Viewfinder in the camera- a very important detail. Just imagine that it is not there, and you need to take a picture. Of course, you can aim "by eye", but the prospect of getting a photograph of a person with a severed head, a topless dkrkva, a dog without ears or legs is quite obvious.

In the good old days when oh digital cameras no one has heard yet, ordinary film cameras had only one version of the viewfinder - . Looking into this optical eye, the photographer saw the object being shot and could aim more accurately.

At the same time at professional photographers, with professional cameras, were the so-called angle viewfinders. They were also called reflex viewfinders and prism viewfinders. It was a device that was attached to the viewfinder and "rotated" the image display angle in the viewfinder by 90 degrees. That is. if earlier the photographer had to look ahead through the peephole, then with the angular viewfinder he had to look down at the improvised screen.

For all the seeming strangeness and pretentiousness of this design angle viewfinder could do a very good job. For example, if you have to shoot a low-lying object. The angular viewfinder is also convenient because when looking through it, the photographer does not see with the second eye the rest of the image that does not fall into the frame. Thus, it is possible to construct a frame more correctly and deliberately.

Angle viewfinders and are now sold and enjoyed success in studio shooting, but you can attach them, of course, only to SLR cameras, and even then not to all.

Everyone has optical viewfinders there is one annoying problem. They ruin your eyesight.

Maybe sometime while shooting through the optical viewfinder, you noticed that the eye with which you look into it does not see everything as clearly as the other eye. After a few minutes, this imbalance disappears, however, many professional photographers have a problem with different visual acuity in different eyes.

Another problem is that the optical viewfinder sometimes does not show exactly the picture that will turn out in the picture. In some models of cameras, the optical viewfinder slightly "frames" the image and you can easily "capture" objects (or parts of them) into the frame that were not even seen in the frame when shooting.

The positive aspect of using an optical viewfinder is the fact that it does not waste battery power, unlike its electronic counterpart or screen.

When did they appear digital cameras, they began to integrate LCD screens. With their help, you can select the subject without looking into the viewfinder. True, the screen of the first cameras was so voracious that it drained the batteries in just a few minutes.

Now the situation has changed. In some models, only this screen remained as a viewfinder, and the peephole, as an extra structural element, was removed.

Shooting with aiming through the screen has many positive aspects.

Firstly: you do not spoil your eyesight.

Secondly: It is more convenient to take pictures of low objects or holding the camera over your head, especially if the camera is equipped with a tilting screen (about the same as the angle viewfinder). Forward

Viewfinder type There are three types of viewfinder: optical, electronic and mirror.

Optic The viewfinder is the most common type of viewfinder. Represents optical system lenses in the camera, through which the device is aimed at the subject and the boundaries of the image for future photography are determined.
The optical viewfinder hasa number of shortcomings : due to misalignment between the optical axis of the viewfinder and the optical axis of the camera lens the photographer in the eyepiece sees not quite what the matrix "sees" through the lens. This effect is called parallax. In addition, the optical viewfinder does not capture the entire field that the matrix "sees", but only 80-90% From him. The photographer has no way to control the accuracy of the focus.
But, due to the simplicity of design, many cameras, including budget models, are equipped with optical viewfinders.

Electronic The viewfinder is a miniature LCD screen with a lens (eyepiece) installed inside the camera. The future frame is displayed on the screen of the electronic viewfinder as it is "seen" by the photosensitive matrix through the camera lens, it is completely free from the shortcomings of the optical viewfinder (such as parallax). The photographer can immediately visually assess the white balance or the correctness of the escort. In addition, all the main shooting parameters can be displayed on the electronic viewfinder screen.
This type of viewfinder can be used when bright sunlight when it becomes difficult to use the conventional LCD screen.

Disadvantages of the electronic viewfinder can be attributed additional energy consumption during operation.
Typically, an electronic viewfinder is used in mid-range digital cameras..

