There are times when you’ll want to use a small camera like the Sony F55 without a viewfinder–say, if you’re mounting it on a crane, in a car or on a Steadicam. Apparently it’s possible to accidentally disable the data overly on the Sub Main SDI output, and Sony has released a set of instructions to help you turn it on again without having to hook up a viewfinder.
To download Sony’s document that shows you exactly what’s going on, click on this link:
Recovering F55 Display Output without a VF_v1_1.pdf
Here’s my very brief synopsis of the document:
Start in Camera Mode, with no menus enabled. The side panel LCD (SUB display) will show the camera functions active in orange.
1. Press menu button once to enable the (unseen) menu.
2. Press cancel/back button several times.
3. Turn the menu wheel counter-clockwise at least ten clicks.
4. Turn the menu wheel clockwise three clicks, push wheel in once.
5. Turn the menu wheel clockwise four clicks, push wheel in once.
6. Turn the menu wheel clockwise two clicks, push the wheel in once.
7. Turn the menu wheel counter-clockwise one click.
Thanks are due to Ian Cook of Sony for coming up with this procedure.
Art Adams
Director of Photography
www.artadamsdp.com
Twitter: @artadams
