NEX cameras are nice, but my eyes are getting old...

[Ronald_H]

Went to the local camera store and spend a lot of time with the NEX-3 and 5. Pros and cons are clear, new firmware improvements too.

I have no problem whatsoever with peeking at a screen to compose and focus, in fact the less serious I look with it, the better.

I have to say these cameras do everything I want it to do, but I have to face one hard fact: The screen is so good that I instinctively bring it closer to my face to see every last detail. But oops, my eyes cannot focus that close anymore 🙄

Time to invest in some reading glasses!

 

[ebino]

if you wear reading glasses then you can't see the distance and for that matter what to shoot.

go to your local thrift store buy a cheapo film P&S with huge finder, dismantle it and build your own optical viewfinder.

 

[wgerrard]

Similar dilemma here: Without glasses, I can't see well enough to walk around without hurting myself, much less trying to decide what to photograph. With my normal glasses, I can't read an LCD screen with any comfort or accuracy unless I hold it almost at arm's length, which pretty much defeats the purpose of the LCD. If I take off my glasses, I can use the LCD if I bring it within three or four inches of my eyes. But, then, I''m back to the problem of not being able to see what I want to photograph.

So, for the duration it seems, I'm a viewfinder guy.

Wouldn't it be great, though, to have a nice big 2-inch electronic VF based on one of the better LCD displays?

 

[ampguy]

a little bit different hear, slight myopia (near sighted), still good close vision, no need for reading glasses, but likely to be getting worse. So for the cost of the next set of diopters for M stuff which are pricey, the NEX will just be a bit more than 2 fixed diopters or so.

Screen is big and sharp and tiltable for aging eyes, but I have not used one outdoors in bright light. That's a concern, or where the optional and pricey VF fits in.

 

[Ronald_H]

I already wear glasses, but my eyesight is reasonable without them. I think I should talk to my eye doctor to see what the possibilities are.

Never understood why people were so hung-up on the optical finder thing, especially with the great EVFs and screens we have these days 😉

 

[Michael Markey]

I wear distance but consequently find the markings on my lenses difficult to see especially on the chrome ones.
I also seem to be fussy about viewfinders finding some too cramped for my taste.
Perhaps we need another forum for old duffers who are falling apart.

 

[ChrisN]

It's a pain. My distance vision is terrible, and my near vision ok out to about 50cm (better in left eye than right) so I need multi-focals for daily wear, and a different pair for working in front of the computer. Most optical viewfinder cameras are ok with my glasses on (but framelines are harder to see as I can't get close enough). Under the darkcloth focusing a large-format camera I need to take the glasses off. The Hasselblad with waist-level finder is pretty good as it suits both the distance (reading portion of glasses) and the ergonomics (again, reading portion in the bottom of the spectacle frame). With multi-focals there's nothing worse for me than having to point my nose at the sky to get a view through the bottom of the spectacle frame to focus on something close and at eye-level. So P&S digitals with only "live view" screens are a no-no. Tilt screens might be an option if the image is bright enough and sharp enough.

 

[wgerrard]

It's a pain. My distance vision is terrible, and my near vision ok out to about 50cm (better in left eye than right) so I need multi-focals for daily wear, and a different pair for working in front of the computer. Most optical viewfinder cameras are ok with my glasses on (but framelines are harder to see as I can't get close enough). Under the darkcloth focusing a large-format camera I need to take the glasses off. The Hasselblad with waist-level finder is pretty good as it suits both the distance (reading portion of glasses) and the ergonomics (again, reading portion in the bottom of the spectacle frame). With multi-focals there's nothing worse for me than having to point my nose at the sky to get a view through the bottom of the spectacle frame to focus on something close and at eye-level. So P&S digitals with only "live view" screens are a no-no. Tilt screens might be an option if the image is bright enough and sharp enough.

That's pretty much my situation, Chris. If anything, my near vision is a bit weaker. I also use a pair of glasses for computer work. The screen is about two feet away now. Without the glasses, I can't read it. Otherwise, I wear progressive multi-focal lenses. Those are a no-go for using LCD screens to compose and focus. My primary concern with optical finders is making sure my glasses won't be scratched. It's difficult for me to see the outer edges of a finder window; any frameline that large is an issue.

Looked into getting contacts again (wore them years ago) but, after a series of visits and trials was told no contacts can give me the vision I want for camera use while maintaining the level of vision I have with the progressive eyeglass lenses. The ophthalmologist was also a camera user, about my age, and knew exactly what I was talking about.

The EVF's I've used were darker than optical finders and more prone to display problems in unusual light. E.g., I used one last summer in Santa Fe, a particularly bright place. In several instances under that strong light I couldn't see an image in the EVF.

Some folks, I believe, have had diopters made to their eyeglass prescription. That wouldn't be an option for me since it requires removing your glasses all the time.

