Viewfinder user!

sega62 wrote in post #13182329
To fully appreciate the viewfinder, I guess I have to learn the basic of photography by learning to calculate distances and light to make great pictures, I'm a newbie and would like to use the viewfinder since it's fast to shoot that way!

...yeah, I'm going to have to call troll as well.

LOL@ the troll comments.

It is apparent that he guiniely has questions and doesn't understand.

I know it is frustrating but give him a break.


Sega- the biggest reason ive seen for using the viewfinder as opposed to live view is that the viewfinder isolates the entire world from your composition.

When you bring the viewfinder to your eye, you close off the world from your photograph and it allows your senses to focus in on what your doing.

When using live view that sense is taken away and you can be easily distracted.

For a newbie it is probably easy to get used to using it like a p&s but force yourself to use the viewfinder and you will see in no time how benficial it is....you don't need to know anything difficult to use it.....set up your composition....take the picture....adjust the settings(iso/ss/aperat​ure) accordingly to get what you want after reviewing your image.....again compose with the viewfinder after making adjustments and shoot....keep doing that until you get what you want....fairly straighfoward....obvio​usly there is a ton more of info but this is a start.


And live view also has the advantage of being able to chimp and edit exposure settings and see what you will get before shooting....which i have been playing with.....but when i open the shutter, im always using view finder UNLESS i feel its easier to use the screen which is rare.

Rolfe D. Wolfe wrote in post #13182379
LOL@ the troll comments.

It is apparent that he guiniely has questions and doesn't understand.

I know it is frustrating but give him a break.

Basics of photography "by calculating distance and light"?

Rolfe D. Wolfe wrote in post #13182379
LOL@ the troll comments.

It is apparent that he guiniely has questions and doesn't understand.

I know it is frustrating but give him a break.


Sega- the biggest reason ive seen for using the viewfinder as opposed to live view is that the viewfinder isolates the entire world from your composition.

When you bring the viewfinder to your eye, you close off the world from your photograph and it allows your senses to focus in on what your doing.

When using live view that sense is taken away and you can be easily distracted.

For a newbie it is probably easy to get used to using it like a p&s but force yourself to use the viewfinder and you will see in no time how benficial it is....you don't need to know anything difficult to use it.....set up your composition....take the picture....adjust the settings(iso/ss/aperat​ure) accordingly to get what you want after reviewing your image.....again compose with the viewfinder after making adjustments and shoot....keep doing that until you get what you want....fairly straighfoward....obvio​usly there is a ton more of info but this is a start.


And live view also has the advantage of being able to chimp and edit exposure settings and see what you will get before shooting....which i have been playing with.....but when i open the shutter, im always using view finder UNLESS i feel its easier to use the screen which is rare.

Thanks for the answer, for the people who call me troll, well I will not get ban for telling what I think!

I use the viewfinder most of the time. I only use liveview when doing macro shots...

Im calling troll aswell.

But if not, I shoot VF 99% of the time, and the rest of 1% is for long exposure to ensure focus, and when doing car photoshoots.

I think threads like this are illustrative of the differences between those of us that shot film and those of us that have only known digital. As an old film shooter, using an LCD on a P&S is akward and unnatural. To someone who has only known shooting via the LCD, I'm sure the viewfinder feels akward and unnatural.

crn3371 wrote in post #13182476
I think threads like this are illustrative of the differences between those of us that shot film and those of us that have only known digital. As an old film shooter, using an LCD on a P&S is akward and unnatural. To someone who has only known shooting via the LCD, I'm sure the viewfinder feels akward and unnatural.

Well yes it feels ''new'' but I want to learn using it, I like to use the LCD for night shots but will use the viewfinder for when I can't use the tripod, and shooting all around, but I like to shoot and make my pic a nice composition of angle, light, aligne everything so it looks sharp, so that means climbing on anything to have that special angle!

Tony_Stark wrote in post #13182453
Im calling troll aswell.

I notice some people use the word troll a lot, I'm new to shooting, so it's normal to ask questions, but calling the shot a troll, that I don't think is proper to the discussion, also english is not my main language at home, maybe that's why it seems like i'm trolling!

Using the viewfinder and using the LCD is another way of using the same tool. They both have their uses. A lot of old-school photographers (as you no doubt have read here) feel natural using the viewfinder.

I bet if the internet was available during the switch from large bellows and plate film that some old fogeys would harp on about using glass plate/albumen film vs. paper/rolled film. Or even not using the dark curtain over your head...

...just use it as you want, but traditionalists and a lot of new users switch to DSLR because they find using the viewfinder much more natural.

sega62 wrote in post #13182574
I notice some people use the word troll a lot, I'm new to shooting, so it's normal to ask questions, but calling the shot a troll, that I don't think is proper to the discussion, also english is not my main language at home, maybe that's why it seems like i'm trolling!

Don't worry about it. You weren't trolling. A real troll post is one that is intentionally inflammatory, like "Canon cameras have horrible focusing". Yours was just a newbie question and some people can't remember that they weren't born with a camera in hand.

I'll say it again. It's not about convenience.
You can't use quick autofocus with life view, unless it's one of those new Sony's with translucent mirror. There are ways to use autofocus, but not in a single step with pressing the shutter.
That's the main issue.
Personally I'd love to use life view instead of the optical viewfinder in many situations.

tkbslc wrote in post #13182751
Don't worry about it. You weren't trolling. A real troll post is one that is intentionally inflammatory, like "Canon cameras have horrible focusing". Yours was just a newbie question and some people can't remember that they weren't born with a camera in hand.

Thanks mate, I know that i'm not trolling since I did not even knew the meaning hahahaha
But some people...gee, they got too much time on their hands.

Anyway, I will make more use of the viewfinder in a near future, it's raining in Montréal, so I don't want to damage my lenses!
Is there a way to take pics in the rain by the way, apart from using a umbrella.

sega62 wrote in post #13182784
Is there a way to take pics in the rain by the way, apart from using a umbrella.

You need something to cover the camera. These are cheap disposable rain covers or I am sure you could rig up your own with some plastic if you wanted: http://optechusa.com/r​ainsleeve.html

crn3371 wrote in post #13182476
I think threads like this are illustrative of the differences between those of us that shot film and those of us that have only known digital. As an old film shooter, using an LCD on a P&S is akward and unnatural. To someone who has only known shooting via the LCD, I'm sure the viewfinder feels akward and unnatural.

Depends on what you shot for film....

Link below illustrates how "live view" could be natural for some people that had used film

Live View Camera

(not my camera, simply a link found from Google)