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#1
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EVF
I'm considering switching from an SLR to a ZLR and as far as I can see the
feature that makes a ZLR most like an SLR in use is the EVF. (I know there are lots of other things to take into account but for me the quality of the EVF seems to be a starting point.) So why do I find so many people saying that this camera or that camera has a terrible EVF? I'm I missing something? What's the best camera for EVF? Can you compose a shot using the EVF on all cameras or are some really as bad as some reviews make out? mikej |
#2
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mike.james wrote:
I'm considering switching from an SLR to a ZLR and as far as I can see the feature that makes a ZLR most like an SLR in use is the EVF. (I know there are lots of other things to take into account but for me the quality of the EVF seems to be a starting point.) So why do I find so many people saying that this camera or that camera has a terrible EVF? I'm I missing something? What's the best camera for EVF? Can you compose a shot using the EVF on all cameras or are some really as bad as some reviews make out? mikej Many EVF have a poor resolution - typically stated as 230,400 pixels or whatever. This disguises the fact they take each colour as a pixel, so that's 76,800 RGB pixels, or a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. This will come as a shock to an SLR user! The Minolta A2 had 640 x 480 pixels (advertised as 900,000 pixels), which was much better, but they dropped that in later models. Some cameras have even fewer than 200,000 pixels, but even these EVFs are quite usable for composition. Just don't try and make any fine focus adjustments with them! [Note: some cameras magnify the area round the focus spot in manual focus mode, making it quite easy to focus]. Cheers, David |
#3
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Many EVF have a poor resolution - typically stated as 230,400 pixels or whatever. This disguises the fact they take each colour as a pixel, so that's 76,800 RGB pixels, or a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels. This will come as a shock to an SLR user! The Minolta A2 had 640 x 480 pixels (advertised as 900,000 pixels), which was much better, but they dropped that in later models. Some cameras have even fewer than 200,000 pixels, but even these EVFs are quite usable for composition. Just don't try and make any fine focus adjustments with them! [Note: some cameras magnify the area round the focus spot in manual focus mode, making it quite easy to focus]. Cheers, David Thanks for the comments - but I have to say I'm now even more confused. What is the point of an EVF is you can't compose the picture using it? I would have thought that this was a minimum requirement and if the EVF doesn't meet it then it might as well be left out of the design? It does indeed come as a shock to an SLR user - are you saying that you use the LCD screen on the back to compose a shot? Because after using a compact digital for a while there are more occasions when I can't see the back screen due to sunlight (say) than I can. mikej |
#4
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Gisle Hannemyr wrote:
"David J Taylor": [Note: some cameras magnify the area round the focus spot in manual focus mode, True. making it quite easy to focus]. Not true. Well, YMMV, but my Powershot G5 does this, and I still find manual focus very hard to get right. No problem with the Panasonic FZ20. David |
#5
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mike.james wrote:
[] Thanks for the comments - but I have to say I'm now even more confused. What is the point of an EVF is you can't compose the picture using it? I would have thought that this was a minimum requirement and if the EVF doesn't meet it then it might as well be left out of the design? It does indeed come as a shock to an SLR user - are you saying that you use the LCD screen on the back to compose a shot? Because after using a compact digital for a while there are more occasions when I can't see the back screen due to sunlight (say) than I can. mikej No, I use the EVF almost exclusively on both my Panasonic FZ5 and Nikon 8400, and would not want to be without it! I have now become used to the lower resolution (compared with the "infinite" resolution of the SLR). The EVF and LCD typically have similar resolutions, so having one hidden from sunlight is ideal. I prefer the camera to the eye taking posture as well. What I hadn't realised is that you may already be familiar with the poorer resolution of the LCD (compared to a computer monitor, say). It's like that, but viewed directly - that's all. Oh, and you may want to ensure that your camera offers a dioptre adjustment, should your eyes require this. Cheers, David |
#6
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"David J Taylor" wrote in message . uk... No, I use the EVF almost exclusively on both my Panasonic FZ5 and Nikon 8400, and would not want to be without it! I have now become used to the lower resolution (compared with the "infinite" resolution of the SLR). The EVF and LCD typically have similar resolutions, so having one hidden from sunlight is ideal. I prefer the camera to the eye taking posture as well. Ok. This seems reasonable and more or less what I would have assumed was to be expected of any camera. But are there some cameras that have EVFs that are "un-usable" in this way as I've read in a number of reviews? That is do I have to make EVF resolution something I have to check out before considering buying a model. mikej |
#7
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"mike.james" wrote in message ... "David J Taylor" wrote in message . uk... No, I use the EVF almost exclusively on both my Panasonic FZ5 and Nikon 8400, and would not want to be without it! I have now become used to the lower resolution (compared with the "infinite" resolution of the SLR). The EVF and LCD typically have similar resolutions, so having one hidden from sunlight is ideal. I prefer the camera to the eye taking posture as well. Ok. This seems reasonable and more or less what I would have assumed was to be expected of any camera. But are there some cameras that have EVFs that are "un-usable" in this way as I've read in a number of reviews? That is do I have to make EVF resolution something I have to check out before considering buying a model. mikej I have had a couple of cameras where the EVF had such a slow refresh rate that it was difficult to be sure of exactly what the picture was going to be. It involved a lot of "pre-guessing" when the subject involved movement. Landscapes etc were of course less of a problem. An early Olympus was particularly bad. As far as resolution goes I have not had a problem, although I confess that I really do prefer an optical viewfinder above all else. Robert R. |
#8
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mike.james wrote:
[] But are there some cameras that have EVFs that are "un-usable" in this way as I've read in a number of reviews? I've not encountered this on models I've used or tested: Panasonic FZ5/FZ20 Minolta A2 Nikon Coolpix 5700 Nikon 8400 I would be surprised if any reasonably priced camera today had an unusable EVF. Cheers, David |
#9
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David J Taylor wrote:
I have now become used to the lower resolution (compared with the "infinite" resolution of the SLR). I was fine with the EVF on my Nikon 5700, until someone asked me to take a pic of them with their film camera (I think it was the Canon Rebel (not digital))! But I got used to the Nikon's EVF again. The resolution is at least reasonable if not great; and though it's a bit small overall it's acceptable for composition (it probably helps that I don't use manual focus mode - I prefer to choose the spot-focus area and let the camera focus). In other words, it will do until I can afford to upgrade in another year or so! |
#10
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"mike.james" wrote in message ... I'm considering switching from an SLR to a ZLR and as far as I can see the feature that makes a ZLR most like an SLR in use is the EVF. (I know there are lots of other things to take into account but for me the quality of the EVF seems to be a starting point.) So why do I find so many people saying that this camera or that camera has a terrible EVF? EVFs take some getting used to. There are two issues: Resolution and Response Time. Obviously, resolution must be darned good if one expects to use manual focus. I have an FZ5 with mediocre EVF resolution and no manual focus, so that makes sense (Panasonic made a good decision). The response time is disconcerting to folks who switch between DSLRs and cameras like the FZ5. It is something you have to learn to live with on EVF cameras. Now, the good news is that cameras like the FZ5 are excellent buys for walk-around, general-purpose cameras and make more sense than DSLRs for many buyers. |
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