the image gets so big that you are forced to move your eye around to see the whole image. Imagine sitting 2 feet from a 42" screen. You have to look around to see the whole frame. This is the same effect you get when the zoom factor on a viewfinder is too big. In addition, at zooms above 2.75, individual pixels on the LCD screen can be seen. The 2.75x zoom on the Letus Hawk viewfinder is the sweet spot for zoom factor.
The lenses on the Hawk are adjustable from +1.5 to -2.5 to accommodate near and far sighted users. There is no need to add spacers between the camera and view finder to adjust this. Simply turn the eye piece until the image is clear for your particular eye sight. All of the lenses are housed in a precision milled aluminum housing for durability.
All of our optics are fully coated with the same coatings we use in our relay lenses and 35mm adapters with anti fogging coating. This assures the best color fidelity while eliminating issues with fogging. There is no need to wipe your view finder down with cumbersome on anti-fogging sprays or wipes.
Rather than using injection molded plastic, carbon fiber was our material of choice for the view finder shroud. Using a proprietary method, we are able to use an anti-glare coating on the inside of the carbon fiber while still maintaining the intricate pattern of the fiber on external surfaces. Carbon fiber is an extremely light weight and strong material designed to stand up to the rigors of a production environment.
The Letus Hawk attaches to your DSLR without any modifications to the camera. The Hawk includes a camera plate as a standard feature. The plate threads into the tripod mounting hole on the bottom of your camera and is adjustable in X,Y, and Z directions for compatibility with a full range of current and future DSLR cameras. The plate is threaded on the bottom so you can attach your existing quick release tripod plates, base plates, etc. We also added an additional option so you can mount the Hawk using any articulating arm. This allows you to have a virtually limitless mounting options for special situations where standard mounting is difficult or impossible. We offer a micro articulating arm custom milled from stainless steel
To further enhance the usability of the Hawk viewfinder, we offer a full range of Talon support rod systems. These support rods include a quick release camera plate that takes the place of the standard Hawk camera plate. This upgraded plate allows you to choose whether the Hawk view finder stays attached to your camera or to the Talon support rods. With this configuration, you can leave the Hawk on the support rods and quick release your camera for taking still images through the DSLRs standard viewfinder. This is a great feature for those who need to switch from video to stills quickly.
Camera notes: The Hawk is compatible with the Canon 5DmkII and Canon 7D in stock form. With the extended riser, it can be used on the Canon 1DmkIV and the 5D/7D with battery grip. The Hawk should be easily compatible with other brands of video capable HDSLR cameras such as Nikon, Pentax, and Sony but we have not tested every available configuration yet. Custom mounting options will be available as deemed necessary for future model cameras.
If you need a Hawk for a Canon T2i, Canon 60D, or similar camera please see the link below:
Hawk Aluminum Version 3:2
Features:
- Carbon Fiber Housing
- Non-reflective Internal Housing
- 2.75x Zoom Factor
- +1.5 to -2.5 Adjustable Lens
- 3 Custom Lenses in 2 Groups
- Fully Coated Optics
- Anodized Aluminum Lens Housing
- Removable Eye Cup
- Quick Release Plate
- X / Y / Z Mounting Adjustments
- 1/4 20 Mount Point for Articulating Arms
- No Image Distortion or Edge Softness
Specs:
- 8.3 oz.