Ignore your lcd?

<p>I love photography, and have grown up with film. I have been using digital for around 5-6 years. </p>

<p>Instead of spending time taking photos, instead what I find myself doing is taking a photo, and then stressing about my LCD to make sure that everything is perfect. </p>

<p>I'm thinking about covering my LCD for the next week so that I can enjoy the time of shooting photos without being tempted to look at the LCD. Or maybe I will just pick up a couple of rolls of film and borrow my grandfathers ELAN.</p>

<p>Do you ever find yourself too occupied by the LCD and "Chimping" ? What do you do to not be so tempted to look at every single picture?</p>

<p>I feel like it takes away from that moment when you see the actual photo and think to yourself, YEAH that's what I was looking for!</p>

<p>Ignore my LCD? Yes. In fact, it's covered with a Delkin folding hood. Like you, I grew up with film and I've just never felt the need to "chimp" after every shot. About the only time I open the hood is when I access the menu for card formatting, sensor cleaning, etc.</p>

<p>Many models will let you reduce or shut off the playback if you find the light below the viewfinder distracting.</p>

<p>John - I do have the LCD shut off, my problem comes in that I am a perfectionist and it is just way too easy to hit that "play" button to make sure everything is perfect.</p>

<p>William - I think I may have to look at picking up the folding hood, I just need something that will take a little more effort than just hitting the play button I believe. At least at this point in my photography, every photo doesn't have to be "perfect".</p>

<p>I didn't "grow up" on film and yet hardly ever "chimp". But in tough lighting or really wanting to get the shot I use LCD. The LCD can be and is a great too to use.</p>

 

<p>Strictly speaking, "chimping" occurs when several people cluster around the photographer to view images on the LCD. This reflects the social behavior of apes. What the photographer does as an individual is something else altogether.</p>

<p>It seems foolish to disuse a tool denied to traditional (analog) photographers. When you are shooting a live event or wedding a lot of things can go wrong, and the LCD allows a vital check before it is too late to make corrections. For example, it's not always easy to guess how your autoexposure system will react to a bright object in the background (or foreground, q.v., wedding dresses and staged plays), or a field of dark suits (q.v., weddings and symphony orchestras).</p>

<p>If ignoring the LCD makes things more difficult (hence more valuable), why not shoot with one foot held in the air. After all, harder is better ;-)</p>

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<p>I keep my LCD turned off, so if I want to see an image I shoot I have to hit the playback button on the camera. There will be times that I review a shot, to make sure I have the exposure close and that the focus was good, but I will also go through a lot of shots without checking the images. If you find looking at the LCD is really distracting then just shut it off and don't review your images, very simple.</p>

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<p> I keep my LCD "off", though I play it now and then. With static subjects, I often run a bracket anyway.</p>

<p>To chimp or not to chimp. That is the question. I just have the LCD turned off myself. I do not need it other then occasionally setting a menu function. I have had the camera for over 3 yrs now and I know what it will give me when I push that little button. My film rigs do not have a LCD but I am thinking of a F6. </p>

<p>I love my LCD.</p>

<p>I think it is one of the greatest tools ever invented for photography. It allows me to check composition, focus, and whether I caught the magic moment. It allows me to experiment with different angles and approaches. </p>

<p>I would think for a student it would allow for much faster learning curve.</p>

<p>You have to learn to control your equipment and the process.</p>

<p>Depends what I'm doing.</p>

<p>Sometimes its very useful, and sometimes the histogram is useful too.</p>

<p>Other times, either I don't feel the need, or I'm really too busy taking to keep looking. Sometimes, if you mess about checking the LCD, you've missed the next one. I'm often to wrapped up in what I'm doing to want to stop and look at what I just did. I either got it or I didn't and looking at it won't change it.</p>

<p>I am mostly a film user & have only recently taken the plunge for a DSLR. I normally only ever check it after every shot (or few whots) when I am playing sunny 16 with a lens that doesn't meter. Find having the LCD to check my estimation very convenient.</p>

