Ponderings of a Digital Future

[Bille]

DX is a small viewfinder because the sensor is small.

Define "small". I own a 60D (1.6x) which has a brilliant finder.

 

[farlymac]

Took the D80 out for a test run today, and really never thought about the finder. I guess when you've looked through as many different viewfinders like I have, it doesn't make a whole lot of difference, as long as it's accurate. What I do like is the built-in diopter correction, though if I had to go any farther towards the negative, it wouldn't work for me. I'd have to set it back at 0, then wear my glasses. Or get contacts.

PF

 

[Pioneer]

The viewfinder on my little Pentax K5iis shows 100% of what I am about to shoot and the view is just as clear and bright as any of my film slrs, better in many cases. Certainly no tunnel vision with that camera.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Recent Pentax dSLRs all have pentaprism viewfinders with near full coverage, even the amateur models.
No pentamirrors there...

Chris

 

[Godfrey]

Recent Pentax dSLRs all have pentaprism viewfinders with near full coverage, even the amateur models.
No pentamirrors there...

Even the Pentax *ist DS that I had from 2004 to 2008 had a very good viewfinder for an APS-C camera with a real prism and near 100% coverage. They cheapened things a bit for a while with the later, even more bottom-end models, but it seems they've improved again.

The fundamental problem with DSLRs that are less than FF format is that optical single lens reflex viewfinders lose a lot of illumination simply because the format is smaller: the light source in an APS-C format camera, with equal lens and viewfinder optics, is only 43% the area of a FF DSLR which cuts the light to your eye by one to two stops.

Olympus, with the FourThirds SLRs, spent a fortune improving the viewfinder on the E-3 and E-5 pro models to be competitive with FF 35s. It was mostly successful but at a big premium on the price—and the EVF in the E-M5 and E-M1 models out-classed it immediately on brightness and usability.

G

 

[farlymac]

Test results are in. Camera works fine, the photographer could use a bit of practice though. With the DX AF-S Nikkor 18-105mm 1:3.5-5.6G ED VR that I replaced the broken mount on.


A definite improvement over my Nikon P7700

Cabin In The Woods by P F McFarland, on Flickr


Got to know what setting to use when

AF-C vs AF-S by P F McFarland, on Flickr


Have to remember to turn the VR on

Great Spangled Fritillary by P F McFarland, on Flickr


18mm view

Barn On The Mountain by P F McFarland, on Flickr


105mm view

Lonely Barn by P F McFarland, on Flickr


Friendly wildlife

Good Dog 2 by P F McFarland, on Flickr


Scenic perfection

Top Of The Hill by P F McFarland, on Flickr

See all 33 photos at https://flic.kr/s/aHskG9QEUU

PF

 

[Eric T]

We live in the golden age of photo gear. Great film equipment is available and cheap. Some great films are still available.
And the digital gear is amazing from so many manufacturers that you really can't go wrong. All of them can produce great results.