Sony A77 viewfinder

[Range Loser]

I've read quite a few good reviews of the Sony A77, and even good things about the EVF.

Today I picked one up in the camera shop and looked through the finder. To me it seemed shockingly bad. Very contrasty with lack of fine detail compared to an optical viewfinder. Then I moved around the room and it smeared and shuddered terribly.

I use a D700 which has one of the better DSLR finders, but from the reviews I expected more from the Sony. Has anyone else used one? Was this a bad sample?

I'm sure this is a great camera that produces fine pictures, but most of photography is looking, and this wasn't a nice experience with the A77 in my very limited trial.

 

[kdemas]

With any of the EVFs performance goes down the worse the light is. If you took a look at it outside you'd probably have a slightly different impression.

That said, for clarity a nice traditional VF is hard to beat. Then again, you can't place data and other features in the finder as you can an EVF. It's all give and take, depends on your preferences, what you're doing and what you need.

Choices are good!

 

[Nikon Bob]

I don't know, there seems to be enough info displayed in the OVF of my D700. Granted not as much as with an EVF but then again it can get too cluttered. The EVFs on the new cameras are way ahead of what I am used to on my old Panasonic FZ50. That said they still have a bit of a way to go to match an OVF. They are getting there though.

Bob

 

[jaredangle]

With any of the EVFs performance goes down the worse the light is. If you took a look at it outside you'd probably have a slightly different impression.

That said, for clarity a nice traditional VF is hard to beat. Then again, you can't place data and other features in the finder as you can an EVF. It's all give and take, depends on your preferences, what you're doing and what you need.

Choices are good!

I wonder if there's a way to superimpose more information on the focusing screen rather than placing it around the borders of the screen (perhaps putting exposure information on the focusing screen the same way that the D700 has projected gridlines and focusing brackets?)

Maybe I'm just crazy.

 

[Hatch]

With any of the EVFs performance goes down the worse the light is. If you took a look at it outside you'd probably have a slightly different impression.

That said, for clarity a nice traditional VF is hard to beat. Then again, you can't place data and other features in the finder as you can an EVF. It's all give and take, depends on your preferences, what you're doing and what you need.

Choices are good!

I agree and disagree.

Up to a point the traditional optical VF is more or less clearer.

But in low light levels where I can hardly see through a OVF I can see bright as day through an EVF.

If the resulting picture is worth anything though, is debatable.