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This was a project I thought about for a long time because I wasn't sure it would work and didn't want to spend much money with the risk it wouldn't. And I already owned the most expensive part, after camera and lens, the Oly VA-1 right angle magnifying viewfinder adapter thingee.
That gizmo has been a big help in composing low-down shots, as my back just ain't what it used to be. But the E-1's tiny screen remains almost impossible to see when down low, without putting one's cheek right up against the ground.
Now that back-up monitors have become common on automobiles, they've become cheap as well. And as they're designed to run on 12 volts DC, that's fairly easy to come up with too. I'd hoped a single 9 volt battery would do the trick, but it wasn't high enough voltage. I did get the 12 volt battery from an automotive remote alarm to work, but that tiny battery only had enough power to run the screen intermittently. So I used an 8-pack AA battery holder I already had and filled it with rechargable batteries I also had around. Auto voltages range from 12 to 14 vdc, so anything close should work...
The screen comes with two RCA style male inputs (either can be used) and a connector for the power supply. I've misplaced the appropriate TV cable that came with the E-1, so had to go buy a female RCA to male 1/8" mono phono cord, to connect screen to camera.
The screen only comes on when the camera sends it a signal (i.e., whenever the rear screen would normally be on for any reason)
Screen also has a set of options you access from buttons on the back (including 4/3 display ratio). This is a "no name" brand that was more or less the same as all the other brands. I bought from a regular online software supplier (Egghead, I think), reasoning that they wouldn't sell something so cheap ($25 USD) they'd ever want to see returned. That was good odds the thing would actually work.
Yes, you can see the camera setting options just fine and change them as you would using the camera's screen. This particular screen is a "4 inch" model, and gives an image about the same size as on Oly's newer cameras (though without the same resolution). There is an almost unlimited supply of larger 12 volt screens available, of course.
These screens usually come with some sort of stand whereby one can attach Velcro and stick it to almost anything. It is a very slight hassle to add batteries and screen to my kit, so I use this only when I'll be sitting on my duff for a long time, composing many shots of the same subject. The resolution is barely good enough to gauge sharpness, about as good as the E-1's screen (which is not really "good" at all). But it's a godsend to be able to cradle the screen in one's lap to check composition, histogram, blinkies, and other settings.
So no, not really Live View, but certainly plenty of tilt and swivel!
That gizmo has been a big help in composing low-down shots, as my back just ain't what it used to be. But the E-1's tiny screen remains almost impossible to see when down low, without putting one's cheek right up against the ground.
Now that back-up monitors have become common on automobiles, they've become cheap as well. And as they're designed to run on 12 volts DC, that's fairly easy to come up with too. I'd hoped a single 9 volt battery would do the trick, but it wasn't high enough voltage. I did get the 12 volt battery from an automotive remote alarm to work, but that tiny battery only had enough power to run the screen intermittently. So I used an 8-pack AA battery holder I already had and filled it with rechargable batteries I also had around. Auto voltages range from 12 to 14 vdc, so anything close should work...
The screen comes with two RCA style male inputs (either can be used) and a connector for the power supply. I've misplaced the appropriate TV cable that came with the E-1, so had to go buy a female RCA to male 1/8" mono phono cord, to connect screen to camera.
The screen only comes on when the camera sends it a signal (i.e., whenever the rear screen would normally be on for any reason)
Screen also has a set of options you access from buttons on the back (including 4/3 display ratio). This is a "no name" brand that was more or less the same as all the other brands. I bought from a regular online software supplier (Egghead, I think), reasoning that they wouldn't sell something so cheap ($25 USD) they'd ever want to see returned. That was good odds the thing would actually work.
Yes, you can see the camera setting options just fine and change them as you would using the camera's screen. This particular screen is a "4 inch" model, and gives an image about the same size as on Oly's newer cameras (though without the same resolution). There is an almost unlimited supply of larger 12 volt screens available, of course.
These screens usually come with some sort of stand whereby one can attach Velcro and stick it to almost anything. It is a very slight hassle to add batteries and screen to my kit, so I use this only when I'll be sitting on my duff for a long time, composing many shots of the same subject. The resolution is barely good enough to gauge sharpness, about as good as the E-1's screen (which is not really "good" at all). But it's a godsend to be able to cradle the screen in one's lap to check composition, histogram, blinkies, and other settings.
So no, not really Live View, but certainly plenty of tilt and swivel!
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