GIX OVF Compared

I think the "photographer's eye "is most important in producing fine images so I take this a bit literally and try to get the best viewing system compatible with a reasonable degree of compactness and a high degree of optical quality. This rquires compromises, so with the G!X I have a partly obstructed OVF at wide ange and near on wide angel, which I don't like but put up with, esspecailly since i have an articulating screen.

But I have been comparing viewfinders recently. The Fuji X10 is known for having an excellent OVF, and I have found this to be so. Amin Sabet in his video review of the G1X compared them and the X10 was much better. Still better was the Ricoh GV2 add on 28 mm OVF, which I got on Amin's recommendaton and which I love, it is superb even though it doesn't zoom, I take a lot of photos at 28mm.

I compared the G12 OVF to the viewfinder in my ancient Sony W1 and the G12 is consdierably larger and better. But I never complained about the OVF when I was using the W1, perhaps because I didn' know any better.

The G1X OVF being partly obstructed is a horse of a very different color, in my view.

Then I found some surprising results with further comparisons: the Nikon V1 has an EVF that I find to be truly excellent, this is the first EVF I have ever liked.

A bigger surprise awaited me: I tried the Sony Nex 7 and the Nex 6 today and found to my astonishment that their EVF  cannot be made sharp in my view with or without my glasses: the diopter adjustment has steps too largeto reach a sharp focus with my vision.

The diopter adjustment in the  G1X and  the G12 also works in steps rather than smoothly, but the steps must be smaller since there are two or three positions that seem sharp to me, with glasses or (different steps) without glasses.

The EVFs of the Nex 7 and 6 have been touted to be wonderful, so I am calliing attention to the probability that this is not universally true for all people, so it would be wise to try before buying. I would never buy a camera with a viewfinder that gives an indistinct image.

Of course if it works wrll for your vision, that's great, more power to you.

Krugman