Why does my lens see further than my viewfinder?

[faeriegodess612]

I've noticed, that for some reason,..my lens sees wider than my viewfinder does. I can have everything framed exactly how I want, then when I press the shutter and it pops up on the screen,..theres more to the photo then what I'd wanted. I mean, a small crop would fix it. It's just a lil bit...but it's still kind of annoying.

Is this my lens? My camera? Me? Has anyone else seen this? Is this a normal thing for Nikon's or DSLR's? Is this NOT normal?

My viewfinder jumps when taking a shot too,...but I think I read on here some time ago, that thats just kinda normal. That as long as it doesnt seem to effect your shots or anything else on the camera, its fine. Correct, or no?

[candleman]

your D3100 only has a 95% viewfinder
IE, the viewfinder doesn't show you exactly what the image will be ... only 95% of it

[zona5101]

function of the camera design. If you look at the "spec" sheet on a camera body it will list the viewfinder coverage...with percentage of the view such as 96%, 98% going towards 100%...

[gomer4378]

I am not 100% sure but I think on a lot of cameras they only have a viewfinder of around 95% due to the fact that if you print and frame it, the frame edge will cover that 5%.

I may be way off but it makes sense to me

[IABoomer]

Not sure what you mean about the viewfinder "jumping" unless you're saying something happens when the mirror flips up.

The other issue is normal. To get a viewfinder that covers 100% of the lens view would require a bigger mirror and bigger glass in the viewfinder, which would require bigger brackets, which makes the body bigger, which consumers tend not to like. Thus, the "consumer" or "entry level" cameras often have something like 95% viewfinders. The mid-range cameras may get closer to 97%, and the pro cameras will show 100%. I'm generalizing, but that's the gist of it, so you can rest assured it's not just you.

[faeriegodess612]

Ok, thanks guys. That's new info to me,..I'd never heard of that before.

The jumping in the viewfinder,...It does it when I press the shutter to fully release to take a shot. It's like the movement of the shutter causes the camera innards to jump. It doesnt affect the photos, its just something it does.

[candleman]

Originally Posted by faeriegodess612

Ok, thanks guys. That's new info to me,..I'd never heard of that before.

The jumping in the viewfinder,...It does it when I press the shutter to fully release to take a shot. It's like the movement of the shutter causes the camera innards to jump. It doesnt affect the photos, its just something it does.

you could be seeing the mirror moving as it flips up, and reflects a bit of light around in there.
(there is physical movement in there)

it could be you're seeing reflections of the mirror movement, rather than the actual viewfinder/"pentaprism" moving.

[Gado]

I'm thinking the "jump" is the VR activating. Try turning it off and see what happens.

[daft_biker]

Originally Posted by faeriegodess612

I mean, a small crop would fix it. It's just a lil bit...but it's still kind of annoying.

It annoys me too. Have you noticed the distortion in the viewfinder too?

My camera spec says it has a 100% viewfinder but it's still not bang on and can't draw straight lines at the edge of the frame even if the lens can. Most of the time it's close enough though.....you learn to compensate for the flaws.

Personally I have no intention if buying another DSLR if it doesn't have a 100% viewfinder - I like strong diagonals, tight framing and dislike cropping. In my film days I tended to find viewfinders showed more than prints so working out what was going to be on the edge of a print when you shot it was guesswork...a bit like using a rangefinder without any frame markings in the viewfinder, I imagine!

[faeriegodess612]

Yeah,...I think the jumping is the inner workings of the camera moving about. I think its just one of the things that it does.

As for the viewfinder %,...I'll just have to compensate for it. If I have to, I'll crop just a tad.