Live View - Who Uses and "How Much - %"???

[bobmax]

Hi:

Thought this might be interesting information to see who "is" vs "is not" using Live View. Obviously a Oly innovation that is considered a "must" today on all DSLR's by most reviewers and by all Mfg's. So:

1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%, etc...)?
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

I must admit that except for accidentally, I've yet to take a live view shot. I "do" see it a usable feature in "macro" work (like flowers, etc) - but to do that the LCD would really (IMHO) need to be "very viewable" in daylight. Therein seems to be the issue..

Thanks!
--
Bob

 

[JiminDenver]

Hi:

Thought this might be interesting information to see who "is" vs "is
not" using Live View. Obviously a Oly innovation that is considered a
"must" today on all DSLR's by most reviewers and by all Mfg's. So:

1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

YES

2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?

It varys depending on the camera, 10%- 60%

3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

Macro, handheld with the 330, tripod mounted with E 3 and 330.
Focusing for my 1000mm lens or any critical focusing.

Great for long shoots with lots of items in and out of a light tent and lininging up art shots.

I also use it to put the cameras in things like walls where I cant get to the VF. Great for finding leaks ect. The same is true for around corners.

The last thing is shooting with the 7-14. I have a much easier time framing it with LV than I do the VF. Possibly because I am much more likely to change the perspective of the shot than with the camera at my face. I shoot low more than ever now.

I will say I am much more likely to use the LV on the 330 than the E 3. Live view A is just better.

JimB

--
It all started long ago and far away with a lowly OM-G

The OM of Getto cams

 

[CollBaxter]

Not much but on the occasions I have used live view on my E-510 it has been invaluable.

These situations have been with a long lens on a mount where it has been difficult to get behind the camera. An example is a window mount in a car in a game reserve here you swing the camera and can't get your head behind the camera due to the confined space. Its not perfect due to the shutter delay but it works.

With nature photography where you want to keep a low profile while you are waiting for a bird/animal and have the camera set in a general direction it works well. The only problem is it shuts down after a while to stop sensor overheat.
--
Collin

http://www.pbase.com/collinbaxter

 

[Phil]

I use it on a low tripod doing landscape. Here at sunrise or sunset i will use the live histogram with all channels, as these conditions often blow out the red channel.

I also use it for doing panorams with a pano head. Here the tripod is also low and I usually go in about 30 degree swings.
--
Phil

 

[kallmalm]

Hi:

Thought this might be interesting information to see who "is" vs "is
not" using Live View. Obviously a Oly innovation that is considered a
"must" today on all DSLR's by most reviewers and by all Mfg's. So:

1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

Yes I do

2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?

0,1% at most

3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

For weird angles shots like overhead, very low or when I use a monopod to hold the camera a bit away and shoot with remote control... for the weird shooting which isn't much at all for me, the swiweling screen of the E-3 is really usable for that...

I must admit that except for accidentally, I've yet to take a live
view shot. I "do" see it a usable feature in "macro" work (like
flowers, etc) - but to do that the LCD would really (IMHO) need to be
"very viewable" in daylight. Therein seems to be the issue..

I think it is viewable enough in daylight so I see no problem there...

Daniel

 

[Olyinaz]

1) Yes
2) 10% (WAG...)
3) Closeups/macro and astrophotography

Cheers,
Oly

--

 

[Shotted]

E-330-yesterday out in the landscape, 50% of the time.
E-3-about 2% of the time.
Cheers,
Don

 

[DVSteve]

1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

I used it once to test it out

2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?

Never. I know it's there, but I still enjoy getting dirty while taking pics, and I just don't feel right taking a photo without a viewfinder. I can fully appreciate & understand why others enjoy it so much, but it definitely isn't for 100% of all the live view owners out there.

--
http://www.flickr.com/photos/nvsteve/collections/72157603250959710/

 

[gnarayan]

Occasionally

5% - might be a way to check this from the system menu but I don't know what letter it'd be. It certainly inflates the number of actual pictures taken, along with shots you bracketed for.

Nightshots, focus with legacy lenses sometimes, some street stuff, very occasionally for astrophoto stuff, sometimes to check DoF, sometimes to check exposure, sometimes to see what a filter effect in monochrome looks like.

My tax refund came in (finally) this morning so the 50/2 is going to be here soon and that might inflate numbers quite a bit more I imagine.

-Gautham

--
C&C always welcome.
Reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gnarayan/

 

[Ed Oliver]

1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%, etc...)?
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

 

[iraklis]

You can compose the picture using two eyes.This is very veru important.

 

[magnus600]

I love E-3 live view! The ability to shoot from ground level, comfortably composing the picture on the flip screen while previewing the impact of exposure adjustments... I certainly would miss a lot of shots with my previous camera.

