In praise of the LCD

When the M6II was announced quite a few people complained about the lack of built-in EVF (it has an EVF, of course, a detachable one). Some even went so far as to call the camera a "failure" or "disaster", just because of that lack. And many others said they'd never consider a camera without a built-in EVF. I understand those people. Not the hyperbolic ones, who said the camera was a failure or a disaster. They are just petulant children, best ignored. But the ones who said they didn't want a camera without a built-in EVF. I used to be like that.

I grew up with manual everything film SLR's. For me, photography was always at eye level, with one eye pressed to the viewfinder, and the other usually closed, but sometimes open, if I needed to see what was around. I did have an uncle with an old TLR, which he operated at waist level, looking down. For the kids, a TLR is a twin lens reflex. One lens was used for focusing and composing, and the other for getting light onto the film. The lenses were connected, so turning the focus ring on the focusing lens also turned the lens that was in front of the film (you had to correct for parallax, of course). The earlier existence of the TLR is the reason for the "S" in SLR and DSLR.

When I got my first digital camera, the original 2MP S100, I used the tiny optical viewfinder for all my shooting, out of habit, even though the (tiny) screen would probably have been easier. My first DSLR, the original Digital Rebel (300D) gave me back the SLR experience, and I was delighted with the viewfinder, although much smaller than my previous SLR viewfinders. I did have one or two digital compacts without viewfinders, so I used them like a phone, holding the screen as close as possible to my face while still being able to see the image. If they'd had viewfinders, either optical or digital, I would have used them.

When I got my first M, in 2013, something changed in my shooting style. Instead of using the screen as a poor substitute for a viewfinder, held as close to my face as my eyes would allow, I started experimenting with shooting from different angles. The experimentation increased when I got my first camera with a tilting screen, the G7XII. I took lots of low and high angle shots with that camera (still do), and was delighted when the M6 came out with the same style screen. Even though I bought the M6 with the EVF (at little additional cost in the bundle I bought), I only use the EVF for long lenses (the 18-150 and 70-200). With all other lenses, I leave the EVF off, and shoot a lot from waist height, or lower, and sometimes from overhead. I know I could have done this with my DSLR's, starting with the 50D (my first DSLR with live view), but I was never even tempted to shoot a DSLR in live view handheld. Other than a handful of tripod-mounted shots, I never used live view on my 50D, 7D, or 7DII. And I know you can shoot at eye level from low angles (not so much from high, unless you carry a ladder around with you), but the older you get, the less inclined you are to get down on your knees. But the M, M6, and M6II, with their light weight and fun ergonomics, inspire me to shoot from all kinds of different angles. If the first M had had a built-in, or even detachable, EVF, I would probably have just used that all the time, because I was stuck in my photographic ways. By the time I got the M6, with its detachable EVF, I was so used to shooting with the screen, and the tilting screen from my G7XII, that I wasn't prepared to put myself back into the photographic straight jacket of eye-level composing and shooting for all my shots, or even most of them.

For me, the lack of EVF in any form in the original M was a great boon. It forced me to shoot differently, and has transformed the kind of photography I do. The M6 and M6II, with their tilting screens and optional EVF have taken the experience even farther. I much prefer not having a built-in EVF. The detachable EVF is small, lightweight, but sturdy, and goes with me everywhere I take the camera, even though I rarely use it. I've never worried about losing it or breaking it. I live in one of the sunniest cities in the US (Boulder), but have never had a problem seeing the screen in sunlight. The combination of one-press screen brightening and an anti-glare screen protector are all I need. I know a lot of you will still insist that you can't use a camera without an EVF. That's fine. Maybe you would never benefit from the different kind of shooting that I love. Or maybe you would, and it's just habit that's holding you back. And I know that a few people really like to shoot with an EVF and an on-camera flash. For them, the M6 or M6II just won't work. But if it's just the desire to shoot with your eye to a viewfinder that's holding you back from the M6 or M6II (or even keeping the EVF permanently attached to it), try shooting differently. Really give it a try. Force yourself to shoot with the screen for a while. You might find your photography becoming more creative, and your enjoyment increasing. I did. And if not, what have you lost by trying?