Using the viewfinder

[AndCity]

A question? Do you use the viewfinder or the lcd screen on your camera?

I have observed people taking photographs and notice a lot of people (generally the 'serious' photographers) use the view finder. Why? I have a theory that it helps hold the camera steadier as it is resting on your face as well as holding it? Or is simply just because the battery lasts longer?

I tend to use the lcd screen as it seems to work for me but I am interested what and why others do?

[joseph_hac]

Most DSLRs do not have a "LiveView" feature to shoot from the LCD, so the only choice is to use the viewfinder. I know my Canon XSi does have LiveView, but I remember it being pretty limited.

In my opinion, it feels more natural to shoot through the viewfinder. The proper way to shoot is with one hand on the shutter release, the other around the bottom of the lens with both your elbows in tight to your body. This stance will give you a stable shot.

[dcclark]

joseph_hac has it pretty well.

In addition, the viewfinder is the real scene, right there -- it's much easier to actually see what's going on, not trying to view something on a LCD screen which may or may not be readable in bright light.

Of course, I'm referring to SLRs. Rangefinder cameras (which is what most compacts are, effectively) don't necessarily show you exactly the same view through the viewfinder.

[AndCity]

Thanks for this - I use a Panasonic Lumix FZ18, so it being a bridge camera would have the lcd screen. I never realised DSLRs didn't have live viewfinders. I'm learning...

[inkista]

Originally Posted by dcclark

... Rangefinder cameras (which is what most compacts are, effectively) don't necessarily show you exactly the same view through the viewfinder.

Errr... most compact digital cameras are not rangefinders (a rangefinder has both a rangefinder and a viewfinder). And a rangefinder never shows you exactly the same view as the camera, as you're looking through a viewfinder that is offset from the main camera lens, so you always have some parallax error of the view to the image you're taking. Also, obviously, the view on a rangefinder does not change if you change the focal length of your lens. A digital P&S's LCD will show you if you zoom in and out, and is directly relaying the scene information seen through the lens, and is actually closer to an SLR in that respect--while there's no mirror box to reflect, you are still getting a WYSIWYG view.

A digital P&S's viewfinder will typically be similar to a rangefinder viewfinder, but there's no rangefinder overlay, no crop lines, and the viewfinder will still accommodate focal length changes, and usually there's a lot less parallax correction (sigh).

Most SLR viewfinders don't actually accurately represent 100% of the frame, although most are close enough for jazz, and you don't have any parallax issues, as you do for other types of optical viewfinders.

Most compact digital cameras these days do not have any form of optical viewfinder, hence the prevalance of using an LCD to compose. And given the reliance of most digital photographers on the information overlaid on live view to set exposure, etc., most don't go for the optical viewfinder any more. I've used the OVF on my Canon S30 and G9s, though, to conserve power. On my S30, I remember once that I was getting the empty battery warning, and I turned off the LCD and used the OVF and was able to take another 100 images.

Then again, I once shot with a rangefinder, so using an OVF that doesn't actually do the WYSIWYG thing doesn't necessarily bother me that much.

[jagoble25]

My new D90 has Live View and I have used it once when I was first checking out all the new features, same with the video.

[dcclark]

Originally Posted by inkista

Errr... most compact digital cameras are not rangefinders (a rangefinder has both a rangefinder and a viewfinder). And a rangefinder never shows you exactly the same view as the camera, as you're looking through a viewfinder that is offset from the main camera lens, so you always have some parallax error of the view to the image you're taking.

Yeah, this is essentially what I was trying to say. While newer P&S's don't tend to have viewfinders, they do exist (and were more common just a year or two ago).

I knew I'd be in trouble for making this kind of generalization...

[alex3410]

both put viewfinder about 90% of the time lol

[kirbinster]

dSLRs are adding live view to get people from the P&S world, otherwise they would probably not have it. I want to look through the lens, not watch a "TV" picture of what I am shooting.

The only exception to this would be I would use it on my D5000 to take pictures in a crowd where I could hold the camera way over my head and see the video screen.