Depending on the image I may adjust highlights or shadows slightly, and may add Global and Detail lens softness, and a bit of micro-contrast (OpticsPro 11 now will do auto micro contrast). I thought I’d share an eclectic mix of images from those postings with Photography Life readers to help demonstrate why the majority of my ‘no viewfinder’ concerns were unfounded. Using a large LCD screen seems fine, until you realize you'll never really hold a camera stable with your arms outstretched so you can see the screen. If you’re like me you may be resisting even trying out a camera that doesn’t have a viewfinder. I could still get the precise focusing point desired in my images and frame photographs to my liking even when holding the camera inside the engine compartment. From the menu you can also select the aspect ratio of the frame guide overlaying your image. Many years ago when I first started using a camera, my first camera was a Canon rangefinder that was given to me as a high school graduation present. Tom. I chose the J5 to take advantage of the improved BSI sensor in it…and I have no regrets doing so…twice. And of course, I sometimes used my TLR with the camera up closer to my eyes, but it was braced against my body and solid that way. Fujifilm X100. I found that the shutter speeds at which I could hand-hold a camera without a viewfinder are not quite a slow as those when I shoot with camera that has one. But one challenge remains: How can the Nikon 1 J5 be used to photograph birds in flight. Of course I continue to use the bodies (1V1, 2 V2’s and a V3), plus the fine lenses I now have. I found that the buffer was far too small and far too slow to clear for my style of shooting. Thomas, You make and post process great images no matter what gear you use! Everyone should consider their personal circumstances and needs, what will work well for them. It may take me a tiny bit more time to frame and hold an image motionless on the rear screen for capture, but I haven’t noticed any impediment to my creative urges. The large ground glass screen is easy for composition. The prospect of ever owning a camera that didn’t have a viewfinder was so foreign to me that I simply dismissed buying the Nikon 1 J5 out-of-hand. Thanks in no small part to your ongoing series of superb articles demonstrating the Nikon 1 system, this may finally be the year for me to acquire a 1″ sensor camera. My first digital camera was a 2005 2.3MP Canon P&S that was really only functional by using the screen on the back of the camera. Perhaps one could use the camera in the same way we used to use twin-lens reflex cameras. Yet the viewfinder is perhaps the single most fudged and botched [Read More] What is your experience with digital cameras without a viewfinder? This takes the camera away from your solid and still torso and into midair (only supported by your outstretched arms) – this increased the chance that your camera will be moving as you take the shot which will result in blurry shots. Best Compact Cameras with Viewfinder. I am just trying to think of ways I might hold that camera. i am asking this because i am planning to buy Sony DSC S3000. I then squared it up in post. With the electronic viewfinders, you can also preview your photos without taking your eye off … However, it is unlikely to be a Nikon 1 product. I also found some focus lag with the AF-C on the J5 when compared to my V2s. Oh also, the fix old cameras video is good but dont cover getting the prism off. Am thinking about the Olympus VR-340 but just noticed it says it has no optical viewfinder… Again, a small shift in technique. The viewfinder on a camera is the small window that the photographer looks through to compose, focus and “frame” the scene. Years later, I “upgraded” to a DSLR. I know you are using DXO (which version by the way), but what are the most used steps within it for the J5 sensor and which other software do you use? The homeowner’s garden presented a wide range of opportunities for me to do that with the J5. I have great admiration for your work and for you. The image above was one of many I captured while strolling in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario with my wife. Using the J5’s tilt rear screen allowed me to capture a number of interesting perspectives of engines that would not have been possible with my V2s as they don’t have tilt screens. I really don’t remember why I started focused on using CS6 instead of LR. I have been using DxO Optics Pro for a long time, and version 11 is working very well for me. :), Hi Vern, Shooting at waist level is something that I do quite often with the J5 as this can also help reducing the glare on the screen. I’m glad to hear that you are having a good experience with your Nikon 1 gear. When capturing some reptile images in lower light situations I found that I could hand-hold the J5 well enough to get useable images at 1/40th of a second with little difficulty. Contax G2, Zeiss Planar 