0n a bright sunny day

[johnny0]

I find it almost impossible to read my light metter an all my other setting thu the view finder with my 30 D, in the bright sun,is there anything that can help? Thanks,

[Keiffer]

Wow, Never have this problem wiewing thru the viewfinder, Now trying to see the screen on the back is another story. Not really sure what to tell you, Maybe someone else who has this rpob can help.

[ssim]

I can say that I have never had this issue either. This is a stab in the dark but you have put your eye piece cover on the camera when you got it.

I think that I have seen other eye piece covers which have more rubber on them that will give you a tighter seal over your eye. You might want to hunt for something like that.

[300Dplus]

I'm also having the same problem in bright light. The information appears very dim against the light filling up the viewfinder, even with the camera abnormaly pressed against my eye. Don't have that situation with my 300D and I was wondering if it was like that by desing or a problem with my 30D. I was going to do some research today and maybe go to the store and see if I can see any difference on another 30D. A larger eye piece, like Sheldon suggested, crossed my mind as a possible solution.

[johnny0]

Tom, I have the eye piece extender already to keep my face off the screen.maybee I should try it without it on,but not today total overcast .

30D,D30,nikkorinat slr, couple of point & shoot,a# of glass an a bunch more stuff

[KIPAX]

I thought the answer was in the question .. the OP had to use large text so his eyesight isn't the best...therefore.. Or am I being too clever ? :)

[johnny0]

?????????

[Amy F]

I am really struggling with this problem too... Has anyone found a way to fix this? I have perfect eye sight, but am constantly missing shots of my kids in bright sunlight because I can't see the darn meter. help!!

[johnny0]

eyesight is not the problem, it is the glare, maybe somekind of coating on the eyepiece extender, just thinking-------------

[300Dplus]

The viewfinder on the 20D/30D/5D is brighter which is a good thing. The problem is not the amount of light that comes into it, but that the viewfinder information display is too dim for certain bright situations. Any coating used on the eyepiece would only make the viewfinder darker, hence the displayed information luminance will be less. From what I've read, is not an uncommon complain and perhaps the only fix would be a firmware upgrade that addresses this issue. You can read some comments here: http://photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00GQdL&tag=
Now, since this is not an "across the board" complain, I wonder if it is a problem related to "good copy/bad copy" camera.
I guess the only thing to do for now is to deal with it the best that we can. I'm thinking that perhaps an eyecup that covers your eye completely may help reduce any stray light. I tried cuppping my hand around the viewfinder and my eye and it was a tad better.
If anybody has other opinions or ideas, please post.

[PhotosGuy]

eyesight is not the problem, Really? Judging by the size of your type, I really think you need a new script for your glasses?

[johnny0]

excuse me------------

[Brodog2525]

i sometimes have the same problem but i think its because i wear glasses.

[winkie]

on the XT there is a small scroll wheel on the top right of the viewfinder that allows for adjustment of the brightness of the data being displayed (f-stop, time, etc). I've never played with a 30D though....

edit: well actually its the DO setting, but it can make the data be oof

[Amorous]

excuse me------------
On your original post (Post #1) and Post #9, you used VERY LARGE font, so people are saying that your "eyesight" is the PROBLEM, not the viewfinder.;)

[Az2Africa]

You mentioned it was hard to see in bright sunlight. I have the same problem if I am not wearing a hat with a brim to shade the viewfinder.

[300Dplus]

Yes, that helps a little with the any stray light coming thru the back of the viewfinder but the problem I think is that the light coming from the information display is to dim. This plus the fact that the viewfinder is brighter, makes it very dificult to see the info. Like I said in my previous post, and unless someone (or Canon) comes with a solution, we better get used to it and make the best out of it.