Before we begin this awesome project, let’s try to “un-ruffle” some feathers that might be hackled by calling the subject of this article an electronic viewfinder (EVF). You’re correct in thinking that this project is NOT, in the truest sense of an EVF, an EVF. In other words, the image displayed on this project’s electronic viewfinder isn’t a LIVE stream from the in-camera sensor.

Rather, this EVF is an electronic equivalent of a conventional optical viewfinder used on a camera’s cold shoe mount. Therefore, this EVF displays a LIVE stream view that is external, but parallel with the camera’s lens.

It’s unbelievable; it’s incredible; and, it uses a retro gaming handheld. Let’s begin.

And Now the Granddaddy of Them All – a DIY EVF!

OK, this is the reason you are here, right? You want to learn how to add an honest-to-gosh true DIY electronic viewfinder to your, for example, Panasonic Lumix S9! This project is very rare in the DIY world. Why? Because it’s so simple that anyone can build it and it works great.

But, best of all, this EVF isn’t the exclusive domain of the Lumix S9. It’ll work for just about ANY camera with a cold/hot shoe mount. This includes film cameras, too!

Oh, and one more thing before we begin our project, the cost for this EVF is less than $100. As a means of justifying this price, please consider this: not only is this an electronic viewfinder that displays the camera’s subject on an eye-level screen, but you can also listen to music, watch videos, and play retro games on this EVF project! Now, how dope is that?

Hmm, I can tell that you’re skeptical of these claims. Therefore, here’s the complete parts list for building your own DIY EVF:

Total: $98.47 (exclusive of possible tariffs)

There are two sides to this project: a hardware side and a software side. We’ll begin with the hardware assembly, first.

Hardware Step-by-Step

Step 1. Use the screwdriver included in the MagicX DIY Kit and remove the four screws from the back of the MagicX Mini Zero 28 handheld.

Step 2. Push and separate the two plastic shells of the handheld on the side near the TF2 microSD card slot. Use a credit card for separating the remaining sides of the handheld, by sliding the card around the perimeter of the case.

Step 3. Lay the handheld face down on the foam cushion that comes with the kit and STOP. Slowing lift the back case and detach the battery cable from the main printed circuit board (PCB).

Step 4. Locate a midway point along the lower edge of the top case just below the heatsink. Insert a piece of tape on the PCB along this lower edge. This tape will act as insulation between the 1/4″ nut and the PCB. Place one of the Camvate nut’s on the tape between the tiny PCB components. Mark the center of the nut on the case’s outer plastic shell.

Step 5. Drill a 1/4″ diameter hole at this mark. STOP, do NOT use a power drill for this step. The soft plastic could melt and ruin the handheld’s surface. Only use hand tools for drilling this hole. Periodically, test your drilling with the Nanlite adapter and Camvate nut by temporarily reassembling the two case halves together. 

Also, this step will take the largest amount of your time. Therefore, proceed slowly and carefully and you’ll soon have a DIY project that’ll give you pride of accomplishment.

Step 6. Disassemble the Nanlite adapter. Slide one of the Kondor rubber washers onto the threads down to resting on top of the cold shoe. Thread both of the knurled nuts onto the adapter. The second Kondor rubber washer is added to the top of the second knurled nut. These washers will help to cushion and distribute the force from the nuts when tightened against the cold shoe and against the lower side of the plastic handheld.

Step 7.  Loosely thread the Camvate nut onto the Nanlite adapter until the adapter’s thread is flush with the top of the nut. Slide this combination into the hole/slot that you previously drilled into both case halves. Reattach the battery cable to the PCB. The red cable should be opposite the “+” symbol on the PCB. Gently snap the two plastic case shells back together, ensuring a snug fit. Add each of the four screws back into the lower case shell.

Step 8. Carefully thread the top knurled nut/washer combination up snuggly against the plastic shell. Similarly, slide the Nanlite adapter onto the cold shoe and snuggly tighten the lower knurled nut/washer combination against the camera’s shoe.

You are now finished with all of the hardware assembly steps. Lay the completed project temporarily aside and start charging the MagicX handheld. It is now time to begin the software steps.

Software Step-by-Step

If you’ll recall, the MagicX Mini Zero 28 was purchased without a TF card. Therefore, you’ll have to download and install the OS yourself. Don’t worry it’s easy and it’s the first step.

Step 1. Goto the Magicx Mini Zero 28 GitHub and download the “Mini.28.Static.Stock.firmware._V2.1_32G.img.xz” file that is located near the “Assets” dropdown menu under the “Finally:” subhead. Expand this firmware file with your computer. The final image file will be about 31GB in size.

Step 2. Goto the Balena Etcher disk utility Web site and download the version for your computer OS. Install this utility on your computer.