At mirror viewfinder, the image enters it directly through the camera lens using a folding mirror (hence its name). Cameras with a reflex viewfinder do not have parallax (discrepancy between the image in the viewfinder and what the lens "sees"). The image observed in the mirror viewfinder window completely coincides with the image that enters the matrix through the lens, the photographer can clearly control the focusing accuracy and depth of field, and all the main shooting parameters are usually displayed in the viewfinder.
Viewfinders of this type provide best conditions for the work of the photographer, but due to the complex design they are used only in expensive professional and semi-professional, so-called SLR digital cameras, which actually got their name precisely from the type of viewfinder.

On some digital cameras, the viewfinder may not be visible at all. absent. In this case, its function is performed by the LCD screen. The image on the screen corresponds to the image from the photosensitive matrix. The main disadvantage of LCD screens is that in bright sunlight, the image on the screen becomes difficult to see.

Viewfinder field of view

(from 75 to 100%)

Viewfinder field of view of a digital camera.

In many camera models, the viewfinder field of view does not fully match the lens field of view and is only 80-90% of it. That is, the photographer does not see the entire frame captured by the photomatrix, although most of it. In such a situation, when shooting, you will need to make a small mental correction and take into account the fact that the captured frame will be somewhat Furthermore what he sees in the viewfinder.At good cameras viewfinder field of view is 90-100%.

Viewfinder pixels

(from 114000 to 1440000)

The resolution of the electronic viewfinder of the camera.
The viewfinder is an optical device that allows you to see what will be captured by the camera.
The electronic viewfinder is a miniature LCD screen with a lens (eyepiece) installed inside the camera. It displays the future frame as it "sees" the photosensitive matrix through the camera lens.The higher the resolution of the LCD matrix in the viewfinder (and the greater the number of pixels), the more detailed and detailed the image will be seen by the photographer.

Using the screen as a viewfinder

The ability to display an image from a photomatrix on the LCD screen of a SLR camera and use it as a viewfinder.The presence of this function is important for SLR cameras. Usually, when shooting with a DSLR, you can see the object being shot only through the viewfinder eye. In certain situations, such as macro photography, it may be more convenient to aim using the image on the screen.In some modern models digital SLR cameras, you can use the LCD screen to take pictures. Camera manufacturers call this feature Live View or Live Preview.

Today I would like to try to answer next question: « What is a "viewfinder"?". The fact is that most photos, and now camcorders, are equipped with this element. If he speaks simply viewfinder- an element of a movie camera showing the boundaries of the future image, sometimes sharpness and shooting parameters. However, it should be noted that viewfinders are different. You will learn about this and much more from this article.

There are three types viewfinder: optic, electronic And mirror.

Optic viewfinder is the most common type of viewfinder. It is an optical lens system in a camera (or video camera), through which the device is aimed at the subject and the image boundaries are determined for future photography.

The optical viewfinder hasa number of shortcomings : due to optical axis misalignment viewfinder and optical axis camera lens the photographer in the eyepiece sees not quite what the matrix “sees” through the lens. This effect is called parallax (we'll talk more about this phenomenon in the next article). In addition, optical viewfinder does not capture the entire field that it "sees" matrix but only 80-90% From him. The photographer has no way to control the accuracy of the focus.

But due to the simplicity of the design, optical viewfinders equipped with many cameras (often video cameras), including budget models.Electronic viewfinder is a miniature LCD screen with a lens (eyepiece) mounted inside the camera. On the screen electronic viewfinder the future frame is displayed the way the light-sensitive matrix "sees" it through the camera lens, it is completely free from flaws optical viewfinder(eg parallax). The photographer can immediately visually assess the white balance or the correctness of the escort. In addition, on the screen of the electronic viewfinder You can display all the main shooting parameters.

This type viewfinder can be used in bright sunlight where normal LCD becomes difficult to use. Disadvantages of the electronic viewfinder can be attributed: additional energy consumption during operation.

Usually electronic viewfinder used in mid-range digital cameras.

