Comments about the new Canon EVF-DC2 Electronic Viewfinder

Hey gang...

Just received (via preorder) the new Canon EVF-DC2 Electronic Viewfinder. I had the earlier EVF-DC1 (on my M3). B&H sells it for only $207 USD.

My reasoning for getting this newer EVF-DC2 is due to the fact that there was one huge variable for me (subjective, I know) about the earlier EVF-DC1 that was driving me absolutely nuts.

I wear glasses and the EVF-DC1 had a tendency to tilt upwards really quickly and easily. Unlike some other external viewfinders (such as the Olympus VF-4 - see link immediately below) which clicks into position and won't rise unless you lift harder to unclick it - allowing it to move up and down - the earlier EVF-DC1 tilted up at the slightest touch. And in my case (remember, I'm speaking only for myself), whenever I brought the M3 up to my face quickly to get a shot, the eyeglasses would hit the viewfinder and cause it to tilt up. This then caused me to stop and tilt it back down again, thus losing some shots.

Just as a matter for a reference point, here's the Olympus VF4 which is an awesome external EVF - both looks great and performs superbly:

http://www.getolympus.com/us/en/vf-4-viewfinder.html

OK - so I mounted this new DC2 on the M3 - wow, what a difference. No more issues with the viewfinder tilting up lat the slightest touch. It's now a pleasure to use. It is well constructed. Although I personally like the "appearance" of the earlier viewfinder, this DC2 will do just fine. With regards to visual quality, it's the same as the earlier DC1.

As an aside, I currently have the Tamron 18-200 f3.5-6.3 III VC on the M3 which I find to be an excellent and very sharp (for the genre) zoom lens (or at least my copy is). Because it has a slightly stiff zoom ring, when I have to zoom, it forces me to grab the camera much tighter with my right hand, while zooming with my left hand. The side effect to all of this is that due to the tighter grip on the camera, it would push the earlier EVF-DC1 against my glasses and wallaaa, the EVF would tilt up.

But again, this DC2 is wonderful. Although I must admit, that I wished Canon would fix the earlier issue by still allowing the tilting function (like Olympus did with the VF4) by assigning a switch that allows you to lock the EVF in place so it won't arbitrarily tilt. But hey, I'll take what I can get and all I know is that this new EVF-DC2 is the improvement I needed. The only reason I assigned it 4.5 stars in this review/comments is due to the fact that Canon could have still made it tiltable by use of a switch.

Will now use the earlier EVF-DC1 probably towards getting a 1" sensor Canon Powershot modle like the G3X - who knows.

Rather, it can tilt up or down on a whim.  As I alluded to, the Olympus VF-4 clicks down and you have to give it a good nudge upwards (hearing the click again) to tilt it.  I've read other remarks on this and other forums about Canon's EVF-DC1 tilting up entirely too easily, in particular with those folks who wear glasses.  My copy isn't loose at all.

...that in addition to my original OP comments, I should mention that in person, this new EVF-DC2 is actually much nicer looking than what you see on stock images (showing the EVF on a camera).

In addition, IMO, the EVF viewing area "seems" brighter and larger than the one in the previous EVF-DC1.  By my putting using the quote marks on "seems," I mean to say that could just be my imagination because it is new.  But so far, that is what I'm feeling (and seeing).  So yes, the more I pick up the M3 with this new DC2, the more I'm getting to like it.  And it's a bargain at $204-$207 asking price that B&H and Adorama have it for.

I just learned about this new viewfinder when reading the notes on the latest firmware update for the G3 X. The reason why it appears brighter is that this model uses an OLED screen instead of LCD. That means more vibrant colors and perfect blacks.

Unfortunately, I consider the previous model’s tilt feature a must-have, so I will not be considering an “upgrade” to this one.

Yes, the tilt feature is a very nice to have and the Olympus versions (VF3 and VF4) are absolutely superb because they have one little feature that is invaluable.  That feature is that when in the down position, it is clicked into position and requires just a heftier push up (to unclick it) so you can look down into the viewfinder.  This way it would not ride up when touched.

The Canon DC1 version doesn't have this click down feature and as a result - from what I've experienced which used to drive me nuts - is that if you bring the camera up to your face (I wear glasses), and it hit the glasses in my case, it would ride up.  This caused me to have to stop and push it down again.  Now for some folks this was a non-issue, but for others, it would drive them batty also.

So for me the newer EVF-DC2 turned out to be wonderful - however, why Canon didn't include a feature that keeps the viewfinder down so it doesn't ride up, is beyond me.  Now they've just done the opposite, keeping it fixed in a downwards position.  But I really like the DC2 (which I have on the M3) - makes a world of difference, and I'm no longer cursing out loud as the previous one would ride up most of the time.

