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?

As a relative beginner compared to many folks here, I am still using my very first DSLR, so I never knew there was much difference in viewfinders. I thought they were pretty much all alike, but recently I’ve been considering moving up to a Canon 80D, so I tried one out a couple weeks ago and was amazed at the difference between it and my T3i. Even though I’ve since read that the T3i viewfinder covers 95% of the image and the 80D viewfinder covers 100%, that 5% difference is amazing in actual usage.

Walt

I rarely refer to the LCD due to the fade out many of you complain about. One of the most useful EVF's is the Sony accessory on my NEX 5. It is big, bright and fully functional but unlike those in the camera body, it tilts from horizontal to nearly vertical. I never take it off regardless of where, when or what I'm shooting.

But if the LCD displays are so generally useless as implied here, why can't manufacturers come up with a better alternative? Some of us use hoods or gymnastics if we wish to avoid or otherwise cannot use the viewfinder on the camera but that's mostly an accommodation.

Personally I would encourage the development of a small monocle device that uses the camera WIFI connection to remotely display the scene. The monocle would (after adapting) allow the user to view the camera image while continuing to see the surroundings regardless of lighting conditions. I understand that some photographers with certain vision limitations or the use of only one eye would not be able to take advantage of this technology but I believe many would find it quite useful. In the meantime we seem to be stuck with LCD's that are useless too much of the time.

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?

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?

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?

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?