Digital Home Thoughts: SLR Viewfinders: An Overlooked Feature

"Ever since photography went digital, the popularity of photography has soared. In the past I'd maybe bump into no more than three random people holding a SLR camera even in an area considered to be "photogenic". Now, it's common to see someone proudly slinging a DSLR over their hip even on public transport. With such popular appeal it's also no wonder the Internet is now full of all kinds of sites discussing digital photography, and all new DSLR camera releases scrutinised heavily. Still, one feature that's rarely bought up on the Internet chatter of these hardware discussions is a simple and not very alluring sounding specification: The camera's viewfinder. Now, while it's not quite as sexy to talk about compared to ISO 204,800 (a favourite topic of many discussions) or 5 gigapixels, it's still something that's important. Like a computer monitor, it's one of the main interfaces (I like to think of it as the metaphorical “window” to the camera’s “soul”) of the hardware, and how good or bad the experience is can make a difference in the photograph taking process. A small, dim viewfinder is not the most joyous of things to use, and can make composing more difficult than needed. Large viewfinders present details present in the scene better, and if one didn't notice that signpost sticking out of your subject's head from behind, well, a large viewfinder can help."



Our very own yslee has published a great article in our forums that talks about one of the most overlooked specifications on DSLR cameras: the viewfinder. Compared to my original first-gen Canon Digital Rebel, that was one of the things I loved about the D200: when I picked it up and looked through the viewfinder, it was like looking at "real life": big and bright. Conversely, when I was in Japan in March, a friend there had a Sony DSLR (no clue which model, it might have been one of those "fake" SLRs without a removable lens). At any rate, when I looked through the viewfinder, I was appalled at the tiny, dim view I had on the world looking through it. I couldn't imagine how much harder that viewfinder would make it to visualize the photos I wanted to take. Viewfinders matter! Check out the article and share your comments in the article thread.