UPDATE!!!! Living with the EOS R5/R6 EVF Eyecup

[YuengLinger]

One of the biggest drawbacks, in my opinion, to the R was its eyecup. Shallow, and could not be replaced with a third-party alternative. The R5/R6 marketing claimed that they would have "improved" eyecups. Hmmm, maybe, but not significantly, in my experience.

Mid-mornings and late-afternoons are terrible for me on sunny days. Even when my lens is angled so sunflare is not an issue, a nearly 90 degree zone (with the sun being in the center) is very difficult for me to photograph because the sun is too bright to allow me to see what is happening in the EVF.

I solved this problem on Canon dSLR's by using a Hoodman Eyecup, not for eyeglasses, but to prevent harsh, slanting sunlight from causing problems seeing through the viewfinder.

As of yet, no way I know of to remove R5/R6 eyecup and replace with third-party eyecup.

Has anybody heard of a solution? Even DIY?

Currently, the best I can do is wear a broad-brimmed hat, but that can be awkard, and most of them look goofy on me. But it does improve things for me.

EDIT: But a problem with hats is they don't work well for events that are indoor and outdoor--as soon as I put a speedlite on the camera, the brim of the hat is really in the way. Then I have to figure out where to stow the hat.

Thanks!

EDIT: My problem has been fixed! Further down in the thread, you'll see a brief discussion of the replacement eyecups I'm using: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BDL51WNW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[Ozarker]

EDIT: But a problem with hats is they don't work well for events that are indoor and outdoor--as soon as I put a speedlite on the camera, the brim of the hat is really in the way. Then I have to figure out where to stow the hat.

Anytime I wear a hat when shooting, I have to turn it around anyway. I also wear glasses... so just about any eyecup would probably be a problem for me. Hope you find a solution that works for you.

 

[AlanF]

Problem solved years ago.

 

[Peter Bergh]

I wear glasses and flip-up sunglasses and, occasionally, a baseball cap. As a result, I can't use the viewfinder at all. Instead, I use a Hoodman Loupe on the LCD. The loupe blocks out the daylight, so I can see the LCD well.

 

[Aussie shooter]

I'll be honest. I find it very comfortable and effective. Have never noticed any issues. I hope you come up with a solution though

 

[ERHP]

I do notice on cold mornings every time I raise my head up to look over the camera I tend to fog the EVF. I used the anti-fog eyepieces on my 1 series cameras but nothing is out for the R's.

 

[stevelee]

Do the diopter adjustments on the eyepiece not let you do without glasses, or does that just work if your eyes aren’t very bad?

 

[YuengLinger]

I'll be honest. I find it very comfortable and effective. Have never noticed any issues. I hope you come up with a solution though

Even on bright mornings between 9AM and 11AM? The sunlight hits the gap between my eye and the EVF.

 

[YuengLinger]

Do the diopter adjustments on the eyepiece not let you do without glasses, or does that just work if your eyes aren’t very bad?

I don't wear eyeglasses.

 

[Aussie shooter]

Even on bright mornings between 9AM and 11AM? The sunlight hits the gap between my eye and the EVF.

Yep. Seems perfect in any conditions for me. But i have always found the canon eye cups to be spot on.

 

[koenkooi]

Even on bright mornings between 9AM and 11AM? The sunlight hits the gap between my eye and the EVF.

During spring when I get up early to photograph the solitary bees in my garden, the sun will be at 90 degrees to my right. The only way to solve that so far is to wear a wide brimmed hat really crooked or use my fingers for shade and try to use my pinky finger to press the shutter button. The hat doesn't work so well when using the MT-24EX flash.

The view-camera style cloth is starting to look better and better

 

[rbr]

I'm not wild about the eyecup on the R5, but I've gotten used to it. My main complaint is that it can't be removed so I can use my Angle finder C that I have used on every other EOS camera I've owned for the past 20 years. The rear LCD is useless to me. I'm far sighted and can't see see it without reading glasses since it has no diopter corrections. It's a huge hassle for me.

 

[mpphoto]

I have an issue similar to yours with the EVF on the EOS R. I wear glasses and on sunny days with the sun at the right (or wrong?) angle, I guess the sunlight is able to get between my face and the sensor by the EVF. As a result, the EVF doesn't activate because it thinks I'm not looking in it. My solution has been to wear a safari hat with a flexible brim. I mention flexible because I can just flip up the brim if I have to turn the camera to shoot in portrait orientation. If I'm wearing a baseball cap instead to help shield the EVF, I have to flip the hat backwards or take it off to shoot in portrait orientation because the bill hits the camera.

Besides the EVF not activating with certain angles of bright light, I also have the same issue as you where it's hard to see what's in the viewfinder. Again, my safari hat has proven to be a solution (I don't look bad in one), and I've been lucky enough to not have any issues while shooting indoors. It is a bit disappointing that I need to wear a hat to ensure the EVF activates and I can see the EVF clearly in sunny situations, though.

 

[srwoolc]

I was looking at thinktank's Hydrophobia rain covers today. They use a 'replacement' eyecup to seal the cover to the camera. One of the complaints was the R5 eyecup couldn't be replaced, so you can't use that rain cover. So, I googled replacement eyecups for the R5, and found one on Amazon. It had a video about how to replace the stock eyecup. There are two TINY screws on the bottom side of the eyecup that can be removed, and new eyecup installed.

I will likely get ThinkTanks Emergency Rain Cover, so I don't have to mess with tiny screws on my camera. I wonder what Canon would say if sent in for repairs with a replacement eyecup...

My only issue with the stock eyecup is when I'm wearing sunglasses. Frustrates me that I have to take sunglasses off for the viewfinder to be active. If anyone knows how to fix that, please let me know!

 

[YuengLinger]

I was looking at thinktank's Hydrophobia rain covers today. They use a 'replacement' eyecup to seal the cover to the camera. One of the complaints was the R5 eyecup couldn't be replaced, so you can't use that rain cover. So, I googled replacement eyecups for the R5, and found one on Amazon. It had a video about how to replace the stock eyecup. There are two TINY screws on the bottom side of the eyecup that can be removed, and new eyecup installed.

I will likely get ThinkTanks Emergency Rain Cover, so I don't have to mess with tiny screws on my camera. I wonder what Canon would say if sent in for repairs with a replacement eyecup...

My only issue with the stock eyecup is when I'm wearing sunglasses. Frustrates me that I have to take sunglasses off for the viewfinder to be active. If anyone knows how to fix that, please let me know!

Glad you revived the thread, as I kept forgetting to update.

I bought two eyecups, both the same size, for my R5 and R6. They work quite well, blocking a lot of the sunlight and working better when I occasionally use my eyeglasses. Really no downside at all. Not as deep as the old Hoodman, but these don't block the flippy screen when I need to pull it out.

I would advise using a quality 00 screwdriver, as the one supplied with the eyecup is very small and not great. But the screws included are visibly identical to the Canon screws.

If I had to send my R5/R6 to Canon, it would take me five minutes to swap out with the original cup. There is no hidden seal or anything that would give evidence of having removed the eyecup.

Very straightforward replacement!

I've been using them for six months now. No issues whatsoever with the little sensor under the EVF. Switches from EVF to back screen exactly as with the original cup.

Big thumbs up.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0BDL51WNW/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&th=1

 

[justashooter]

I have these Kiwifotos eye cups on my R6 Mark II's and really like them. They don't interfere with the proximity sensor or the flip-out screen, and I have a Newswear long lens rain cover. It was a neoprene opening that slides over the eye cup. It stays on the Kiwifoto eye cup, it doesn't stay on the Canon eye cup.