At mirror viewfinder the image falls on it directly through the camera lens using a folding mirror (hence its name). Cameras (as well as modern expensive video cameras) with reflex viewfinder no parallax (image inconsistency in viewfinder the one that the lens “sees”). Image viewed in the window reflex viewfinder, completely coincides with the image that enters the sensor through the lens, the photographer can clearly control the accuracy of focus and depth of field, also in viewfinder usually all the main shooting parameters are displayed.

Viewfinders of this type provide the best conditions for the work of the photographer, but due to the complex design they are used only in expensive professional and semi-professional, so-called SLR digital cameras , which actually got their name from the type viewfinder. Some models of digital cameras viewfinder maybe at all absent. In this case, its function is performed by the LCD screen. The image on the screen corresponds to the image from the photosensitive matrix. The main disadvantage of LCD screens is that in bright sunlight, the image on the screen becomes difficult to see.

Viewfinder field of view

(from 75 to 100%)

Viewfinder field of view of a digital camera.

is an optical device that allows you to see what will be captured by the camera.

In many camera models, the field of view viewfinder does not fully correspond to the field of view of the lens and is only 80-90% of it. That is, the photographer does not see the entire frame captured by the photomatrix, although most of it. In such a situation, when shooting, it will be necessary to make a small mental correction and take into account the fact that the captured frame will be somewhat larger than what he sees in viewfinder. Good cameras have a viewfinder field of view of 90-100%.

The viewfinder is the part of the camera that is used to visual definition the boundaries of the object being shot, with its help the photographer forms the composition of the frame. In addition to optics, modern viewfinders are equipped with an information display that shows all information about settings, image parameters and focus points. It does not directly affect the quality of the image and is used for focusing and selecting a frame.

When buying a digital camera, there are three main types of viewfinders you need to know. These are optical, mirror and electronic. There is also an LCD display. Cameras can use one of them or combinations of viewfinders. If you ask the price on our Aport website, then be sure to pay attention to which viewfinder is used in the model of interest.

Optical (parallax) viewfinder

It works on the basis of a set of lenses built into the camera, through which you can see the desired object. Digital cameras usually use two viewfinders. The advantage of optical is that it does not consume electricity and can be used even in bright light. And the disadvantage is the limited zoom (up to 4x), and the discrepancy between the border of the frame and the degree of approximation with what the lens sees.

Electronic viewfinder

This is a parallax-free viewfinder used in both stills and camcorders. It shows the image from the matrix on the display digital camera or through the eyepiece in pseudo-reflex cameras and video cameras. These viewfinders provide the photographer with information about focal length settings, flash status, shutter speed, and more.

Electronic viewfinders show the exact image from the matrix of a digital camera. And also their advantage is that the photographer can see and evaluate the correct exposure.

The main disadvantage of this type of viewfinders is the heating of the matrix and, as a result, taking pictures is not enough. High Quality due to the fact that it must be always on. Also, when using such a viewfinder, the image lags, which makes it difficult to shoot sports, animals, and even children. The next drawback is a much smaller number of viewfinder pixels than the matrix. As a result, when manually adjusting the sharpness, the image area is enlarged, but in low light, the noise of the matrix makes it impossible to quickly manually focus.

Mirror viewfinder

It has an active mirror that reflects light from the lens into a pentaprism, and there is no parallax. This is the main advantage of the reflex viewfinder. Also, a huge plus is ease of use even in bright external lighting, no power consumption, ease of focusing and the ability to visually assess the background blur and depth of field.

But such a camera with a reflex viewfinder is heavier than the rest and much more expensive, and raising the mirror creates vibrations, which cause noise.

Each of the above viewfinders is characterized by magnification and coverage area, which shows how much image is displayed on the viewfinder and the larger it is, the easier it is to see the periphery of the frame. And magnification allows you to better adjust the focus.

Etc. I for a long time filmed with SLR cameras JVI (optical viewfinder), and after them it was very inconvenient for me to use EVI, but over time I felt all its charms and radically changed my mind.

On the net, I often see phrases like “Once I tried EVI, I realized that it was not mine.” Such words can be said about me, but, fortunately, life forced me to communicate with the EVI more closely and come to different conclusions.