35/2, Kodak Ektar 100, Fed 3, Industar-61 L/D 53/2.8, Kodak Gold 200, Voigtlander Bessa R, Jupiter-8 50/2, Kodak Portra 160VC, Fujifilm Klasse, Fujinon 38/2.6, Kodak Portra 400, Asahi Pentax SV, Auto Takumar 35/3.5, Mitsubishi MXIII 200, Voigtlander Bessa R, Jupiter-8 50/2, Kodak Portra 160 VC. As the old saying goes, “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush”. Even when using extension tubes I found that I could hand-hold the J5 steady enough to get the exact focus point on a subject I wanted. I have J4, which doesn’t have that, and it’s certainly problematic in some conditions that the tilt screen may help. All things being equal, I think I’m getting pretty good at it. The N1 series could really benefit from this, but of course the future of N1s at this time uncertain. For a few years, I could still lift the camera but it was fairly difficult, so I would try to only do it when I absolutely knew I wanted to take the photo. In order to clearly see the LCD, I would have to wear reading glasses, then take them off to see beyond the LCD. While I can’t predict whether you would enjoy shooting with a non-viewfinder camera, I can tell you that it is worth a try. LCD touch screen focus point selection is very handy, for sure! Updated 09/07/2020: The new compact cameras with viewfinder here are under £300, but some smaller sized digital cameras don't feature an electronic or optical viewfinder to focus the picture with no method to affix a separate device, depending instead on the screen at the rear.. if Camera does not have View Finder is it very big disadvantage ? If I had the option of buying a Nikon 1 body with an EVF, tilt screen and the 20.8MP BSI sensor I would have…but that option doesn’t currently exist. Folks who want to use a mirror-less camera without an EVF for birds-in-flight can purchase a Hoodman, SevenOaks or other brand of viewer made specifically for this purpose. Thomas Stirr is an author, photographer/videographer, and executive coach based in Grimsby Ontario Canada. Compact cameras often lack a viewfinder, but one of the reasons we love this Lumix is because it squeezes one in. And it seems to me that holding the camera out away from the face can only introduce pictures that aren’t as sharp as using one’s body to brace the camera, camera against face, body against a firm support. I wanted to add that going into the set up menu in the J5 and setting Display for Plus 3 allows u to see the screen in outside daylight. I still use my V2s for wildlife as I find a camera with a viewfinder is superior for my style of shooting. So now with a few years with a DSLR, I have looked back over my images and I find that the ones taken with the P&S are much better composed and framed than the DSLR ones. I know you have been using a ‘Klasse’ for a while. I appreciate that it is possible to capture most types of images using only a rear LCD, but I would feel limited with ONLY the LCD. Canon used to be a stalwart when it came to viewfinders and was one of the last major camera brands to succumb to scrapping them from its models. Borrowing my daughter’s Panasonic FZ300 these last two weeks has confirmed how useful such a tool can be. Magic ViewFinder presents you a precise framing preview for the real camera/lens combination you will be shooting with, right where you stand with your phone/tablet. :-). Please give it a try. This article will help you understand your camera viewfinder better. Thanks for your comment and adding your perspectives to the discussion! It doesn’t much matter what camera a photographer chooses to use. The viewfinder is an essential component of a DSLR camera since it is the “eye” through which a photographer composes the photographs. It seems to have a great sensor in it. Technical Note: All photographs in this article were captured hand-held using a Nikon 1 J5. Cheapest Leica Cameras with Viewfinder. Although the J5 has a touch screen I have it turned off on my cameras as I prefer moving a single point auto-focus point to an exact location on the rear screen. Using my finger tip to set the auto-focus point and release the shutter never seems to work out as well for me. You have some good points, especially that the J5 is the only way to get that sensor! In fact, people rarely consider the importance of the viewfinder when choosing which camera to buy. :). The viewfinder is what you use to set up your shot, plain and simple. Your articles and accompanying pictures have helped reinvigorate my thoughts of going back to simpler, more enjoyable photographic tools. But that said, I do admire what you are doing with the J5. Best Models. You can shoot without a viewfinder in most situation (I admit I use the screen much more the EVF myself) but for people really used to have their camera on the face it can be very disturbing. Without touching the surface of the car, I had to hunch over and stretch out as far as I could with one hand underneath the hood to capture the image above. In