AF SLR with a large/good viewfinder? (range$ 300-500)

[bleda_han]

I own a Canon Rebel G, and lately I am very unhappy with its tiny

viewfinder. In the US$300-500 range, is there an AF SLR that comes

with a larger/better viewfinder?

 

I started photography in 1999 and bought a Rebel G kit (I did not

know any better), and I am still using that camera with mostly the 28-

105mm f/3.5-4.5 zoom. In the last two years, I have also been using

my girlfriend's manual Minolta SLR with her Minolta lenses, and what

a difference a large and bright viewfinder makes... After the

sensation of using the Minolta's viewfinder for composition, I just

do not want to go back to my Rebel's tiny, limiting viewfinder. I

think that the quality of a camera body's viewfinder makes a crucial

difference in the quality of the photographic output.

 

Thanks for your input

 

BH

[stemked]

The Pentax ZX-5N is in your price range and has a bright viewfinder (because it uses a Pentaprism rather than mirrors) but I doubt you'll find anything that is much larger.

[todd peach seattle, washi]

In Nikon, a used N90 or N90s would fit your price range; they have pretty decent viewfinders and are 'a lot of camera' for the money. If you're not in a hurry to dump Canon, I bet their more expensive cameras (new or used) offer something similar.

[al_kaplan1]

Take a clue from your girlfriend! Get a manual focus SLR with a good viewfinder. It costs big money to make a good viewfinder, and the pressure is there to keep costs low. Auto focus cameras don't really need easy to focus viewfinders, so guess where they cut costs? They make the cameras crummy enough these days, mostly plastic, unless you buy a top of the line pro body. Meanwhile tens of thousands of used high quality metal bodied manual focus SLR's and lenses go begging.

[tom_montemarano]

You could try looking at a Maxxum 5 or 7. I have the 7 and it has both a very bright viewfinder and a very high viewfinder magnification (0.8x). It that is too expensive, try the Maxxum 5. While not as bright or as high mag as the 7, Minolta is known for the brightness of their AF viewfinders.

 

Tom

[oleg_kosyakovsky]

Minolta Maxxum 7 has the industry "largest" and very bright viewfinder. "Largest" in terms of magnification, not frame coverage. Even Minolta Maxxum 5 with its mirrow prism has more magnification than Canon Rebel G/Rebel 2000/Elan 7/Elan 2; and is still bright enough. And what about Canon? This system is bought by amateurs for Image Stabilizer; if what you want is good camera, go for Minolta, or maybe Pentax.

[jimstrutz]

A used Canon EOS 5/A2e. Large bright viewfinder with interchangable viewscreens & you will still be able to use your lens. A new EOS 3 would work as well, but it would be hard to find one for $500 even used.

[jimstrutz]

Also, if you are comparing the viewfinder brightness with your f/4.5 zoom to the viewfinder brightness of the manual camera with a 50mm f/1.7 lens, you will continue to be disapointed until you buy fast lenses for whatever camera you buy.

 

But you're right, the Rebel's viewfinder would still be dim and small.

[peter_langfelder]

EOS 600 series have good viewfinders, larger and much brighter than the Rebel (I know, I compared them side by side...). That is, if you don't mind buying used... same goes for EOS 1. As someone else said, get a faster lens (50/1.8), it also makes a lot of difference.

[bleda_han]

Thanks for all the responses;

 

I am going to be brave, and try to get better at using my girlfriend's manual minolta in addition to my Rebel G until the day I go digital (a two digit mega pixel Canon @ under $1000!)