For glasses wearers, perhaps the ideal EVF would be one with an oversized display screen that allows the user to shrink and enlarge the image displayed, along with the magnification level. In other words, if you can't see all of the finder's window, shrink the image to the point you can see all of it.

 

[Steve M.]

I refuse to use a camera that doesn't have an optical finder simply because that's how I like to focus. Maybe I'll break down for a digital P&S, because I'd like one of those slim credit card types to slip into my top pocket, but with a "real" camera an optical is best for me. I wear bifocals, and what works best is to use a diopter on the camera and just flip my eyeglasses up when I shoot. A few cameras I've owned like the Leica CL have very good eye relief so I was usually able to keep my glasses on and see most of the 50 frame lines. The IIIa has a 1.5X magnification on the rangefinder, so no glasses needed there either. For TLR's I leave the specs on and use the camera's magnifiers. And w/ LF cameras, which I don't shoot anymore, I always had to take my peepers off. All of this is just minor stuff because it's great to be able to see as well as I do if I wear my glasses.

 

[btgc]

This is what you need!

This is what you need!

 

[kshapero]

I wear progressive trifocals and using an LCD is a piece of cake.

 

[turboman]

I wear progressive glasses.
Problem with LCD at eye level. You have to:
a) tilt head backwards to use lower portion of the eyeglasses, or b) look over the top edge of the eyeglasses, or c) hold camera at arms length which is unstable.
Problem with viewfinder: I share the camera with my wife and we need different corrections.

My preferred position is camera in front of my stomach and LCD screen flipped up (this was a major reason for me to buy the NEX-5). Advantages are:
- camera is at the correct reading position distance
- camera is at correct angle for using the lower part of the eyeglasses for the reading distance focus.
- steady position with arms pressed against body.


(my next project: collapsible walking stick with screw thread on both ends to mount the camera on; handle has some weight in it and in reverse position the weight is at the bottom and stabilizes the camera for taking video and walking at the same time, like a pro; handle also folds out in 3arms so that with the walking stick in reversed position, it can be used as tripod.
Does anyone know if that exists already?)

 

[kxl]

What you need is one of these magnifying viewfinders from clearviewer.com (no affiliation, just a satisfied customer).

 

[FPjohn]

Schneider or Hoodman

Schneider or Hoodman

Hello

A Schneider 3x loupe or Hoodman 3.0 used as focusing aids work.

The Clear View appears to less bulky.

Turboman's classic TLR style might be preferred for those who do not
consider the nex to be a direct view camera.🙂

yours
FPJ

 

[Frankie]

After a life time of being a -7.5, I had laser surgery 12 years ago and became a 20/20 at infinity...the best $5000 I had ever spent on a pair of lenses. 😀

Now I need a +2 diopter to read and a +5 to chimp...LCD VF and whatever argument pro or con is out for me. I simply enjoy the no eyeglass freedom too much...and I hate the arms' length composition stance.

 

[ampguy]

yup

yup

little known tidbit, but it can be used as a WLF based body.

I wear progressive glasses.
Problem with LCD at eye level. You have to:
a) tilt head backwards to use lower portion of the eyeglasses, or b) look over the top edge of the eyeglasses, or c) hold camera at arms length which is unstable.
Problem with viewfinder: I share the camera with my wife and we need different corrections.

My preferred position is camera in front of my stomach and LCD screen flipped up (this was a major reason for me to buy the NEX-5). Advantages are:
- camera is at the correct reading position distance
- camera is at correct angle for using the lower part of the eyeglasses for the reading distance focus.
- steady position with arms pressed against body.
View attachment 83755

(my next project: collapsible walking stick with screw thread on both ends to mount the camera on; handle has some weight in it and in reverse position the weight is at the bottom and stabilizes the camera for taking video and walking at the same time, like a pro; handle also folds out in 3arms so that with the walking stick in reversed position, it can be used as tripod.
Does anyone know if that exists already?)

 

[dct]

Is there a VF or not for NEX?

Is there a VF or not for NEX?

I refuse to use a camera that doesn't have an optical finder simply because that's how I like to focus...

I have the same adaption problem. I even accept an EVF too, it there were something like a VF for the NEX... It would be nice, but I don't need focussing capabilities for a NEX VF. I'm used working often with scale focussing and this is really simple after a while. I need a eye level VF for framing, not for focussing.

Sayed that, wouldn't a 3rd party (zoom) VF do this job?
Looking at this page, especially the multi finders, I cannot believe I still have to use the LCD for framing.
Or even better, the dedicated "digital" OVF with the right APS-C cropped framelines for the R-D1?

Isn't this a solution for framing only?

 

[douglasf13]

The NEX has one of the more versatile lists of viewfinder options that I've seen. See here:
http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/readflat.asp?forum=1042&thread=38139127&message=latest

p.s. to use an OVF, one needs something like a J-TEC coldshoe adapter.