What is a camera viewfinder? How many types are there?

The camera viewfinder is an integral part of professional cameras, so what is a camera viewfinder? How many types are there? Tnhelearning.edu.vn will help you answer the above questions in the article below.

What is a camera viewfinder?

The camera viewfinder is a tool on the camera that helps you see the image before you press the shutter . The outside viewfinder usually has a black rectangle, where you point the viewfinder the image will appear in the viewfinder, the picture taken is the image on this viewfinder .

The viewfinders have a rather complicated structure, like a miniature telescope placed in the camera body. The viewfinder allows you to preview the image you want to capture, but it is not part of the lens.

In modern cameras, the viewfinder, most commonly found on DSLRs, is located right in the center of the camera. You may notice a small square frame surrounded by a soft rubber mattress as a fulcrum for the eyes.

DSLR models use a viewfinder that acts as an intervalometer , commonly found on Leica cameras.

Modern cameras that don’t use zoom viewfinders, travel cameras such as the Pentax K-01 and mirrorless cameras, such as the Fujifilm X-T3. Instead, these types of cameras use an electronic viewfinder or preview the image via the EVF .

The camera uses an EVF the image is displayed on the LCD screen instead of you having to look through the viewfinder like in a DSLR camera.

Rangefinder definition on viewfinder

In the past, the viewfinders on DSLRs, 35mm cameras, or regular medium format cameras were often too small to be inconvenient and time-consuming when shooting fast-moving images, and sport viewfinders were introduced to remedy this. This. Sports viewfinders consist of two viewfinders located on the camera , one near the eye and the other towards the lens.

There are some large cameras (dual-lens reflex-TLRs), low-profile cameras close to your waist that force you to bend over to see the frame. These dual-lens reflex (TLR) cameras place a large mirror at 45 degrees, projecting the image onto a screen on the ground .

Rangefinder was born to eliminate these troubles . The rangefinder is a part of the viewfinder that works by focusing on the scope to measure the distance from the photographer to the subject . Rangefinders still exist today and are very useful, helping to keep the viewfinder image from breaking .

On most Canon and Nikon DSLRs, you’ll find a small wheel next to the viewfinder. This is the Diopter , which allows you to change the focus of the image on the viewfinder . You can change the focal length from -3 to +1 , which is useful when you have refractive errors in your eyes and take pictures without glasses.

What can the viewfinder do?

Here are a few things you might see in the viewfinder:

1. Camera Settings/Exposure Triangle

You see a bunch of information. Some of this information is your camera settings .

You can see the three main components of the exposure triangle. ISO, shutter speed, and aperture are all displayed here.

This is useful for knowing what you are shooting without having to move your eyes away from the viewfinder.

2. EV Scale (Exposure Scale)

The EV scale is the bar right in the middle of the bottom part of the viewfinder. It will show a minus scale and a plus scale with “0” in between.

This scale shows the set exposure . When you open the elevator this elevator is always at “0”

When you change the setting the EV scale moves. If you are in aperture or shutter priority mode, you can only change the EV scale using the exposure compensation setting.

3. Focus Points & Metering

The viewfinder not only helps to frame the image, but also directs the focus and metering values of the image to be captured. One or more blinking dots tells us where to focus.

The focus point can be set automatically or manually . You can change the focus area and focus mode, depending on your shooting purpose.

Your viewfinder shows you the scene you’re metering. This depends on your metering mode. There are three metering modes you can choose from:

Matrix metering mode (Multi-area metering): Meters the intensity of light at several points in the scene. Then combine the points for the most suitable light level.

Focus metering: Focus on the center of 60 – 80% of the scene. This mode is less affected by edges.

Spot metering: The camera will only measure a very small area of the scene (1 – 5% of the viewfinder area). You can choose the area for metering.

4. Battery level

You can see the battery level in the viewfinder, when the battery is only one step and blinking it means the battery is about to run out.

5. Shots Remaining (Remaining Image)

The viewfinder also shows how much more you can shoot remaining, letting you know when it’s time to replace the memory card.

Compare optical viewfinder and digital viewfinder

1. Optical Viewfinder (OVF)

The optical viewfinder is a small rectangular element on the camera that frames, focuses, and measures shots. Called an optical viewfinder because the image you see in the viewfinder is reflected from the mirror system in the viewfinder . It is like a miniature telescope that allows you to see exactly and at the same time what the camera sees.

The optical viewfinder has the benefit of using no battery power and does not cause glare when viewed in the sun like an electronic viewfinder. What’s more, the image displayed on the optical viewfinder has the same focal length as the lens, allowing you to fully focus on your subject , making it easier to track movement and color accuracy.

Many modern digital cameras now have both types of viewfinders . With an optical viewfinder and an electronic viewfinder, you can both view images on the LCD monitor and use the optical viewfinder just like in a DSLR.

There are two types of prisms used on optical viewfinders: Pentaprisms and Pentamirrors.

Pentaprisms: Used on high-end DSLR cameras, use a glass prism to redirect light from the lens to the viewfinder. For clearer and brighter images than Pentamirrors.

Pentamirrors: Used on basic DSLR cameras, the prism material is made of high-quality plastic, not glass. However, this system allows some of the light to be redirected onto the autofocus sensor, helping you to focus the image.

The problem with this system is that the viewfinder is blocked when you take a photo. This is not a big deal when you are capturing a few milliseconds image.

But as time goes on and shooting long exposures, it can be frustrating. As soon as you press the shutter button, the mirror flips up to reveal the sensor, blocking light from entering the viewfinder. The same is true for the mirror lock function, which reduces camera shake when shooting landscapes.

2. Digital Viewfinder (EVF)

A digital viewfinder is the LCD screen on the back of a DSLR or mirrorless camera. The image is captured by the sensor and projected back onto the LCD screen.

Digital viewfinders use battery power and can be difficult to see in the sun.

The digital viewfinder via “Live View” also shows you the exposure of a scene in real time. You can zoom in on an image to focus , preview the effect of white balance and exposure compensation before shooting.

Cameras using EVF are more compact than cameras using OVF, however the LCD screen consumes more power and therefore consumes more battery.

The above article introduces you to a brief overview of the viewfinder on the camera, hopefully it will help you in the process of learning about the basics of photography!