P&S digicam: Do you use the viewfinder or the LCD?

[jespdj]

<p>I have a Canon PowerShot G3. When I use it I always use the LCD

screen to compose the image. The G3 has an incredibly bad

viewfinder: in the lower left corner you see the lens blocking part

of your view, the viewfinder seems to show a lot more than I get on

the photo and ofcourse there's the problem of parallax error because

you're not looking through the lens. In other words, the G3's

viewfinder is quite useless.

<p>I wonder what P&S digicams have good viewfinders and if you

prefer to use the LCD screen or the viewfinder?

<p>regards

[ymages]

when the light is too strong i use the viewfinder , no matter for the lens ! but it's an incredible concept error !

 

I like anyway very much the G3

[steven_clark]

Only on cameras where the viewfinder actually functions. ON my parent's old olympus d-400 the viewfinder actually had some serious optics to it and seemed to to a very reasonable job of zooming and focussing with the taking lens. We just about never used the LCD for taking on it because we didn't really need to.

[todd frederick]

I am a bit new to digital cameras, but my unit has a movable LCD and it is wonderful, so I use that a lot. Today I was playing with a nice spider (photographically) on the Super Macro MF function, in my front yard, and the LCD was essential to see exactly what I was getting both in terms of framing and focus. I needed a hat to shade the camera and used my hand around the LCD as well, and took about five images until I got a sharp image because a slight breeze was moving the web. I can also use it for waist level candids. If I did not have the movable LCD, I'd probably use the viewfinder much more often.<div></div>

[Brad_]

My sony digicam has an electronic viewfinder. While not perfect,

it does give you an accurate view of what you're shooting. And it's

also great in low light. But, most of the time I use the LCD screen

- for candids and also for shooting low to the ground.<P>

 

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[oskar_ojala]

LCD. The viewfinders of the Canon G-series are horrible, the only reason to use them that I can think of is when you're running out of battery power. With some really compact cameras it's helpful to see the accurate framing of the image, so that you don't accidentally get your finger in the middle of the frame.

[nicholas_wybolt]

Jesper,

 

I find the parallax error on my Olympus C-5050 to be sufficiently bad that I rarely use it. I shoot almost exclusively with the LCD.

 

-Nick

[carl_russmann1]

Jesper,

 

I've got the same camera you do, and almost all of the time I use the LCD. The only time I don't is when taking pictures of moving subjects. I find it difficult to properly track and frame something like a moving cyclist with anything but the optical viewfinder. And when using the multiple-shot feature (like a motor-drive) for taking several quick shots in a row, you obviously have to use the viewfinder as the LCD is disabled from the time the first shot is taken until the last shot is written to the CF card.

 

Of course when I use the viewfinder, half the time I forget to flip the LCD in and end up having to clean nose smudges off of it when I'm done!

 

--carl

[Jochen_S]

I like viewfinders a lot, so I use them when ever possible. I remember the damned slow changing LCD of a Powershot pro 70; using it was nearly worse than switching to MF waistlevelfinder.

[erb_duchenne]

LCD.

 

You're talking about a whole range of different cameras here. But on most the LCD is worthwhile. Digicams usually have horrible viewfinders. In contrast, many higher end digicams offer swivel LCDs which allow you to view from odd angles, including self portraits. So... there's a clear winner here.

 

Of course on a super bright day, or when you're low on battery, there might be a little, "okay, okay... looks like I HAVE to use the vf!@*&!"

[craig_gillette]

I have a Fuji S602, it has two evfs, one in an eyepiece type finder and the one on the rear panel. I find I use the eyepiece finder probably well over 95% of the time. I seldom, in fact I don't think ever, have used the rear panel finder freehand (at arms length). I do use it at times on a tripod and sometimes if scanning a scene. I think the various twistable or movable finders would be extremely useful in odd angles or restricted space shooting however.

 

I have, at times tried using open eye shooting and am considering a sports finder (basically an open frame) for use for sports where the evf can't keep up.

 

I believe the zoom and focus are mechanically linked on optical finder cameras so, aside from finder percentage and parallax, what you see is what you get. There is some refresh delay on the evfs and the camera is often in focus before you can tell it is from the finder.

 

The Canon G's are a real stunner. The flexible finder is amazing and I'd love one on my Fuji. Yet the optical finder is partially obscured and doesn't have the kind of info display that is possible with lcd displays (even on film slrs, etc.)

 

Something else that seems questionable on many cameras is the lack of diopter corrections.