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10D's lack of live preview--opinions?

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Well I guess is there is some text after all. I lied.
--
Jeff Peterman
 
SLR's have optical Through-The-Lens (TTL) viewfinders. They always have. SLR photographers no this, and prefer it that way. You'll never here a professional National Geographic photographer complaining of not having a swiveling "live preview" LCD. An optical TTL viewfinder gives the best live preview of all. LCD's still can't match the clarity and resolution of an optical viewfinder. Plus, there is a practical value in putting your eye to the viewfinder: stability. SLR bodies and SLR lenses are much larger and heavier than tiny digicams. If you always had to hold a 10D + attached lens a few inches in front of your face to see the LCD for framing, it would be murder on your arms! And your handholding would be a lot more shaky, too.
Bobby Burgess said:
are any of you really put off by the 10D's lack of a live preview
when composing shots? i'm going to buy a 10D anyway, but i've been
spoiled by my nikon 5000's swivel LCD to the point where i never,
ever used the optical viewfinder.
  • Bobby
Click to expand...
 
Are you put off by lesser digicams shutterlag? I am. Are you turned off my the noise in photos at higher ISOs? I am.

You will forget the live display when you get instantaneous response from the shutter and are able to shoot in lowlight with decent results at higher ISOs.
 
as the mirror could be lifted for live preview through the CMOS!! it's so obvious!!

No, technically impossible because the CMOS we have nowadays are unable to give a decent frame rate to have a live preview... remember that contrary to a X3 Foveon sensor, Canon's CMOS/CCD sensor aren't able to "scale down" their output for faster throughput of the image data... So the 10Dn (N for newbie, or nostalgy, or nonsense) would probably have a live preview at 3fps... rather a "delay" than a "live" preview!! the whole sensor would have to empty the whole image data (6,3 megapixels, remember?) for each frame of the live preview... Say bye-bye to the battery life.

Also, as someone pointed out, even the shortest delay is a handicap when you have to track your subject... there's nothing like a true viewfinder...

Ah, last thing: live preview on a DSLR would mean: lose AF capability during live preview... as the AF sensors receive light thanks to an auxiliary mirror when the main mirror is blocking the sensor box... talk about longer AF delays when you actually want to take the photo: the main mirror would have to close back, to allow autofocussing, then re-open the mirror to take the pic...

For AF to operate in "live preview mode", we would have to go back to a contrast-detection AF system, which is quite slow and annoying.

Guillaume
http://www.at-sight.com
Sports & general event photography
 
Guillaume in Paris said:
designed in Africa, gives you an additional 30 centimeters up or
down to reach the viewfinder in tricky situations. Comes bundled
with a nice minerva-case for easy storage when not in use.
Click to expand...
Can you provide more details?
--
Jeff Peterman
 
Guillaume in Paris said:
Guillaume in Paris said:
For AF to operate in "live preview mode", we would have to go back to a contrast-detection AF system, which is quite slow and annoying.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
I loved the swivelling LCD on my 5700, but gave up on the camera because of the slow focusing, expecially in low light. I wouldn't give up the focusing advantage for the LCD.

--
Jeff Peterman
 
I went from a G2 to a D60 and initially missed the swivel - more due to the fact that I shoot candids than any thing else and folk were not aware that they were being snapped. But 18 months later, I don't even think of the swivel.

Sheila Smart
http://www.pbase.com/sheila

One crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name - Thomas Osbert Mordaunt
 
It does have live preview, just not on the LCD.

Look through the viewfinder... that's a LIVE preview of what you will get!
Bobby Burgess said:
are any of you really put off by the 10D's lack of a live preview
when composing shots? i'm going to buy a 10D anyway, but i've been
spoiled by my nikon 5000's swivel LCD to the point where i never,
ever used the optical viewfinder.
  • Bobby
Click to expand...
 
When I look through VF, I'm "there", in the scene. The frame is surrounded by black, my eye doesn't see anything but the scene. Camera becomes an extension of my eye.

When I look at the preview screen however, this feeling of "being there" is lost. I feel like I'm watching the TV. I feel passive.

Optical TTL viewfinder is 90% reason why I love SLR.
 
Since the 10D, I've used both cameras here-and-there, never use the preview on either anymore.
Bobby Burgess said:
are any of you really put off by the 10D's lack of a live preview
when composing shots? i'm going to buy a 10D anyway, but i've been
spoiled by my nikon 5000's swivel LCD to the point where i never,
ever used the optical viewfinder.
  • Bobby
Click to expand...
--
Me-Confused
 
Nick_Chopp said:
This is kind of silly... No SLR can have an LCD preview; it's just
impossible.
Click to expand...
Well not impossible at all, you could have the prisim split of a fraction of the light and send it to the sensor, or have a switch the locks the mirror up and previews using the sensor or have a second sensor just for preview.

all of these would darken or block the viewfinder, but it is totally possible to design a SLR system with lcd preview

--
clickadee click....
 
Why would anyone with a sane mind prefer a lagging pixelated display of his subject that shows what was going on there 1/10-1/5th second earlier? Why would anyone like to use a hard to discern LCD that gives different colour responses and will make judging focus a hit and miss buisiness?

I had a Fuji 602Z and only ever used the EVF (the LCD on the back was a complete waste of money) but the optical viewfinder of a DSLR is pure bliss!

--
regards
Karl Günter Wünsch
 
What you see if what you might get.

With an LCD what you see is what you get.

Big difference.

People who can stand an optical viewfinder must shoot completly differently than I do.
 
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