photography, a viewfinder is what the photographer looks through to compose, and, in many cases, to focus the picture. PL provides various digital photography news, reviews, articles, tips, tutorials and guides to photographers of all levels, By Thomas Stirr 42 CommentsLast Updated On September 21, 2018. Nikon had the opportunity to make 1 series cameras and lenses (faster zooms) that were better designed and integrated into their APC, FX and CLS flash offerings — and then sell them for reasonable prices. The transition to using the rear screen to compose images has been far easier and faster than I first anticipated. Would you buy a camera without an optical viewfinder - is it an important feature. For birds-in-flight and other photos where an EVF is really needed I still have my trusty trio of V2s. Hoodman HEYESF HoodEYE Camera Eyecup Eye Cup Viewfinder Eye Piece for Sony Mirrorless A7 & A9 Series . The rear LCD is still nice for some situations. Touch screens are very overrated. I know I would upgrade if they had something like that. Z6 II vs. Z7 II – advice on which one better for enthusiast level, To watermark or not to watermark on prints. Most diopters have a standard correction ranging from -3 to +1. I apply PRIME noise reduction to all of my images, regardless of the ISO at which they were captured. Other than not using my J5s for birds-in-flight or other types of action-oriented photography I haven’t felt restricted at all when out creating images. Tom, I am obviously coming late to the game on this article but…. Nowadays, I have to take photos holding the camera in my lap and just point it where I think is right, guesstimate focus distance if I’m using a manual focus camera, and shoot and hope it works out. If anything I’m finding that not restricting myself to using a viewfinder is liberating from a creative standpoint. Use the parallax correction line when taking close-up shots. in Canon EOS Digital Cameras I recently visited a local agricultural show in the Niagara area which featured a large selection of custom cars. NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 31.9mm, ISO 400, 1/400, f/5.6 I found it quite easy to use the ‘non-viewfinder’ J5 to frame images, with the tilt screen and my hat handling glare issues. The images were produced from RAW files using my standard process of DxO OpticsPro (versions 10 or 11), CS6, and Nik Suite. Sure there are digital cameras with flip out LCDs that I could probably use and make my life easier, but I like shooting film and using old film cameras. Why do you use CS6 and not LR for the DNGs? Hi Tom, Thanks for all your work with the Nikon 1s. It’s a fine little camera, but for me and lots of others like me it won’t fit the bill. Some of my medium format cameras have Waist Level Finders so I can hold them in my lap and compose with a viewfinder, but most 35mm cameras don’t, and if they do they don’t work that well anyway. Most viewfinders are separate, and suffer parallax, while the single-lens reflex camera lets the viewfinder use the main optical system. Fingers crossed that a V4 comes out with a built-in EVF, a REAL hotshoe, and a serious buffer to make use of that 20fps AF shooting. I dabbled with using each of them. They are certainly useful and superior to the EVF in some situations. The pinpoint focus mode insured that the birds were in focus. Diopters can be in the eyepiece or snap or slide on. Heck, if I did that I would have never bought my first Nikon 1 camera. This state indicates the camera is focusing or calculating exposure and … Checking camera compatibility in advance is always recommended. Recently I had the opportunity to produce a garden video for a residential home owner. Most images you see in my articles have taken no more than about 2-3 minutes in post, including computer processing time. I think that this a reasonable compromise in a camera of this size. 4.4 out of … The difference, for me, is about one stop which is something I can live with. As humans I think we often make mountains out of molehills when we face what are basically petty annoyances, turning them into roadblocks. One of the most important aspect of the ergonomics of any camera is its viewfinder. No wonder the camera makers all went to stabilization, they had to! Since I have an extensive photography tour planned for later this year I decided to purchase my pair of J5s to take advantage of the improved image quality of its new sensor. The resulting images were good, but the tiny sensor clearly is limited in a way the 1″ sensor won’t be. I felt the same way as you, having always shot with a camera with a viewfinder for over 40 years! When you get under the hood the prism is retained by springs. Z6ii vs. Z7ii which has better tonal gradation? Rock steady holds are important to me, and sometimes one can’t keep the shutter speed high enough to have a steady enough hold with the camera out away from the body. 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