Advice sought: Loupe/diopter viewer for LCD screen on a Canon 7D?

[Bob_B]

Good day,

   I'm a novice landscape/nature photographer, and don't have a lot of knowledge about gear, hence my question. Briefly, I spend a lot of time manually focusing my Canon 7D using the LCD screen and live view, often under bright light conditions. I also need to use reading glasses, making use of this technique (at best) awkward. Would a loupe attachment with a diopter for the LCD help me? I know very little about these, except what I've read on ama-zon-dot-com's reviews.
   If you have a minute, I'd greatly appreciate some advice, opinions, and/or pointers to sites that may offer more indepth discussion of how to best view the LCD. If you have specific suggestions for a loupe, please reply. Thank you.

Bob

[Robert DeCandido PhD]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8ifuZK2o-U

this one is very good - can find it for $110 including shipping if you do some research...there are other similar products...DP Review has some good comments, such as:

http://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/53233256

[NancyP]

I have used the Hoodman, but I use the old version with an eyecup that can flatten, because I use it with my glasses. I don't know about diopter adjustment. Nowadays I have skipped using the Hoodman with the DSLR (60D) and started wearing a wide brimmed hat instead, more for preventing sunburn than any other reason. I now use the Hoodman strapped onto a Sigma DP Merrill camera.

[Bob_B]

Thanks. I'll check into those options. I'm not terribly keen on sticking a frame on my 7D for mounting the loupe, so that may be a deal-breaker.

Re: Hat. Couldn't agree more about sunray protection.

Best,

  Bob

[Lightsmith]

Another more expensive but more versatile solution is the $300 CamRanger with a smartphone or Android phone or Nexus or iPod tablet. This gives me a larger screen and one that can even be in the shade and I can remotely focus the camera and trip the shutter.

It has struck me as a little odd that the really nice LCD displays that pivot are only provided on the less expensive cameras. At least with CamRanger I can work around this shortsighted approach by Nikon and Canon and others.