Two-Eyed Viewfinders

For years I always took pictures using one eye looking through a viewfinder.
Now I have a Panasonic TZ1 that has no viewfinder and I find that I take
better pictures using the display screen. I am able to evaluate the scene on
the screen more objectively using both eyes. I look at it more like I would
look at the final print.

I will never go back to using a one-eyed viewfinder!

NM

~~NoMad~~ wrote:
For years I always took pictures using one eye looking through a viewfinder.
Now I have a Panasonic TZ1 that has no viewfinder and I find that I take
better pictures using the display screen. I am able to evaluate the scene on
the screen more objectively using both eyes. I look at it more like I would
look at the final print.

I will never go back to using a one-eyed viewfinder!

NM

The trade-off you make is stability. Hold a camera next to you and
look through a viewfinder and you are pretty stable. Hold it out 2
feet to see the viewfinder and you have introduced lots of shake..

It's okay for some stuff, esp. small prints and snapshots. But you
wouldn't want to be holding a 300 mm lens like that.

"Pat" wrote in message
oups.com...

~~NoMad~~ wrote:
For years I always took pictures using one eye looking through a
viewfinder.
Now I have a Panasonic TZ1 that has no viewfinder and I find that I take
better pictures using the display screen. I am able to evaluate the scene
on
the screen more objectively using both eyes. I look at it more like I
would
look at the final print.

I will never go back to using a one-eyed viewfinder!

NM

The trade-off you make is stability. Hold a camera next to you and
look through a viewfinder and you are pretty stable. Hold it out 2
feet to see the viewfinder and you have introduced lots of shake..

It's okay for some stuff, esp. small prints and snapshots. But you
wouldn't want to be holding a 300 mm lens like that.

My Panasonic TZ1 has the equivalent of a 420mm lens with image stabilization
and works very well held at an arms length.

No blurry pictures and Good Composition to boot!

NM

"~~NoMad~~" wrote in
:


"Pat" wrote in message
oups.com...

~~NoMad~~ wrote:
For years I always took pictures using one eye looking through a
viewfinder.
Now I have a Panasonic TZ1 that has no viewfinder and I find that I
take better pictures using the display screen. I am able to evaluate
the scene on
the screen more objectively using both eyes. I look at it more like
I would
look at the final print.

I will never go back to using a one-eyed viewfinder!

NM

The trade-off you make is stability. Hold a camera next to you and
look through a viewfinder and you are pretty stable. Hold it out 2
feet to see the viewfinder and you have introduced lots of shake..

It's okay for some stuff, esp. small prints and snapshots. But you
wouldn't want to be holding a 300 mm lens like that.

My Panasonic TZ1 has the equivalent of a 420mm lens with image
stabilization and works very well held at an arms length.

No blurry pictures and Good Composition to boot!


Conversely, I find I take much _worse_ pictures when using the display
rather than the viewfinder. YMMV.


--
Rich Hanson
Music: http://www.richardhanson.me.uk/ http://www.myspace.com/richhanson
Local: http://www.borstal.org.uk/
Other: http://www.plompy.co.uk/

On Mon, 6 Nov 2006 05:09:53 -0800, ~~NoMad~~ wrote:

"Pat" wrote in message
oups.com...

~~NoMad~~ wrote:
For years I always took pictures using one eye looking through a
viewfinder.
Now I have a Panasonic TZ1 that has no viewfinder and I find that I take
better pictures using the display screen. I am able to evaluate the scene
on
the screen more objectively using both eyes. I look at it more like I
would
look at the final print.

I will never go back to using a one-eyed viewfinder!

NM

The trade-off you make is stability. Hold a camera next to you and
look through a viewfinder and you are pretty stable. Hold it out 2
feet to see the viewfinder and you have introduced lots of shake..

It's okay for some stuff, esp. small prints and snapshots. But you
wouldn't want to be holding a 300 mm lens like that.

My Panasonic TZ1 has the equivalent of a 420mm lens with image stabilization
and works very well held at an arms length.

No blurry pictures and Good Composition to boot!

Now try it in bright back-lit sunlight, when that LCD is washed out from
the glare.

I sometimes use the LCD for framing, especially if I want to take shots
at odd angles where eye-to-viewfinder is inconvenient, but mostly I use
the (electronic) finder on my FZ5. Two reasons:
1. As mentioned, stability. The image stabilizer is nice, but it works
best if you keep the camera fairly steady to begin with
2. Fewer visual distractions. I see what the camera is seeing, and
nothing else, especially if I close the eye that isn't being used to
look through the finder.