1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

1: Yes!
2: 5%, maybe, but when I use it I NEED it to get the picture I want.

3: Mainly for shooting from the ground without lying flat in the dirt. Here's an example from yesterday..



E-3, ZD14-54 @ 23mm, f3.5, 1/500 sec, Oly Studio 2

regards,
Magnus

 

[amalric]

Hi:

Thought this might be interesting information to see who "is" vs "is
not" using Live View. Obviously a Oly innovation that is considered a
"must" today on all DSLR's by most reviewers and by all Mfg's. So:

1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?
2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?
3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

1. you still don't know how to use it?

2. When I duplicated my slides I used it 100% of the time for a month

3. For panoramas, and with MF lenses. But I just discovered you can check exposure with it, not only WB. Try it...

;-)

Am.
--
Photostream: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7689141@N06/

 

[Prognathous]

The camera is almost always on a tripod. For more dynamic subjects I use my other cameras (KM 7D, Ricoh GX8, Fuji F31).

Subject matter? Here are a few shots I took with the E330:













To me, the E330 is like large format camera - not much fun without a tripod. However, once the camera is on a tripod, LV Mode B is way more useful than any OVF (including brilliant OVF like the one on the 7D).

LV one the E339 is still a compromise. The LCD is difficult to use in daylight, and the constant mirror flips are very annoying. The former should be solved with OLED screens, and the latter is already solved by other makers (see EOS 40D). So once Olympus irons out both issues, the OVF can become history for all I care. Though it would be challenging to implement fast TTL phase-detect AF without a mirror (actually without a beam-splitter).

Prog.

 

[Barry Stewart]

Even for sports, where I use the LCD to make sure I have my framing about right — then I look at the actual scene to get my shutter timing right. There is a slight screen refresh delay in the LCD, so I can't depend on looking at that for my timing.

I love putting the camera in odd places and shooting from there. As soon as the E-330 came out, I started using my E-1 in the same way and got pretty good at guessing at the framing. I got the E-330 last fall and it certainly takes the guesswork out of from-the-hip shooting.
--
Barry

 

[jiayaw]

1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

Yes definitely

2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?

hard to say as it depends on what I am shooting... if I am mainly shooting macro shots.. will possibly use the live view feature adn tiltable LCD of the E330 for 100% of the shoot... or when I want to manual focus very accurately then that calls for liveview B with the 10x magnification. But if i shoot regular scenic.... then probably 0% o f the time

3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

I use it for macros, manual focusing lenses, and for awkward angles if u use the optical viewfinders...
--



http://www.worldofphotography.fotopic.net
http://www.flickr.com/photos/62233567@N00/
Yoko Dam

 

[junco]

I use the live view along with medium strenght reading glasses about 85% of the time. When you have disabilities, you have no recourse. I refuse to give up.

 

[WMann]

1. Do you use Live View (Y/N)?

Yes, and would use it more if the LCD was better. This is an E-330 -- I think some of the newer screens are slightly better.

2. How much do you use it (percentage of shooting - like 2%, 25%,
etc...)?

Hard to put it in a percentage. I probably use it as least some on 80% of my photo sessions, but rarely more than 10% of the photos in a session

3. If you use it, for what subject matter or under what conditions?

I use it a lot in portrait work, so I don't have to keep my face hidden behind the camera. Also in fashion and figure work for the same reason.

Obviously, for high and low angles, and would use it more here if the screen tilted both ways.

And I use LV-B for precise framing and focus when contitions permit -- which usually means on a tripod.

I must admit that except for accidentally, I've yet to take a live
view shot. I "do" see it a usable feature in "macro" work (like
flowers, etc) - but to do that the LCD would really (IMHO) need to be
"very viewable" in daylight. Therein seems to be the issue..

I have been pretty disappointed in the screen. I also use a Sony 828 and find I can see the screen well in almost all working situations -- unlike Olympus where in many outdoor situations I can barely see enough to frame, much less make an critical decisions.

--
W.Mann

NSFW -- Figure photography
by Weston Mann
at Silver Mirage:
http://www.silvermirage.com

 

[Photo-Wiz]

Amalric,

Can you explain what attachments and techniques you use to duplicate slides? Does it work better than scannng?

Thanks.

2. When I duplicated my slides I used it 100% of the time for a month

3. For panoramas, and with MF lenses. But I just discovered you can

 

[shutter2533]

Live view has its uses, especially when critical focusing is required and AF is hunting and not enough contrast for me to accurately MF.

Tripod is almost a must when you magnify the central portion to MF though I have successfully hand held some shot using flash.

--
Trevor