Preachdude Loc: Geneva, OH

Photography has been my hobby for more than six decades. When I began phasing in digital, I had to learn to use LCD displays. The early ones were painfully tiny, but even the larger ones can be frustrating in sunlight. I have learned to appreciate having exposure data in the viewfinder, and I see it as an improvement over live displays. Over the years, I've used cameras from most manufacturers. In recent years, I've rented equipment when going on vacation, but as my eyes have gotten older, the importance of good viewfinders and displays has become more important.

When I rented a Nikon D800e, I was very disappointed in the viewfinder. I was also disappointed in the viewfinder of the Sony RX1r. The viewfinder of the Sony A6000 was pretty good. I have not rented a Canon in the last few years.

What do UHH readers say? How do you like the viewfinders of such cameras as the Sony A6500 or the Sony RX100iv, particularly in bright sunlight? Are there good viewfinders with Panasonic, Canon, and Nikon? Do you have to press the viewfinder to your eye so much in sunlight that you get eye sweat on it? Is your viewfinder clear and bright? Does your nose get sore when you press your camera to your face?

Is there an Internet URL where the viewfinders of various cameras are compared?

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

EM1ii viewfinder rocks...one of the better ones out there (so is the XT-2, GH5, and some of the latest Sony offerings).

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I use a D750 and A6000 most of the time, and I like both viewfinders. I can understand your frustration with LCDs, but indoors or without bright light, they are good.

Morning Star Loc: West coast, North of the 49th N.

You don't list Olympus with the above brands.
I have the OM-D E-M1. Although I can use the live view on the LCD to focus, I rarely if ever, do.
Is my viewfinder clear and bright? You betcha! And with my finger now knowing where the controls on the camera are, I can also see the effects of changing these controls while looking through the viewfinder. One neat feature: the viewfinder doesn't jump into action till I bring the camera up to my face, then it's there!
No sore nose, even though my left eye is the one I use and my nose will point at the centre of the camera back. In fact, I have to tilt the camera down a bit for my nose to even touch the camera back.
Before I lift the camera to my face, the settings are all clearly visible on the LCD, as soon as I look through the viewfinder, the settings are equally clear around the perimeter of the viewfinder - regardless of the weather: sun, rain, snow....
I wear glasses, and never bother to take them off to use the viewfinder: with a minor dioptre adjustment, everything in the viewfinder is clear as can be!

Dngallagher Loc: Wilmington De.

I prefer viewfinder to LCD, going thru cataracts on my eyes I added a Hoodman eye cup to my Nikon which helped tremendously to help, eventually I learned to shoot with the viewfinder using either eye when one eye was worse, since cataracts were removed and I switched to Canon, I could not be without the eye cup from Hoodman, it keeps light out of the viewfinder and your nose away from the screen, and makes the viewfinder brighter due to less light around your eye

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

A problem with LCD monitors as you know is that they are practically useless in sunlight. A viewfinder under those conditions is the best solution.
dSLR cameras have optical viewfinders that as a general rule are of excellent quality. Mirrorless cameras have electronic viewfinders that on the beginning were horrific but they are very good today.
My experience with viewfinders and mirrorless has been only with Olympus cameras. The EVF-4 like the one I use for my Olympus EP-5 is of excellent quality. The built-in viewfinder (OLED) made for the EM-10 Mk II is also excellent although in very bright light it is less useful in my humble opinion.
I have not seen a comparison among the different viewfinders and as I said my experience has been limited to Olympus.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

I have a D800 and I too also have "aging eye syndrome." I seldom use live view to frame and shoot pictures. However, when I do, I use a forcing cloth, just as I did in the days when I used a view camera.

If I used live view for shooting on a regular basis as you apparently want to do, I would buy a hood such as the ones shown as the second through fourth items on the following link. When I got my first DSLR I used one for a while and it worked very well.

https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=lcd+hood+for+nikon

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Expand your limited universe, Preachdude. Check out the hybrid (live view/EVF) viewfinders on cameras by Fujifilm.

pesfls Loc: Oregon, USA

This may or may not be helpful but perhaps. I only use Nikon gear so not familiar with what accessories other manufacturers have. In any event, Nikon makes a viewfinder magnifier that increases the size of what you see by 20%. Model DK17m is what I have. It's very helpful for closeup work where manual focus is the norm. It just screws in place of the rubber eyecup. It's very helpful at my age. Diopter adjustment is not degraded but actually enhanced. Perhaps other makers have a similar device. Don't know. May be worth looking at your manufacturer's web sight to see if they make such an item for your body. Best luck.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

An advantage with (non-DSLR) cameras that have the viewfinder off to the side rather than in the middle is that your nose does not need to touch the camera at all while your eye is on the viewfinder.

insman1132 Loc: Southwest Florida

I only shoot with Bridge cameras any more so I get whatever comes with the camera. I can tell you this, however. In my opinion Any Viewfinder is better than the LCD on a bright day!!

speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho

I "kinda" like the viewfinders in my 5D's, I rate them as ok, athough I would like them to be larger, like the one I truly enjoy in my Pentax 645nII.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

If you “like” the viewfinder in the Sony A6000 (it is tiny in my opinion), you will LOVE the ones in the Fuji xt2 or even the xt1, Panasonic gx8, gh5, the new G9 (will be the biggest of them all, save the Fuji medium format camera’s), Olympus EM1 (both versions) EM5 mark2. Or all the A7 FF cameras.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

I own the D810 and prior to that I owned the D800. Outside I simply turn from the sun and bring the camera up close to my chest, that way the rear screen is in the SHADE. No problems, never have I had a problem. Sorry to hear about yours. Hope this helps.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I've got a D700 and D800e and don't see anything lacking in the view finder. Both of them work as well as my Nikon F view finder. What did you not find satisfactory about the view finder of the D800e you rented?
--Bob