Digital Camera Viewfinders

Ever wonder what the big deal about SLR cameras is? The main difference is in how you see through the camera. An SLR camera lets you actually see through the lens of the camera when you are setting up the photograph, while non-SLR cameras let you look through a viewfinder that is not connected with the lens.

Single Lens Reflex cameras got their name because cameras used to have two lenses. One was used for framing the shot, choosing your camera settings and focusing. The other was for making the actual exposure of the film. However, someone came up with the idea that the same lens could be used for both purposes if the light coming through the lens could be diverted to a viewfinder while you were setting up the shot. This spawned the “Single Lens Reflex” camera. A mirror is used to reflect the light from the lens up to the viewfinder. This mirror pulls out of the way when the picture is taken, allowing the film to be exposed. This means that the area you see through the viewfinder is the same area you will see on film.

VF Prime DSLR Camera LCD Viewfinder for 3″ LCD

The VF Prime is a DSLR mountable viewfinder that attaches directly over your camera’s LCD screen. Most DSLR LCD screens are small so trying to hold the camera in front of you while pulling focus and framing a shot can lead to shaky footage. If you happen to be outside in direct sunlight or around bright studio lights, the glare alone can make it difficult, if not impossible to focus the camera. When mounted over the camer’s LCD screen, the VF Prime introduces stability by providing another point of contact with the body. Holding the eyepiece up to the eye not only helps stabilize the camera, it eliminates glare which makes it easier to focus and frame shots.

Easy-to-use compact cameras have become extremely popular. These cameras focus themselves and automatically choose the best exposure. The viewfinder on these cameras may be as simple as an empty hole in the camera for you to look through and is not connected to the lens. However, there is a difference between the picture you see through the viewfinder and the picture the lens actually captures. This is because the viewfinder is in a slightly different location than the film and may not match the magnification of your lens, particularly with zooms. For example, if you are taking a close-up photo of somebody’s smiling face, the top of their head may be cut off in the actual picture even though it is still intact when seen through the viewfinder. This difference, known as parallax error, is common with non-SLR cameras and is most noticeable when taking close-ups.

Opteka Micro Professional Director’s Viewfinder with 11x Zoom

The Opteka Director’s Viewfinder accurately defines choice of lenses, angles and coverage in a wide variety of formats for both film and video. It enables filmmakers to communicate their visions to each other quickly and with complete accuracy, allowing the time saved to be used on the art of filmmaking.

Many cameras have thin black lines, called framing lines, within the viewfinder to show you what will end up in the final picture. If you have these, use them, rather than the edge of the viewfinder, to line up the shot.  If there are two of these lines, the uppermost line will be for subjects that are farther away, and the lowest line will indicate the limits for close-up subjects. More expensive cameras have viewfinders that automatically make up for parallax error by adjusting what you see based on how far away the subject is.

Panasonic DMW-LVF2 External Live Viewfinder for DMC-GX1 Lumix Digital Camera, Tilts 0 to 90Deg.

An optional viewfinder for the DMC-GX1 Micro 4/3 camera. Just mount this on the camera’s hot shoe and you’ve got a superb 1,440,000-dot equivalent color viewfinder image, with all of the same information that’s displayed on the LCD screen. It displays 100% of the image and works particularly well in bright sunlight (always tough on LCD displays). The viewfinder also tilts up 90Deg. to make low-angle shots easier than ever. Because it mounts on the camera’s hot shoe, it can’t be used with a shoe-mounted flash on the camera.

However, for basic cameras the best option may be to simply take a step back in order to include more in the picture than you actually want. You can then later cut the excess out of your prints or use digital imaging software to crop them. Cutting off the top of your shot is the most common viewfinder problem, so remember to leave a bit of extra area on top when you’re framing shots in your viewfinder. It is easier to deal with parallax error in digital cameras because you can immediately view the image on the LCD screen in order to ensure that it is properly framed.

How to Adjust the Viewfinder Diopter on a Canon 60D DSLR

NEEWER HD DSLR LCD Foldable Viewfinder with 3.0x Magnification

It is especially suitable for DSLR High-Definition Video Photography, on-site shooting and viewing the photo etc. It has two framing model: magnification and stand. It is very convenient and practical for the users to switch between them.

• 1X-3X Magnification
• Make use of the connection between the LCD screen adapter and the viewfinder, it is easy to install and remove
• Support 3″ LCD with ratio 4:3, compatible for LCD with ratio 3:2
• 3X optical magnification, can observe the details well
• Whole sealing structure, it can hold back the light completely while magnification framing or stand framing, you can see the real color of the image

Seagull LCD 1x-3x Viewfinder II for HD DSLR Camera with 3″ LCD screen

LCD Viewfinder Extender V4 f SONY NEX-3 NEX-5

This LCD Viewfinder Extender turns Live-view LCD screen into a huge electronic viewfinder for precise image evaluation. No more squinting at the LCD screen outside.

• Allows user to use LCD in bright daylight outdoors. Magnification: 2.8x
• Universal magnetic mounting interface allows rapid mounting and removal
• Size: 5.5 x 3.25 x 2″ / 14 x 8.3 x 5cm
• Package Contents: 1 x Viewfinder; 1 x Mount
• For Sony NEX-3 and NEX-5

Incoming search terms:

• nex 5r lcd viewfinder
• camera lcd display daylight