Anyone who has ever tried using the LCD screen on their digicam out in
the bright sunlight knows what they need - they need a shade!
Williams & Associates has come up with the
Xtend-a-ViewTM which is a
combination LCD shade and a 2x power magnifying loupe eyepiece.
The Xtend-a-View sells for $16.95 and attaches with self-adhesive velcro strips so
it can be easily removed when not needed.
I'm happy to report that my earlier review had pointed out that the
Xtend-a-View did not sit flat on the Nikon 950. They have since made a
modification in the unit and it now seats firmly and flatly on the back
of the Nikon as illustrated above.
Once you get it mounted properly it does leave the control buttons
accessible but not "easily" accessible. You can see in this
photo and the very first one at the beginning of this review, the top
and bottom buttons around the Nikon 950's rear LCD screen.
The "dangling" strap lug on the bottom makes it a bit of a challenge
to get to some of the lower buttons. But it can be easily snapped off
as is illustrated in the photo above this one.
The Xtend-a-View is an inexpensive solution for those of us that want to
use auxilliary lenses on the Nikon 950 or most any digicam with a LCD
screen.
Here's the Xtend-a-View mounted on an Olympus C-2000Z camera. Due to
the flat surface around the LCD it is a very "clean' fit on the Olympus.
They also have the Extend-a-Lens attachment for Kodak DC260 and DC265 cameras
that allows you to add 49mm filters and lenses. And the sturdy
Extend-a-Bracket that lets you add a regular camera strap to any
digital camera with a tripod socket. Plus an optional flash bracket
with a shoe mount that can be used with the Extend-a-Bracket.
Check out all their fine products at
their website.
Use of Xtend-a-View - Cautionary Warning
One of our readers emailed me to let me know that he had destroyed (literally) the
LCD screen on his Coolpix 990 when using the Xtend-a-View magnifier. Here's what
he had to say:
"Last week I was photographing my daughter's soccer game with my 990 and
2X converter, using the loupe to view the screen. Between shots I would
drop the camera down from my eye to watch the game, leaving the loupe
looking straight into the sky. The sun was directly overhead and during
a short (a few minutes) period of no picture taking, the loupe
effectively focused the sun onto the LCD screen and basically destroyed
it. Melted plastic window, melted silicon LCD behind it. Very
traumatic!! It only took a very short time to do a lot of damage as I
enjoyed my daughter's game."
Steve's Conclusion
It's inexpensive, small and lightweight and works well to shield the
bright light off of your LCD. The 2x magnifying eyepiece allows you
to put your eye right up to it like a conventional viewfinder.
It works well with other cameras that have a nice,
flat surface all the way around the 1.8" or 2" LCD screen.
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