Step 3. Insert your 32GB SanDisk Memory Card into your computer and use the Balena Etcher utility to install the Magicx firmware file on this card.

Step 4. Insert the firmware card into the TF1 slot on the Magicx handheld.

Step 5. Start the handheld by holding the power button (i.e., located on the bottom of the handheld) until the “Blue” LED is illuminated. The new firmware will startup (e.g., Version 2.1) and load the Android 10 OS plus the Dawn game launcher app. We will be only using the Android OS, but feel free to explore the Dawn game launcher for your own recreation. Refer to the instructions packaged with the handheld.

Step 6. Press the R2 trigger button. The Dawn game emulators will be displayed.

Step 7. Press the L1 trigger button, once. The Android tools will be displayed.

Step 8. Push-in and HOLD the right joystick for one second. The virtual mouse pointer will be displayed. Use the left joystick to move the mouse pointer and press the A button to perform a mouse click. Move the pointer to Settings and press the A button to click on the icon.

Step 9. Select Network & Internet and setup your WiFi connection. You will need this network connection for downloading one final app.

Step 10. Press the G button (i.e., located below the LCD near the site of your newly installed hardware cold shoe adapter) and return to the Android Tools.

Step 11. Select (e.g., using the virtual mouse pointer and click button) Firefox.

Step 12a. We will NOT use the Google Play Store for downloading the required app used in this project. Rather we will use Firefox. Type this URL:  and press the A button.

Or,

Step 12b. Yes, you can use Firefox for downloading the app, but using the buttons, arrow keys, and joystick can be cumbersome. A simpler method is to use your computer for downloading the app, then copy it to another, optional TF2 32GB microSD card inside its Download folder. You can download the app from:

Step 12c. Regardless of your selected download method, on the above Web page, scroll down until you see this link: “USBCAMERA.apk (4.18MB) Android 4.4 and above.” Click this link and download the APK file.

Step 13. Once the APK file has been downloaded/transferred, navigate to the Download folder and click on the app’s APK. You might see a warning about installing apps from other sources. Click the “Settings” option and select the installing other sources option from the displayed settings screen. Click the return arrow and you will return to the image app pop-up window. Select “Install” and return to the handheld’s desktop.

Step 14. The USB-Camera app is now installed on your Magicx handheld. Press the L1 trigger button to display All applications. Scroll down and the “USB-Camera” icon should be visible. Highlight the icon and press the A button, accept the license agreement terms, accept the usage conditions (change these later in settings), and accept cookie usage (again, change these later in settings).

Step 15. Attach the M5Stack Atom S3R M12 camera to the USB OTG port of the handheld. Use the adapter for this connection. Grant the app access permission for automatic start during the connection of a USB camera. You might have to set the app’s resolution to 480×320 before an image will be displayed. It could take a couple of setting/saving resolutions before a video image appears. Be patient. Also, the image can be rotated for the proper orientation.

Congrats, you’ve just built the most unbelievable, incredible, awesome, DIY project. Feel free to boast about your new EVF.

Once you’ve got this project up and running, you might actually learn to appreciate using this EVF on your camera. Why? Name any other EVF that allows you to play video games during lulls at a photographic shoot?

Enjoy.

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Olive was one of multiple cows who escaped from a New York dairy farm and ran into the woods. While the others were, sadly, rounded up, a pregnant Olive clung to her freedom and evaded capture for months.

Local residents kept an eye on her and alerted Farm Sanctuary that she had likely given birth. Our rescue team found Olive’s calf in need of help, so we immediately brought him to Cornell for emergency veterinary care. Sadly, veterinarians had to make the heartbreaking but compassionate choice to euthanize him due to untreatable musculoskeletal and joint conditions that were causing him to suffer. 

But we returned to the woods, determined to save Olive, who herself was so determined to be free. We knew that this mother cow had likely lost other calves to the horrors of dairy production.

Like Bonnie, Olive was understandably fearful at first, and it took weeks of patience as she returned to our pen to drink and eat. Eventually, Olive came close enough for us to secure her for rescue, and she began her new life at our New York sanctuary—with Bonnie and friends!

One of the joys of sanctuary is seeing farm animals who once had every reason to fear humans come to realize that they are in safe hands and valued for who they are, not what they can produce. 

At Farm Sanctuary, Olive has let her guard down and begun to revel in her freedom and the bonds she’s formed here. In her early days here, Olive grew close to, who else, cow whisperer Sarah, who patiently earned Olive’s trust with gentle pets and favorite snacks. Now, sweet Olive has many human friends and bovine buddies who bring her comfort and companionship.