Please note that there are two types of JVI - for SLR cameras and for rangefinder (mirrorless) cameras. JVI device for these two different types cameras are completely different. In this article, by JVI I mean a viewfinder specifically for SLR cameras.

EVI, energy consumption and inclusion

One of the most strong shortcomings EVI is considered volatility. To see what you want to shoot, in the case of EVI, the camera must be turned on. In this case, the camera matrix will be turned on, the processor and the EVI sensor will work. All this consumes energy, and even worse, it takes time to turn on the sensor, processor and other hardware. As a result, there is a huge lag between turning on the camera and displaying the image.

Electricity consumption can be cured with more capacious or spare batteries - this is not a big problem for me. But EVI lags when turning on, turning off, exiting the camera from sleep mode, activating the sensor after it was turned off while viewing the captured material, and so on, get on your nerves. Lag when EVI is turned on - the biggest disadvantage, which I highlight in the EVI.

This drawback can be easily solved - for example, always keep the sensors on, or simply make the lags very short. I think that in the future there will be no problems with power consumption and lags when turning on / switching a camera equipped with EVI.

Is the finished result really visible in EVI?

A strong advantage of EVI is the ability to see the finished result before releasing the shutter. But there are caveats here. The observed image is formed by a rather small sensor of 1-2 Megapixels, which does not transmit the entire amount of data received from the camera's matrix. In this case, the JVI is more informative, the matte screen of which, in fact, has a very high resolution. Also, the camera processor is not able to immediately apply all image-enhancing add-ons, such as dynamic range control, color control, noise reduction, distortion, and. As a result, the image after the shutter is released may still be slightly different from the one that I observe in the EVI.

In the Sony a7 camera, it is very noticeable that the image is still being finalized after the shutter is released. It often happens that after the shutter is released, the camera shows the captured picture, 1-2 seconds pass and the picture changes its appearance - additional processing takes place, which could not be obtained immediately.

I really like that when working with EVI, the finished picture (obtained after the shutter is released) can be viewed immediately without taking your eyes off the camera eye. In the case of JVI, you need to take the camera away from your eye and look at the main display to see the resulting image. It turns out that with EVI much less time is spent on monitoring the material taken.

As for small differences from the image observed in the EVI and the final frame (after the shutter is released), this is just a limitation of the processor, which can be easily cured in the future. Yes, and many cameras already fully display in the EVI directly the frame that will be after the shutter is released - with all additional image quality adjustments turned on.

EVI in the studio

Usually, sighting through the EVI makes it possible to observe the picture that will be at the time of shooting, but this may not always be convenient, and sometimes it is contraindicated. First of all, this applies to shooting in a studio using pulsed light. The bottom line is that in the studio, all shots are usually shot with manual settings. For example, in the studio it is most commonly used ". Let's say I set ISO 100, F/4.0 and 1/125 sec. With these settings, the EMI of the camera will display a black rectangle, since there may be very little pilot light (pulse flashes will be used at the time of shooting). Focusing and composing a frame in such conditions is almost impossible. To overcome this inconvenience, EVI cameras have a function that disables "displaying a picture with actual parameters" and enables "display simulation". In simulation mode, the camera does not use user-specified parameters, but selects its own optimal ones, at which a clear image is obtained in the EVI, which can be used to focus and compose a frame. If you turn on the simulation, then in this case it will be very convenient to sight in the studio.

In the Sony a7 camera menu, the function that is responsible for the display mode is called 'Display. Live View’ (Setting whether to display settings such as correction on the display screen.) This function can take only two values "Display. Param. ON” and “Disp. Param. Off".

When I first got into a studio with a mirrorless camera using EVI, I didn't know about the possibility of simulation and it was very difficult for me to shoot.

Of course, display simulation can be useful for other types of shooting, such as shooting with very slow shutter speeds.