-dms

"~~NoMad~~" wrote in message
...
For years I always took pictures using one eye looking through a
viewfinder. Now I have a Panasonic TZ1 that has no viewfinder and I find
that I take better pictures using the display screen. I am able to
evaluate the scene on the screen more objectively using both eyes. I look
at it more like I would look at the final print.

I will never go back to using a one-eyed viewfinder!

NM


On second thought: I wonder if it has to do with a
left-brained/right-brained thing?

Using both eyes to evaluate an image may be more effective than just using
one or the other.

How well can you compose an image using just your Left Eye? Or Right Eye?

NM

~~NoMad~~ wrote:
For years I always took pictures using one eye looking through a viewfinder.
Now I have a Panasonic TZ1 that has no viewfinder and I find that I take
better pictures using the display screen. I am able to evaluate the scene on
the screen more objectively using both eyes. I look at it more like I would
look at the final print.

I will never go back to using a one-eyed viewfinder!

NM

I have a Nikon S2 that has no conventional viewfinder and I find it
useless in bright sunshine. Just have to guess which way the camera is
pointing. Also I find it most uncomfortable holding it out at arms
length.
Bright day -- No viewfinder.
Dull day --- Camera shake.
Must say though it is a handy camera just to be able to carry it in
your shirt pocket ready for the unexpected shot. The pictures usually
turn out Ok.

On Mon, 6 Nov 2006 05:09:53 -0800, "~~NoMad~~"
wrote:


"Pat" wrote in message
roups.com...

~~NoMad~~ wrote:
For years I always took pictures using one eye looking through a
viewfinder.
Now I have a Panasonic TZ1 that has no viewfinder and I find that I take
better pictures using the display screen. I am able to evaluate the scene
on
the screen more objectively using both eyes. I look at it more like I
would
look at the final print.

I will never go back to using a one-eyed viewfinder!

NM

The trade-off you make is stability. Hold a camera next to you and
look through a viewfinder and you are pretty stable. Hold it out 2
feet to see the viewfinder and you have introduced lots of shake..

It's okay for some stuff, esp. small prints and snapshots. But you
wouldn't want to be holding a 300 mm lens like that.

My Panasonic TZ1 has the equivalent of a 420mm lens with image stabilization
and works very well held at an arms length.

Shouldn't that be a 350mm equilivent?
http://www2.panasonic.com/webapp/wcs...000000 005702
or:
http://tinyurl.com/gv37f
Unless, of course, you lower resolution.

No blurry pictures and Good Composition to boot!

NM

--
Bill Funk
replace "g" with "a"

"Pat" wrote in message
oups.com...

~~NoMad~~ wrote:
For years I always took pictures using one eye looking through a
viewfinder.
Now I have a Panasonic TZ1 that has no viewfinder and I find that I take
better pictures using the display screen. I am able to evaluate the scene
on
the screen more objectively using both eyes. I look at it more like I
would
look at the final print.

I will never go back to using a one-eyed viewfinder!

NM

The trade-off you make is stability. Hold a camera next to you and
look through a viewfinder and you are pretty stable. Hold it out 2
feet to see the viewfinder and you have introduced lots of shake..

It's okay for some stuff, esp. small prints and snapshots. But you
wouldn't want to be holding a 300 mm lens like that.

Good post. The stability difference is significant (it does vary with age
and physical condition, of course).

"~~NoMad~~" wrote in message
...
For years I always took pictures using one eye looking through a
viewfinder. Now I have a Panasonic TZ1 that has no viewfinder and I find
that I take better pictures using the display screen. I am able to
evaluate the scene on the screen more objectively using both eyes. I look
at it more like I would look at the final print.

I will never go back to using a one-eyed viewfinder!

You're not the only one who's noticed this. I find that my composition is
improved by looking at the LCD image. It's easier for me to see how the
objects "sit" in the image when looking at it this way. Unfortunately, I
use my viewfinder almost exclusively because I need the diopter correction -
at least it's an electronic viewfinder and gives some sense of the final
image.

Edward Weston used a view camera for just this reason. He wanted to see as
close to the final product as possible. An LCD backed camera is, in fact, a
tiny view camera.

On my wish list would be a virtual viewfinder that allows you to see your
image as if it were a large print, in real time. This will happen, someday,
when HDTV glasses hit the market.
--
Mike Russell
www.curvemeister.com/forum/