By observing beyond visible wavelengths with infrared imaging, astronomers can trace both ionized gas and cool dust in evolving stellar systems. The James Webb Space Telescope now pushes this capability further than any previous observatory. The recent observation of PMR 1 showcases how multi-wavelength infrared data can resolve the geometry and composition of a dying star’s envelope with exceptional clarity.

In February 2026, NASA, ESA, and the Webb team released a combined NIRCam and MIRI image of PMR 1. The object represents a late stage in stellar evolution, when a star expels its outer layers into space. JWST’s data reveal a structured nebula divided by a distinct dark lane and surrounded by layered material. These features provide direct evidence that mass loss in evolved stars proceeds in complex and often asymmetric ways.

A brief look at PMR 1

PMR 1 formed when an aging star began ejecting its outer envelope through strong stellar winds. According to the official JWST release, the nebula consists of gas and dust expelled during a late evolutionary stage. This material now surrounds the central star and emits strongly in the infrared.

Stars in this phase undergo rapid structural changes. Nuclear burning shifts in the core, and the outer layers become unstable. As a result, the star drives material outward in powerful outflows. These winds carry chemically enriched matter into the surrounding interstellar medium.

Consequently, objects like PMR 1 play a critical role in galactic evolution. The expelled material contains heavy elements forged inside the star. Over time, this matter mixes into molecular clouds, where new stars and planetary systems form. Thus, the death of one star seeds the birth of others.

However, the precise evolutionary path of PMR 1 remains uncertain. Scientists note that the central star’s mass has not yet been firmly determined. If the star resembles the Sun in mass, it will likely produce a planetary nebula and eventually settle as a white dwarf. If it is substantially more massive, it could follow a more energetic path that culminates in a supernova. At present, the available data do not resolve this question.

JWST’s dual-instrument view

JWST observed PMR 1 using two of its core instruments: NIRCam and MIRI. Each instrument probes a different portion of the infrared spectrum. Together, they provide a comprehensive physical view of the nebula.

NIRCam operates in the near-infrared regime. These wavelengths trace relatively warmer gas and reveal fine structural detail. In the PMR 1 image, NIRCam data show sharply defined inner regions and intricate filaments. The brighter central areas likely represent more recent mass-loss events.

MIRI extends the view into the mid-infrared. This wavelength range is particularly sensitive to cooler dust grains. In PMR 1, MIRI reveals a broader and more diffuse envelope surrounding the inner structure. The mid-infrared emission highlights material that earlier optical observations could not fully detect.

When astronomers combine these datasets, they separate emission from ionized gas and thermal dust. This layered perspective allows researchers to analyze temperature gradients and spatial distribution across the nebula. NASA and ESA emphasize that such multi-wavelength capability represents one of JWST’s defining strengths. Instead of relying on multiple observatories, scientists can now study hot and cool components within a single integrated dataset.

The dark lane that splits the nebula

One of the most prominent features in PMR 1 is the narrow dark lane that divides the nebula vertically. This structure separates the object into two opposing lobes. The lane likely marks a dense equatorial region where material blocks emission from behind it.

Such configurations often indicate asymmetric mass loss. Rather than ejecting material uniformly in all directions, the star appears to have expelled matter preferentially along specific axes. This process can produce hourglass-shaped nebulae.

JWST’s resolution reveals that the two lobes are not perfectly symmetrical. Subtle differences in brightness and texture suggest that the outflows changed over time. These variations imply that the star experienced multiple ejection phases, each contributing to the current morphology.

Moreover, scientists report that material near the upper portion of the nebula appears pushed outward. This pattern may indicate the influence of jet-like outflows. Jets can carve cavities through previously ejected material and enhance the structure. If confirmed through further study, PMR 1 would join a growing list of evolved nebulae shaped by collimated flows.

Dust, gas, and the record of mass loss

Infrared observations allow astronomers to probe regions hidden from optical telescopes. Dust absorbs visible light but emits efficiently at longer wavelengths. JWST provides a clearer view of the physical conditions within PMR 1. Near-infrared emission traces ionized gas located closer to the central star. These regions appear brighter and more structured in the NIRCam data. They likely correspond to relatively recent episodes of mass loss.

In contrast, the mid-infrared emission recorded by MIRI reveals cooler dust distributed across a wider area. This dust may represent material expelled during earlier phases. The layered appearance suggests that the star did not shed its envelope in a single event. Instead, it likely underwent successive periods of enhanced mass loss.

NASA and ESA scientists stress that analyzing these layers helps reconstruct the object’s evolutionary timeline. By estimating dust temperatures and spatial extent, researchers can infer changes in mass-loss rate. Furthermore, interactions between faster and slower winds may produce shock fronts. Some of the filamentary features seen in the near-infrared data could trace these collisions.

Clear skies!

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