Living without viewfinders? (Page 2): The touch screen on the Olympus body is great for shooting video because it allows you to change your focus point by touch. But I tried one of the...

Chadp Loc: Virginia Beach

The touch screen on the Olympus body is great for shooting video because it allows you to change your focus point by touch.

But I tried one of the Olympus PL series without a viewfinder a couple of years ago and ended up selling it. I have to have the viewfinder for outdoor photos.

srt101fan

Richard Engelmann wrote:

And so it is that business leadership forgets about the customer as anything but a tool for profits. You don't have to be a cynic to see time and again how business leaders and elected officials will do almost anything for the bonus or the doantion, regardless of consequences.

And yet, when I pick up my Nikon D5300, Minolta SRT-101 or old Leica IIIc, I am always amazed at the marvelous cameras technology and your "business leaders" have given us......

petercbrandt Loc: New York City, Manhattan

radiojohn wrote:

Despite knowing better, I bought a used Olympus &q... (show quote)

A real camera is still a real camera !
Same issue with phone cameras, in bright sunshine. Camera bodies developed over decades the way they did for a good reason.

Chadp Loc: Virginia Beach

Richard Engelmann wrote:

And so it is that business leadership forgets about the customer as anything but a tool for profits. You don't have to be a cynic to see time and again how business leaders and elected officials will do almost anything for the bonus or the doantion, regardless of consequences.

😂😂. Sounds like you don’t understand how the drive for profit stimulates innovation. How can we complain about companies making money when that is their number one goal? Elected officials are a different story.

BebuLamar

While they make cameras without the viewfinder for reason of cutting cost but it's also because the majority of the people who buy those cameras don't care. Because they don't care they aren't willing to pay any more for the feature. So it's not cutting cost alone.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

rook2c4 wrote:

Manufacturers started phasing out the viewfinder on compact cameras when there was a competitive rush to bring out more and more ultra-slim compacts. This was about 15 years ago. I guess manufacturers then concluded that consumers have become used to no viewfinder, and so they felt there was no need to reintroduce the viewfinder again on compact camera models.

Key operators: "they concluded"; "they felt".
I still like view finders...

Oh well.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Richard Engelmann wrote:

And so it is that business leadership forgets about the customer as anything but a tool for profits. You don't have to be a cynic to see time and again how business leaders and elected officials will do almost anything for the bonus or the doantion, regardless of consequences.

StanMac Loc: Tennessee

radiojohn wrote:

Despite knowing better, I bought a used Olympus &q... (show quote)

For EVFs I think it is a cost vs price point consideration more than anything. Also, note that optical viewfinders for super zooms are impractical if not impossible to fit into the planform.

Stan

Edit: I should add what Red6 said …. I should’ve read all posts before posting.

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

I like to use the screen to compose pictures when I'm trying to "catch" the grandkids - or other children, or animals in a photo. They are so used to my lifting the camera to my eye to take a photo that if the camera is away from my face, they don't think that I'm taking their picture. Having the remote release cable makes it even easier.
Having said that, a camera without a view-finder is a no-go for me. From the very first time my Dad let me use his camera, he also taught me to push the camera against my forehead for stability. And this many years later, I am still doing that!
Yes, I have a cell-phone, and occasionally I will take a picture with it. I have yet to get a picture from my cell that doesn't have any motion-blur in it.
I have an Olympus OM-D E-M1 mk3 now, and hopefully it will last as long as I will last! I can use it handheld against my forehead, or sitting on a table, the floor, a chair, even on a tripod, all with the remote cable.
The older grandkids have caught on, but they have also learned to pay no attention.
The younger grandkids will eventually catch on, hopefully after they learn not to pay attention!
With one of the grandkids, bribery worked: If you sit still and don't pull faces when I want to take your picture, I'll let you borrow my camera once in a while!
It worked, and he has already proven to be very carefull with my camera!

Morry Loc: Palm Springs, CA

radiojohn wrote:

Despite knowing better, I bought a used Olympus &q... (show quote)

When are cell phone makers going to introduce cell phones with viewfinders? Perhaps even a clip-on viewfinder will suffice. I also use a Canon A1200. Great little camera for what it is.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Morry wrote:

When are cell phone makers going to introduce cell phones with viewfinders? Perhaps even a clip-on viewfinder will suffice. ...

Don't hold your breath.....

Chadp Loc: Virginia Beach

Morry wrote:

When are cell phone makers going to introduce cell phones with viewfinders? Perhaps even a clip-on viewfinder will suffice. I also use a Canon A1200. Great little camera for what it is.

This is getting close. Made for clipping on the LCD screen of a camera. So the aspect ratio looks off for a phone. But seems like the same concept could be used for a phone or perhaps this one if you don’t mind losing some of the screen. And if you are shooting in the normal cell phone 3x4 format then the screen edges cut off may not matter.

(Download)

fetzler Loc: North West PA

MDI Mainer wrote:

Most images today are taken with a cell phone, and, the advances in cell phone optics notwithstanding, I have yet to see a phone with a viewfinder. So most people manage.

The lack of a viewfinder is just one reason that I don't use my cellphone to take pictures. Indeed, I only use one every couple to three months for any purpose. Cell service is marginal at my house.

Putting a towel or cloth over one's head like those using a view camera can sometimes be helpful.

radiojohn

BebuLamar wrote:

While they make cameras without the viewfinder for reason of cutting cost but it's also because the majority of the people who buy those cameras don't care. Because they don't care they aren't willing to pay any more for the feature. So it's not cutting cost alone.

How can they "not care" if they have never been offered or used a camera with a viewfinder? It's the "new normal."

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Chadp wrote:

This is getting close. Made for clipping on the LCD screen of a camera. So the aspect ratio looks off for a phone. But seems like the same concept could be used for a phone or perhaps this one if you don’t mind losing some of the screen. And if you are shooting in the normal cell phone 3x4 format then the screen edges cut off may not matter.

Duct tape.......
Many cellphones are different sizes.