Digicam Viewfinders

[Bluethroatedone]

Anyone know a high quality digital camera with a nice big viewfinder - NOT on an SLR?

There was a cool thread last week on digicams....but...I find that taking shots hiking, backpacking and trekking, I much prefer viewfinders to those little screens....In the screen, the sun often makes it hard to see, the colors aren't exactly right etc...Clearly the SLRs are ideal, I but I'm wonder if I'd take the extra pounds that an SLR would representor if I did if I would have it out as often. (Other desired qualities: High quality lens, high Megapixels for blowups, adjustable aperture/light etc.)

Any thoughts?

 

[David Metsky]

If you want an ultrazoom camera (8x and up) they pretty much all have electronic viewfinders, which look like an optical view finder but in actuality are not. Is that the problem that you are concerned about?

There are lots of P&S cameras with true optical viewfinders. The list of high quality cameras is huge, you'd need to be a bit more specific about what your requirements are.

I recommend visiting the reviews at DCReview and see what is out there.

-dave-

 

[jbrown]

Canon SD400 Digital Elph has a 2.0 inch LCD viewscreen, as does the SD300. There are a couple more with larger screens, but I just got called into a meeting so I'll have to finish later...

 

[Bluethroatedone]

Real viewfinder

Jbrown, By viewfinder I mean what you stick your eye to, as oposed to an LCD screen. On cameras like the SD300 the hole is so small that you have to squint through and can't get a good feel for how the picture will come out. The other issue is that on long trips you don't want to have the LCD on at all to conserve battery power.

On SLRs on the other hand you have a 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch are to put your eye against, also getting a very good idea of focus, light etc...the problem of course is the weight of SLRs....

David, not really concerned about if its digital or optical, but if its usable On subcompacts they really aren't as mentioned above.

 

[MichaelJ]

MEB's camera is not an SLR but has an LCD inside the viewfinder. So technically it's a single-lens because of course you're only ever watching what's coming through the lens onto the sensor, but it's not a big SLR with prism and all that. MEB, what kind of camera is yours? Do you consider its viewfinder large?

 

[arghman]

I agree w/ Bluethroatedone. My fz20 has an electronic viewfinder with a few major disadvantages compared to SLRs:

1) hard to see in sunlight (solution here is an eyeshield/cover to block out the light)
2) not enough pixels to see detail, my camera only has approx 100,000 -- not enough to do a good job of seeing if you have things in focus
3) not large enough field of view when looking into it... this is anecdotal, I have my dad's old Pentax SLR film camera, the image you see in the viewfinder appears much larger.

advantages: WYSIWYG, + the camera can display lots of other stuff, e.g. histograms, # of pictures left, battery energy content, etc.

edit: the 100Kpixel number above refers to the viewfinder LCD, not the camera CCD. (if not obvious)

 

[David Metsky]

MEB's camera is not an SLR but has an LCD inside the viewfinder.

That is an EVF (electronic viewfinder) and it has some issues. They are less clear and smaller than a traditional optical viewfinder, and harder to view under certain lighting conditions.

The short answer is you're not going to find a large optical viewfinder on anything but a large camera. Right now, that means a dSLR. Since most users, for better or worse, use the LCD for framing their shots the camera makers don't put a premium on larger optical viewfinders when spaces is limited.

-dave-

 

[zeke]

SLR not generally practical on hikes

I've lugged my Canon Rebel SLR film camera along on hikes in the past and found that, although the pics were excellent, stopping to use the camera was almost the equivalent of stopping to have lunch--stop, take off the pack, retrieve the camera, take it out of its protective padding, don't get it wet!!, take the pictures, repack, etc. Regardless of the viewfinder/LCD preference, the SLR in my opinion isn't well suited for the trail. I've purchased the digital version of the Rebel (love it) since my earlier film version, but I take my Canon point-and-shoot digital with me in the mountains.

 

[arghman]

I've lugged my Canon Rebel SLR film camera along on hikes in the past and found that, although the pics were excellent, stopping to use the camera was almost the equivalent of stopping to have lunch--stop, take off the pack, retrieve the camera, take it out of its protective padding, don't get it wet!!, take the pictures, repack, etc.

I feel your pain... but Murphy's Law says I need my good camera. I tend to compromise: I have my camera in a camera bag but unfastened, both inside a plastic grocery bag, ready with closeup lens already on, at the top of my pack, zippers in a predictable place. Takes me probably 10 seconds to retrieve, maybe 15-20 to put back. (add another 10 seconds to take off / replace closeup lens for those longer shots)

 

[MichaelJ]

I've lugged my Canon Rebel SLR film camera along on hikes in the past and found that, although the pics were excellent, stopping to use the camera was almost the equivalent of stopping to have lunch

I take my digital Rebel with me all the time. The trick was to find a small top-loading reverse-flap pack, in my case a LowePro, that I keep on my hip belt with an extra 'biner through the shoulder strap. While a bit awkward if I need to squeeze between trees or bushwhack, it only takes about 10 seconds to get the camera out.

Using an alternate lens, well, that remains an expedition unto itself.

 

[HikerBob]

I'm currently using a Nikon D70 and just love the quality and the fact that it has a hefty battery and uses very little power in operation.

My previous camera was a Nikon 8700 which did have an (Electronic View Finder) EVF which is just as well because in most lighting conditions the LCD was impossible to see properly, even though it did have a nice twist and turn capability. An EVF gives you SLR-like viewfinding but (unless they have improved this also) falls short of what you get with an SLR.

The 8700 lacked a focus assist lamp and low light performance (read - any flower in a woodland setting) was difficult. I carried a tripod and used it a lot!

The Nikon 8800 is basically an upgrade to that camera but incorporates a lot of updates that fix some of the issues I had with it. The 8800 sports a larger battery; a 10x zoom and even VR! Nikon's image stabilization system. You can find a full review HERE

I have not used the 8800 but if the enhancements do deliver it would put it up there in the 'not quite an SLR' group.

It's not a small camera but at 1 1/2 lbs it's less than half the weight of my D70 and lens combo!

Bob

 

[MEB]

The camera I use is a Fugi FinPix S7000. The viewfinder (the place where I put my eye) is about the same size as that of a regular camera and it also has a large LCD screen. I've been very pleased with the pictures and it's easy to use.

 

[DougPaul]

I have a Canon A75 with both an LCD screen and an optical viewfinder. The viewfinder has 75% accuracy (compared the actual picture according to http://www.imaging-resource.com/PRODS/A75/A75A.HTM)

The optical viewfinders are easy to use in bright light, but may not show the exact picture, and display no information about the exposure etc. I much prefer the viewfinder on my film SLR... (accurate picture, focus, and exposure).

Doug

 

[jbrown]

Jbrown, By viewfinder I mean what you stick your eye to, as oposed to an LCD screen.

Oooohhhhhh... Yeah, I can't offer any help there other than to illucidate my own experience. I have noticed that not only is the viewfinder small on my digital, but that it doesn't line up directly with what the LCD screen shows, especially with close-up shots. I would imagine that any "pro-sumer" type camera would have a larger viewfinder, but you're getting into the larger digital SLRs. I don't want to carry a larger camera on the trail, though, so I make do with what I have.

 

[Jay H]

The optical viewfinder on my Canon G3 is slightly smaller than the actual print size and everybody who borrows it questions the fact that you can see the lens through the viewfinder.

The only time I really use the LCD screen is when in macro mode when the camera is typically pretty close to the flower/object I'm photographing. The fact that the LCD can be taken out and swiveled around on the G3 is a great feature.

Jay