<p>I was almost at the point of ROTFLMAO while shooting some TMax shots with my Rolleiflex of the lighthouse at Heceta Head. A carload of people stopped and whipped out all their digicams for a really beautiful shot. One of them came over to me and couldn't fathom a camera not having an LCD screen. He was just blown away when I told him you have to look down at the ground glass, showed him how, and it was in color too.....</p>

<p>Well my camera viewfinder's ability to show perpendicularity to frame boundaries and composition leaves a lot to be desired. After taking the shot the LCD shows what actually got cut off or crooked. I also use the histogram which I've visually calibrated to what I see in ACR shooting Raw. ACR likes to apply a base tone shift by as much as .50 exposure. The histogram helps immensely to getting the best exposure for Raw processing.</p>

<p>Like Edward and other's have said, the LCD is just a tool to make things easier. Why not use it?</p>

If your hands are at all shaky, using a viewfinder instead of the screen allows you to steady the camera against your forehead while taking a picture.

<p>My LCD is virtually unused on both my digi-SLRs. I shoot, focus on shooting, and futz around with settings. There's so little to see on the LCD that I seldom bother to review, preferring to wait for my calibrated monitors at home.<br>

I think it would be really distracting to stop and fool with the images while I am supposed to be shooting.</p>

<p>Hey, we <em>Homo sapiens</em> are card-carrying members of the primate order. Why shouldn't we chimp? Own it!</p>

<p>Seriously, what Edward said! I couldn't have said it better. My less concise rant on the subject can be found here:<br>

<a href="http://www.graphic-fusion.com/peeping.htm">http://www.graphic-fusion.com/peeping.htm</a></p>

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<p>There's so little to see on the LCD...</p>

 

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<p>When using a wide open aperture sometimes the slightest shift backward or forward by either the subject or photographer will throw the plane of focus way off due to the narrow DOF while not being detectable through the viewfinder. 12X zoom feature to check sharpness of edges really helps.</p>

<p>There's a lot of posts here by folks using their newly bought $500 50mm 1.4 prime lens complaining how soft their portrait shots are viewed on their displays after shooting wide open when they were told that shouldn't be the case with such a high quality lens. The LCD's zoom feature would've at least shown this at the time of the shoot to allow adjustments.</p>

<p>I grew up on film, and I have enough confidence in my eyes and what I see in the viewfinder, as well as my ability to adjust the manual controls of the camera, that I don't feel the need to check every photo on the LCD. Besides, that little screen just won't show what I really need to see -- detail. However, I do use the LCD's histogram; that reveals the great unknown -- was my exposure o.k.? -- especially in difficult lighting situations.</p>

<p>No experience with film, but I never miss the great pleasure with every moments of photography. I hardly look into lcd (which if I try, not possible in outdoors). What I do is, take pictures with bracketing and continue shooting. Later I will look into the lcd sitting relaxed.</p>

<p>I "grew up on film" and wished that my old film cameras would have had an lcd and a histogram. Would have saved myself a lot of money on film and processing. </p>

<p>"Besides, that little screen just won't show what I really need to see -- detail."</p>

<p>Mine does. You just have to use the zoom feature.</p>

<p>One doesn't have to chimp after every shot. I usually take a few pre-shoot shots and check my exposure. I then make any adjustments. I then take my shots during the action.</p>

<p>When there is a lull I review my shots. With film I would take this time to change rolls. I miss much fewer shots with my digital cameras.</p>

<p>I did not grow up with film, but I don't look at the LCD too often, just don't feel the need to do that as most times I can't go back and take that shot again.</p>

<p>I like it and find it useful. So I use it. It gives me a little extra confidence I got something on the card. I mean things can happen, like the flash did not reach full capacity. Whatever.</p>

<p>I'll chimp to make sure I've got what I'm looking for when shooting sport. I'll also check under difficult lighting situations.<br>

Of course, in studio or formal shoots, I'll probably shoot tethered, so I'll "review" rather than "chimp".</p>