EVI inertia

EVI suffers from inertia - when recomposing the frame, the display of changes may occur with a delay, and the EVI can also slowly rebuild when the scene being filmed changes greatly. For example, if I was shooting in the shade of trees, and sharply pointing the camera towards a bright street, then in EVI, instead of the expected street view, I will for a moment get a white spot, which will normalize over time and take on the expected look.

At abrupt change Sony a7 loses consciousness and adjusts to the correct exposure within a few seconds.

Most likely, this shortcoming can be eliminated, and in the future cameras with EVI will be deprived of this shortcoming.

Pixelation

They say that one of the main problems of EVI is the pixelization of the image. Perhaps this problem was many years ago, when the sensors for displaying images in the EVI had a low resolution. With the cameras that I indicated at the beginning of the article, I did not observe or did not notice the pixels of the EVI display.

If some EVIs have such a drawback, then over time the number of pixels on the EVI sensors will be increased and everyone will forget about this problem.

Feeling the light

The EVI sensor has a constant or variable brightness within certain limits. On the one hand, this is a great achievement compared to JVI. In JVI, the brightness directly depends on the maximum aperture of the lens and the illumination of the scene being shot. But constant brightness can play a trick on the photographer's eyes. When shooting in bright light, I have repeatedly encountered that when looking through the EVI, my eye adjusts to a certain light intensity, and as soon as I took the camera away from my face and looked at what was happening without EVI, my eyes needed time to adjust to a different illumination. The same thing happens when you bring the camera to your face in the bright sun, while nothing is visible in the EVI for some time until the eyes conduct accommodation.

I think that this disadvantage of EVI can also be solved with brighter sensors, as well as light sensors (similar to those that are in modern smartphones and automatically adjust the display brightness depending on the illumination).

Viewfinder linked to focus system

Speaking about EVI and JVI, you need to immediately understand that the technology for displaying the future frame is directly related to the focusing system. For JVI, very fast and fairly accurate phase focusing systems have been developed, which are based on separate sensors. For EVI, phase or other focusing sensors should be placed directly on the camera matrix (SLT cameras do not count, since there is a mirror there). So far, there is an opinion that focusing on reflex cameras with EVI is noticeably worse than on SLR cameras with JVI. But in fact, EVI mirrorless cameras only need to tighten up and refine their focusing system a little, and some EVI cameras focus very well anyway. Separately, there are SLT cameras, which also use EVI, but at the same time they have a fixed mirror and phase focusing modules characteristic of cameras with JVI.

Conclusions on EVI and JVI

Advantages of JVI

JVI non-volatile, works even when the camera is turned off. True, modern JVI in some cameras have their limitations, which are primarily associated with a transparent LCD display for displaying auxiliary information. I have considered this issue in detail.
no inertia, instant view of the scene being shot. Very important for reportage photography.
High matte screen resolution with the option to replace it.
The brightness of the JVI automatically changes depending on the scene being shot.
Many users subjectively like a non-digitized JVI image more than digital image when sighted through the EVI.

Disadvantages of JVI

Expensive in production and complexity of design. JVI requires a very large number of mechanisms that can fail (tested more than once on personal experience). First of all, JVI needs expensive glass ones, mirror control mechanics (), separate and separate. When the cost of production becomes cheaper, for example, when replacing a pentaprism with a pentamirror, the display quality decreases. In addition, all these mechanisms must be very accurately calibrated.
Simple JVI have 90-98% frame coverage, the remaining percentages are not visible at the edges of the image. In expensive models, the percentage of frame coverage reaches 100%, but the cost of creating such JVIs also increases. Therefore, you will find details about it.
Noise at work. During the shutter release, a part is created directly by the movement of the mirrors and their control mechanisms.
The movement of the mirror creates an extra shaker, which can affect image blur.
Limitation of the coverage area by focus points due to the reduced , which is responsible for focusing.
Distortion in image display. First of all, the JVI incorrectly displays the view of the blur zone; when viewed through the JVI, it is displayed completely different from what it will look like after the shutter is released. Also, when working in backlight, the final image may have light artifacts (reflections, glare, etc.) that are not visible in JVI.
The JVI matte screen, the mirror and the matrix can become dirty, which reduces the level of comfort during shooting. In EVI, only the matrix is contaminated.
You can't shoot video through JVI. On cameras equipped with JVI, you should use the main display with the Live View function to shoot video.
JVI has a certain blackout time when the mirror is up. This position also stops focusing and metering. In some EVF cameras, you can aim constantly, even when shooting in a series, and focusing can also work constantly, but for this you need to additionally use an electronic shutter (not all EVF cameras have an electronic shutter).
JVI can suffer from flashes, which affect the metering and / or illuminate the image at slow shutter speeds (this drawback is treated with a special eyepiece shutter, I have considered this issue in more detail). But the EVI is completely devoid of flare.
JVI requires the use retrofocus wide angle lenses(due to the presence of a mirror, the working segment lengthens).
JVI sometimes does, which can be unnerving.

