Vietnam Vet

I see so many people posting that they like being able to see what they are going to get before they take the picture on a mirrorless camera. And it seems to be an argument for going mirrorless.
However
In all of my cameras I can see what I am going to get before I take the picture by looking in the viewfinder. And I can also see this in live mode.

So what's the difference? What are you seeing with the mirrorless cameras before you take the picture that I am not seeing in my viewfinder or in live mode before I take the picture?

MT Shooter Loc: Montana

You see exposure live, as you change settings, the view changes to show what the final image will look like. Kind of like a live action histogram.

lautenk2

The difference is when you are looking through a mirrorless viewfinder, the screen on the back of a mirrorless, or liveview on a DSLR, you are looking at an image that came from the camera's sensor and was processed into a video type signal to display on a screen, but when you look through the optical viewfinder in a DSLR you see the real world through a series of lenses. Supposedly, the mirrorless system (or live view) better shows how over or under exposed a capture will turn out buy simply looking at it. On the other hand, the DSLR system responds instantly when following moving subjects. I think that's the high points, there are lots of other differences.

bleirer

The viewfinder simulates the brightness of the exposure and if you press depth preview button that also is simulated, but it is not exactly the exposure. The histogram is there in the viewfinder and as many settings as you wish are arrayed around the edges to change as you wish. Similar to live view I think. You can have image magnification if desired in the viewfinder or a some kind of focus peaking, such as a red hue around in focus areas. The autofocus is on every pixel or one point as desired.

imagemeister Loc: mid east Florida

This shows in the VF - And this is especially helpful for fast action work when using the live view is not practical. Also, most focusing systems are handicapped when in live view.
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burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

WYSIWYG JPEG exposures...

Histograms...

An Electronic Level to square horizon lines...

ISO, Speed, f/stop, exposure mode...

Picture profile, White Balance...

Focus mode...

Silent electronic shutter exposure confirmation...

Audio levels for video...

That’s just the beginning. You really should rent one for a week or two and just play with it. It IS a very different sort of tool... and experience. Different... not necessarily better or worse.

repleo Loc: Boston

.....and zebra stripes on over exposed areas..and review the capture without having to chimp to the rear screen
For somebody like me who wears reading glasses it means I can do everything in the EVF without having to take my glasses on and off to read the LCD.

wdross Loc: Castle Rock, Colorado

Not only can you see the exact image you are capturing in the EVF, with the precapture you can also catch the peak action even if you press the shutter too late for the peak action.

With the OVF, you see what you hope to capture. In low light levels, one can hardly see what one is shooting. One depends absolutely on the camera's metering to get the shot. If your exposure is off, you will not get what you thought you saw and shot. In a mirrorless, if your exposure is off, it looks off in the viewfinder. And unless you change it to look correct, the exposure is off.

And there are times when the image cannot be seen in the EVF. When that happens, it is time to use long time exposures or go home. And to go home, you had better have a flashlight. Because if it is too dark for your mirrorless camera, it is too dark for your eyes. And a DSLR goes home long before the mirrorless camera. The EVF shows an image long after the OVF has gone dark.

And as far as precapture, it keeps capturing 36 pictures in a buffer when the shutter is half pressed. No shutter movement, no mirror movement. Once you see what you think is peak action, and the shutter is pressed, all 36 buffer pictures, before the shutter release, are now sent to the chip along with all the images from the shutter release. If one was a little slow in capturing the peak action (peak action occurred before the shutter release), one of the 36 full RAW images before the shutter release may have that peak action. A regular DSLR cannot do that without running the motor drive continuously filling the chip continuously.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

A.J.R. Loc: Devon, UK

An example. When photographing say in a wooded area where it is dark in the shadow of the trees, giving atmosphere to the photograph the image in the viewfinder of a mirrorless camera shows the image as the meter is reading it, which tries to give detail in all areas usually making the image lighter as to what it really looks like. By altering the exposure the image in the viewfinder can be adjusted so that it is very near the tonal range of the scene, and this is what the sensor will record when the shutter is pressed.

mizzee Loc: Boston,Ma

All live view, all the time. You can see the effects as you make adjustments. I’ve become a better photographer as a result.

bleirer

One cool feature, when I adjust a setting in my mirrorless, say saturation or white balance or monochrome, the viewfinder is simulating that change, so not exactly wysiwyg but enough to give an idea.

Also focus peaking in manual focus is a nice feature, I think the Canon R has little arrow like shaped that converge as you focus, others have color halos that get brighter as you get sharper.

maranatha

Have mirrorless 7 years and saw all those advantages then why is all u hogs only talking about them now evf sees what lens see ovf sees what human eye sees what at times can be crap

Canisdirus

Basically, you are more concerned with EVF or optical viewfinders.
Which makes mirrorless a side issue, since there are plenty of DSLR's that also have evf's.
I can tell you that stacking macro shots is infinitely easier with en evf and focus peaking.
I can tell before I click...that what I want in focus ... is in focus.
My eyes are good, but not that good. The sensor does the work.

wmurnahan Loc: Bloomington IN

Not all mirrorless have depth preview because you are always in stop down mode. My a7ii's lens stops down as I change f stops. I can look down the lens and see it happen. It does not, like a DSLR, only stop the lens at exposure. That is why you are seeing the picture the way the exposure is and can see the changes as they happen, I like that. Now I know that DSLR auto focus needs lots of light to work so they can't stop down as they go, but Sony mirrorless use different auto focus and I can't imagine that a DSLR is that much faster than my a6500. I can tack a running squirrel and have shot air shows.