I am curious, does anyone know if there is a reasonably priced viewfinder that could be mounted on the first EOS M (still use mine with good results)?

I wouldn't want to spend too much since I will eventually upgrade possibly to the M6 or subsequent camera.

Thanks!

Mark

mvrbnsn wrote:

I am curious, does anyone know if there is a reasonably priced viewfinder that could be mounted on the first EOS M (still use mine with good results)?

I wouldn't want to spend too much since I will eventually upgrade possibly to the M6 or subsequent camera.

Thanks!

Mark

There is no electronic viewfinder, but I'm using a Voigtlander 40mm optical viewfinder for the EF-M 22mm f/2, Olympus has one that is cheaper and works well too.

Neither is an exact match to the field of view, but both are close enough...for me at least.

JD

Agreed - I enjoy having the tilt feature on the DC1, but having it tilt by itself is indeed annoying.

As I mentioned elsewhere too I think, if they were going to do a non-tilt one, I wish they had done it smaller and more tightly hugging the body.  For now I'm sticking with the DC1.

Ali

Ben Herrmann wrote:

Yes, the tilt feature is a very nice to have and the Olympus versions (VF3 and VF4) are absolutely superb because they have one little feature that is invaluable. That feature is that when in the down position, it is clicked into position and requires just a heftier push up (to unclick it) so you can look down into the viewfinder. This way it would not ride up when touched.

The Canon DC1 version doesn't have this click down feature and as a result - from what I've experienced which used to drive me nuts - is that if you bring the camera up to your face (I wear glasses), and it hit the glasses in my case, it would ride up. This caused me to have to stop and push it down again. Now for some folks this was a non-issue, but for others, it would drive them batty also.

So for me the newer EVF-DC2 turned out to be wonderful - however, why Canon didn't include a feature that keeps the viewfinder down so it doesn't ride up, is beyond me. Now they've just done the opposite, keeping it fixed in a downwards position. But I really like the DC2 (which I have on the M3) - makes a world of difference, and I'm no longer cursing out loud as the previous one would ride up most of the time.

I too have accidentally flipped my viewfinder on some occasions, but it's never been enough of an annoyance that I'd willingly give up the feature. I agree it should have some sort of detente to prevent accidental movement, but I don't consider the lack thereof to be a deal breaker.

Ali wrote:
As I mentioned elsewhere too I think, if they were going to do a non-tilt one, I wish they had done it smaller and more tightly hugging the body.

I also don't understand why it has to be so large and obtrusive. Look at what Sony has done with their premium compact models that feature a tiny pop-up EVF which has received rave reviews.

it's odd that Canon, a company that excels in some many areas, can seem so backwards in others. Sometimes I think it's part of a misguided effort to preserve the superiority of their more profitable higher end camera systems.

I use a hotshoe mounted Clearviewer (Clearviewer.com) on my original M. It's optics transform the LCD into an EVF, making it very useful regardless of the lens used, and is a third point of contact. Around $50-60 USD. There is also a tripod-mount model.

Thanks I'll check it out.

Canon should have made their EVF:s and DSLR:s compatible so you could have gotten an EVF for the ordinary DSLR:s.

Nigge wrote:

Canon should have made their EVF:s and DSLR:s compatible so you could have gotten an EVF for the ordinary DSLR:s.

You mean in addition to the OVF?

Ali wrote:

Nigge wrote:

Canon should have made their EVF:s and DSLR:s compatible so you could have gotten an EVF for the ordinary DSLR:s.

You mean in addition to the OVF?

Yes.
I think the external EVF:s for the M series should have worked with the DSLR:s to.

Nigge wrote:

Ali wrote:

Nigge wrote:

Canon should have made their EVF:s and DSLR:s compatible so you could have gotten an EVF for the ordinary DSLR:s.

You mean in addition to the OVF?

Yes.
I think the external EVF:s for the M series should have worked with the DSLR:s to.

Interesting, makes sense. I never thought much about this since I prefer the OVF to the EVF, but this would enable live view thru the viewfinder.

I don't think theyt could do this retrospectively because (from memory) the M3 & M5 both have a row of fine contact at the "back" of the hotshoe, which is presumably for the EVF, so I don't think the EVF communicates via the standard hotshoe contacts.

This is probably why the newer M cameras have a small cover for the hotshoe, whereas the DSLRs don't.

It is not to say that future models of DSLR could not be fitted with the same hotshoe setup.

Colin