Advantages of EVI

When sighting EVI immediately displays that image, which will be obtained after the shutter is released (with some caveats described in this article). Also, in EVI it is convenient to see the image settings made in real time and select the best option.
The conclusion is very lots of supporting information. First of all, it helps to use a number of very useful functions, for example: focus peaking, live, zebra function, electronic level and many others. EVI also allows you to instantly increase the selected part in real time.
EVI allows you to view the photo you just received without taking your eyes off the eyepiece. Allows you to more quickly control the quality of the material removed.
Allows you to dig into all camera settings without taking your eyes off the eyepiece EVI. In the case of JVI, to access all settings, remove the camera from your eyes and turn on the main display.
Constant or automatically adjusted brightness for any values of , and the scene being shot. EVI brightness does not drop when closing, for example, to view the depth of field.
Simplicity of design(unlike JVI, it does not require mechanical mirrors, a matte display, a pentaprism, an additional focus sensor and a bunch of service devices). Also, this design allows you to make cameras more compact and light.
EVI works silently(unlike slamming mirrors), and also does not create excess movement from the movement of the mirror.
EVI has a greater potential to expand the area of the frame responsible for focusing. Theoretically, the entire area of the frame can be responsible (or already responsible in the case of focusing by contrast) for focusing.
Large (in fact 100%) percentage of frame coverage. In JVI it is not so easy to achieve 100% frame coverage.
The ability to simultaneously sight through the EVI and connect other devices in parallel to display the image. For example, a monitor can be connected to a camera with EVI, through which other participants in the shooting will see what the photographer is shooting, without disturbing him in any way.
It emerges from the previous one that EVI allows you to shoot video.
The shutter fade time may not be available when using the electronic shutter.

Disadvantages of EVI

Insufficient brightness. On a sunny day, it constantly seems that the image in the EVI is too dark (in the future, the shortcoming can be corrected)
The low resolution of the sensor that forms images for display in the EVI. You can also add low-quality sensors here, which, when sighted, create various unpleasant visual artifacts (in the future, these shortcomings can be corrected).
Energy dependence(theoretically it cannot be fixed, but in the future it can be improved by using sensors with lower power consumption and more capacious batteries)
inertia, image output delay (may be fixed in the future)
Lags when turned on or when low temperatures(may be corrected in the future)
Matrix heating, which in the first place may negatively affect the noise level (may be corrected in the future)
Difficulty working in low light, related to image display brakes and / or display of an image that is too dark (may be fixed in the future)
In EVI, artifacts from a dirty matrix are much more noticeable, this reduces comfort during shooting (in the future it can be corrected with an improved matrix cleaning system)
A long process of getting used to EVI after JVI and subjective dislike of this technology due to the digitization of the image received from the lens.

I can summarize that EVI technologies have room for development, its shortcomings can be improved over time with the best hardware and software solutions. JVI technology has reached its logical end and does not have serious opportunities for its improvement. At best, JVI will move towards a hybrid JVI. Nevertheless, you need to understand that JVI is a very ancient, proven technology that will delight more than one generation of photographers.

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