A tiny and personal test of some EVF

Hello Roland Karlsson and JeremieB

JeremieB wrote:

JeremieB wrote:

Roland Karlsson wrote:

KPM2 wrote:

Hello again Roland Karlsson

maybe it is interesting for you:

EVF fps in dim light:

https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/64303653

from the Canon forum.

best regards. KPM2

Thanx - although it is old info it was interesting. It seems like, for Canon R5, the EVF is coupled to the actual shutter speed. So, one way of improving the finder is to use M mode and auto ISO and then set the speed high enough for the stutter to go away. Rather annoying that the view finder forces me to use certain shutter speeds.

I wonder, is it so for all cameras?

BTW, R5 was one of the cameras that got a thumbs down when I tested it. It was really bad.

And in that case, I should really redo my test. But "Fotomässan" is over, and physical photo shops where you can test the cameras together are rare.

This whole thread makes me think there's a major difference between OVF and EVF:

- an OVF is strictly described by a small number of parameters (brightness size), and those parameters are completely independent from the rest of the camera

Ok quick erratum, not completely independent as there's the AF/AE system in the middle.

- an EVF is described by a much larger number of parameters, and its quality highly depends on the camera itself:

- as it's the image captured by the sensor, the sensor has a huge impact (high ISO noise, readout speeds, could explain why experience of Z5 and Z6 is different)

- it has common live view configuration (preview exposure or not), but also many others (which is great)

- and then it has all the characteristics of a screen, resolution definition colors contrast refresh rate max lumens ... But also battery consumption.

- you could also test EVF behavior when battery gets low as the camera might activate energy saving measures ( sorry )

I'd say the MPX count of the evf might be the least interesting thing to know about it nowadays.

Hands down, when I read now that the EVF has 60 fps or 120 fps or 125fps it can be that this fps slow down in dim light.

also, and as an example I use a 60 fps EVF: with 60 fps the exposure time for one picture for the EVF can be of cause shorter than 1/60 sec. It longest possible exposure time is a 1/60 sec. Now when the fps slow down to 30 fps and the camera use the longest possible exposure time of a 1/30 sec for one EVF picture.....this picture (a moving subject in the scene) can have a very strong motion blur, and what I see are 30x strong motion blur pictures during one second than. The camera can under dim light try to use faster exposure times, but need of cause higher ISO's for that and so on.

When I would test an EVF, I think I had to do now:

I would test it in good light and dim light.

I would test it with the M mode of the camera too

I would make this test with a f2.8 and 5.6 and f8 lens

I would use AF-S and AF-C

I would need a subject in the scene that moves / moves fast (for example a person who turn around and around ), for to get a feeling if I see only a lot motion blur pictures during a second or sharp pictures during a second.

And at last: there is also sometimes a different if you only watch at the scene with an EVF, or if you focus once (AF-S) or focus continually (AF-C), and if you do a series of pictures during that.

So that's a lot to check but I think now I can not trust the fps I do read in the spec sheet, when I am in a dim light situations, or where the camera must use high ISO's.

best regards. KPM2