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Olympus, please make an external hybrid optical viewfinder

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Photohobbyfun

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I have an X100 and I really enjoy the hybrid viewfinder and I'm hoping Olympus or someone else even, makes such a device that clips onto the hot shoe.

I know that the Fuji hybrid viewfinder is a bit complex but I think it can be simplified. And when I say hybrid viewfinder, what I really mean is an optical viewfinder that can overlay electronic information on the screen so you can have a histogram, shutter speed, ISO, etc.

I'm hoping such a device can be made by building a simple optical viewfinder with a translucent LCD screen that has electrical contacts on the hot shoe so the camera can relay information onto the translucent LCD screen. I believe the Fuji X20 already does this.

I think such an accessory would be fantastic for the Pen series. They could build one with a large magnification so it could cover more than one focal length and the translucent LCD screen would display the frame lines.

Maybe someday?
 
The last thing I want is for anyone toreplace an EVF with an optical view finder.

****
 
I prefer consistent experience with wide range of lenses such as 7.5mm fisheye and 600mm equivalent telephoto, which is impossible with OVF on mirrorless camera.

Heck with viewfinder, there are more important things to focus on, such as PDAF on sensor and faster m4/3 zooms.
 
that crazy. Might sell a handfull of them to users who quickly find places for them in miscellaneous drawer #umpteen...
 
Photohobbyfun said:
Photohobbyfun wrote:

... such a device can be made by building a simple optical viewfinder with a translucent LCD screen...
Click to expand...
Regardless of the merits of this or any other idea, a soon as I see somebody describe something as "simple" I run screaming as far away from the idea as I can get.
 
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Photohobbyfun said:
Photohobbyfun wrote:

I have an X100 and I really enjoy the hybrid viewfinder and I'm hoping Olympus or someone else even, makes such a device that clips onto the hot shoe.
Click to expand...
I'm glad to know how happy you're with Fuji X100. And I know that I'd never be happy with this camera because it has fixed focus lens welded into the body
Photohobbyfun said:
I know that the Fuji hybrid viewfinder is a bit complex but I think it can be simplified. And when I say hybrid viewfinder, what I really mean is an optical viewfinder that can overlay electronic information on the screen so you can have a histogram, shutter speed, ISO, etc.
Click to expand...
Yes, this hybrid VF a bit (and unnecessary) complex. For me yhis is fancy stuff that I do0 not need
Photohobbyfun said:
I'm hoping such a device can be made by building a simple optical viewfinder with a translucent LCD screen that has electrical contacts on the hot shoe so the camera can relay information onto the translucent LCD screen. I believe the Fuji X20 already does this.
Click to expand...
I'm in M43 because I prefer EVF. If I wanted OVF, I'd find another camera
Photohobbyfun said:
I think such an accessory would be fantastic for the Pen series. They could build one with a large magnification so it could cover more than one focal length and the translucent LCD screen would display the frame lines.

Maybe someday?
Click to expand...
Technically impossible for camera with interchangeable lenses.
 
Digital **** said:
Digital **** wrote:

The last thing I want is for anyone toreplace an EVF with an optical view finder.

****
Click to expand...
It seems attitudes towards EVF's have changed. Not too long ago this board had a vocal crowd asking for optical viewfinders. There was a patent filed by Olympus showing a new method for creating am optical viewfinder and people seemed pretty excited at the prospect.

Olympus does make an optical viewfinder to go with the 17mm lens it makes. Sony also released an optical viewfinder to go along with its RX1 so I thought there might be some desire for a better optical viewfinder but I guess not.
 
Photohobbyfun said:
Photohobbyfun wrote:
Photohobbyfun said:
Photohobbyfun said:
Photohobbyfun wrote:

I think such an accessory would be fantastic for the Pen series. They could build one with a large magnification so it could cover more than one focal length and the translucent LCD screen would display the frame lines.

Maybe someday?
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Its far from, technically impossible. Rangefinder cameras have been doing this for decades now. Fujifilms x-pro1 does it digitally now and the x20 uses a translucent screen to overlay digital information on an optical viewfinder that zooms even.
Click to expand...
A pretty massive exercise if you want true parallax correction on the frame lines (i.e. the v/f to show what the lens sees) for all types of lenses.

Mike
 
I had an X100 and it was so slow focusing (also missing focus) that I sold it. The EVF finders on current M4/3 cameras are far superior...and, of course, there is the small issue of being able to switch lenses from ultra wide to super long telephoto and everything under the sun as long as there is a conversion mount available. Nope. No optical or other backward-looking systems needed.
 
I could do with one for the GH3, the extra lag for the image to get to the EVF kills the latency (which is otherwise not bad). My hit rate of REALLY fast action shots (say 0.5s and it's over) is perhaps 1/4 my FF Canon (or a little bit worse, insects flying to/from flowers are a real pain for example). I think it's the most annoying thing about the GH3.

You also get the full dynamic range of the human eye with an optical viewfinder, so can see detail in stuff that's just black/white in an EVF.

Not that I'm against EVFs, I like the size reduction, they just aren't (IMHO) as good for seeing what's going on as a good OVF. (An LCD overlay is nice tho, for Zebra etc.)
 
"I think such an accessory would be fantastic for the Pen series. They could build one with a large magnification so it could cover more than one focal length and the translucent LCD screen would display the frame lines."

A high magnification would give you a narrow FoV... best matched to a tele lens... you wouldn't see the full image of a WA lens.

On the other hand, go w a WA VF and sure you could overlay the framing, but used w a long lens you'd be dealing w a tiny box in the middle.

Go for a zoom VF and you're getting away from simple... or small. And would this be manual or power zoom in sync w the lens? (talking new camera to support this? A simple FW upgrade wouldn't do it)

Perhaps what you want (sans overlay) is already out there ?
 
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