XTi Viewfinder

[Rich B NYC]

I just looked at the XTi, with a special interest in the viewfinder which has

come under criticism for its size. Compared to the Nikon D80, which I also

looked at, the size issue exists. Be that as it may, I could live with the

smaller finder given the difference in price.

 

What concerns me is that the XTi's finder seemed much darker than the D80's. I

think that the store not having a charged battery for the XTi (don't ask)may

be the problem. Can someone confirm whether or not the XTi's finder brightens

when the camera is turned on?

 

Thanks.

[bobatkins]

The battery maks no difference in the XTi (or any other Canon EOS SLR or DSLR). It's a purely optical viewfinder.

 

On the other hand some Nikon DSLRs do need power. This is to make the LCD which overlays the viewing screen (for grid line display) fully transparent.

[Doug Obert]

The short answer is no. These are SLR's, you don't need to turn "on" the camera or even have a battery in it to look through the viewfinder.

[sattler123]

Make sure you compare lenses with equal maximum aperture - if the Nikon lens was a 1.8 and the Canon a 4.0 then the finder would be darker with the Canon.

[ronald_moravec1]

Nikons use prisms and consumer Canon models use porro mirrors as a cost savings. In time they darken and are unrepairable economically. A prism has less light loss when new.

 

Nikons need to be turned on or the finder is very dark as stated above.

[awindsor]

The D80 does use a pentaprism but the consumer Nikon's use a pentamirrors too. Both the D40 and D50 use pentamirrors.

 

The pentamirror is not as efficient as a pentaprism. The Nikon's have a slight advantage due to the larger sensor and thus larger mirror too.

 

The XTi will have a slightly draker viewfinder than the D80 but if you noticed a major difference then a difference in lenses is far more likely.

[Rich B NYC]

Thanks, everyone. I used to own a Nikon N80 on which the viewfinder brightened considerably once the camera was powered on. Never having owned a Canon SLR/DSLR, I wasn't sure if that was the case as well.

 

Both cameras that I looked at had lenses with a maximum aperture of f3.5 so that really wasn't the issue.

 

Decisions, decisions.

[howard_slavitt2]

I agree that the XTI's viewfinder is it's weak spot. I use the XTI as a backup for my Canon 5D, and also as a compact point and shoot. The beneficial tradeoff for the small and dark viewfinder is that the XTI is inexpensive, compact, light and has great image quality (the dust buster sensor shaker is nice too).

[mendel_leisk]

If you've not settled on the XTi in the Canon line, consider the 30D as well: it's viewfinder is a bit brighter/bigger.

[dogbert]

I agree that the XTi veiwfinder is terrible though one tends to get used to it provided it is the only camera you are using. If you switch between film slrs and the XTi (as I do) you will probably find the XTi viewfinder more irritating.

[gdanmitchell]

It would be a good idea to compare the two camera with lenses that have the same

maximum aperture. If you are looking through a Canon with a f/4 lens and a Nikon with a

f/2.8, guess which will look brighter? (The reverse is also true - e.g., if you have f/2.8 on

the Canon and f/4 on the Nikon.)

 

It would also be a good idea to take a look through the viewfinders in the sort of light

you'll actually shoot in. (If you shoot most of your photos in the camera departments of

large stores, you are there... Otherwise, step outside or at least go to a window.)

 

The camera with smaller sensors show a less bright viewfinder image. In most cases you

probably won't notice it much once you get the camera and start using it.

[claude_batmanghelidj]

Just a couple of questions. I have the D70 and it has one of those miserable littel finders too.

 

1. Is it as bad as the Canon's, or should I say, is the Canon's as bad as the Nikon's?

2. How is that Nikon and Canon can be so cheap with this? These are expensive items, you would think that installing brighter finders with prisms and usuable manual focus screens would be a nice gesture on their part.

[Rich B NYC]

Dan,

 

As I mentioned, both lenses had a maximum aperture of f3.5. They were the Canon 18-55 and Nikkor 18-135 kit lenses. Frankly, I wouldn't buy either of these lenses based on what I've read about them.

 

One point that was made is that one can get used to the XTi's finder if it's the only camera being used. My current digital is a Canon S3IS and I have gotten used to that. Coming from shooting Nikon F3 and Leica M bodies, it did indeed take some getting used to. The performance I'm getting from that camera has me leaning toward a Canon DSLR.

 

If I decide on the XTi, I'm going to get it with the 17-40L f4 lens which would make the finder even darker than the kit zoom at the short end.

 

One of the reasons that I'm thinking of going with Canon (I'm a lifetime Nikon film shooter)is the Canon lens lineup and the 17-40 in particular. Nikon has nothing at all like it in it's lineup other than the 17-35 f2.8 which is about twice the price. The Nikkor is faster, but I'm mainly a landscape shooter and can live with f4.

 

Claude...this has nothing to do with gestures. It has to do with the bottom line. There are reasons that the D80 costs $200 more than the XTi and the better finder is one of them.

 

Mendel....I may very well consider the 30D after I get a look at its finder.

 

Thanks again for all the replies.

 

Rich