Sony EVF

[jbgeach]

Michael,
Regarding the high contrast EVF on the Sony, have you tried using a flat profile while shooting RAW. If you start with the portrait profile and then edit it to lower contrast even farther.

It really does help prevent this problem

[BobD]

Michael

What feedback did we get when we shot Kodachrome with our Nikon F Photomic back in the 60’s?

This is like cursing the automobile because there are more people flying through the windshield than there ever were on horseback!

Right now, I’d be happy with "blinkies” (Hi Alert) warning  that was more representative of the "top" of my raw capture exposure!

I am not sure we are ever going to watch our 80" plasma TV outside on our front deck!

[barryfitzgerald]

The DR is just not there on the Sony EVF's the OLED's are higher res and no tearing, but more contrast than the other EVF's Sony do.
I agree it can be hard to see into the shadows, you can try DRO all the way up that can help...to a point.

But nope it's not there yet. I have to admit I still prefer optical finders sometimes you just need clarity and to be able to see what you are taking clearly above all else. It is here that EVF's can't really compete.

I've been shooting with my OVF Minolta's for a few weeks now and I'm not really missing the SLT EVF much at all. It sure has it's good points yes WB, yes in lower light it can gain up (it does lag in very low light) it's perfectly usable in most situations. It's just not as good as an OVF and that's the problem with Sony, they just don't really get it.

Look at the RX-1 no VF at all, £2500 and a fixed prime lens you'd think a perfect candidate for a built in OVF, but nope.

[Pelao]

I like some of the EVFs I have used from Panasonic and Sony. In many situations they are very effective. On the whole though, I did miss some aspects of an OVF - it's a more complete view of the scene.

I'm very much enjoying what the X-Pro 1 offers. I use the OVF more, but switch between them as needed. This particular OVF has a great overlay too.

[jhemp]

I was hesitant at first with the EVF.  When I switched to digital in 2008 with a A900 I had trouble at first with smaller view finder, compared to 4x5 and 6x7 film cameras I was shooting but I grew to like the A900 and its view finder.  A few months ago I picked up a A99 and have fallin in love with the EVF and camera.  I have no problems with my visualization or composition of my images using it.  In fact my percentage of 'NAILED' shots has risen since I started using it.

[nemo295]

I love the EVF in my NEX-7. The focus peaking feature makes using it with my old, but still awesome, manual focusing Nikon glass very practical. I can live with the loss of shadow detail in the display. I already know what the scene looks like before I put the camera up to my eye and I pretty much know how much if any exposure bias I'm going to apply.

[Ben Rubinstein]

Michael

What feedback did we get when we shot Kodachrome with our Nikon F Photomic back in the 60’s?

This is like cursing the automobile because there are more people flying through the windshield than there ever were on horseback!

Right now, I’d be happy with "blinkies” (Hi Alert) warning  that was more representative of the "top" of my raw capture exposure!

I am not sure we are ever going to watch our 80" plasma TV outside on our front deck!

This makes no sense. The article was talking about the viewfinder not the screen!

[barryfitzgerald]

It's outside that show the weaker points of an EVF, sure focus peaking is great no question very handy indeed. But outside in good light the DR struggles, and the details are not even close to an optical finder esp notable for landscape shooting. You can to a point live with it, but I've found it quite annoying at times and still have the desire to use optical finders.

Cameras like the A99 suck a lot of power down as they're constantly draining the battery in a way normal DSLR's don't. At the moment I think there are too many downsides to EVF's to consider them a good choice for many shooters. A900 has an excellent optical finder one of the best for a full frame camera.

Sony's market share isn't getting better (probably declined a bit in the last few years) which tells us that the viewfinder isn't something that is high up the list for most buyers. I'm sure Sony expected the EVF/SLT to take the market by storm, it's not worked out that way though.

[jerome_m]

I can't agree more to the article. I have an EVF on the NEX-7 and find it tolerable for that size of camera, but I see the pixels, the colors are off, the contrast is too high and dynamic range too small, it blinds me at night and can't be seen in bright sunlight with glasses and I hate peaking. And when Sony made it clear that they will never bring an OVF to market again by unveiling the A99, I decided to change brands.

I think that Sony is losing many customers by making that move. Sure, they will win others, but they should have kept the option for their full frame cameras. The A900 OVF is great.

[JohnBrew]

At first I didn't care for the EVF on the NEX-7, then I played with it some more and gradually accepted it. I got the Sony to use my Leica glass with the latest technology, but  became frustrated with the limitations of the EVF and when it came right down to it carrying a Leica wasn't all that much different from carrying the Sony. Bottom line is I've started using the Leica again and the Sony is for sale.

[Jim Kasson]

Am I the only one who's surprised that the add-on EVFs from Sony and Leica both cost less than the optical finders? And you only need one EVF, versus a whole pocketful for the Leica. Sure, they're bigger, but they don't weigh any more.

Jim

[AlanG]

I'm a long time commercial photographer who has used pretty much every type of system. I've been using a Nex 6 quite a lot lately and love the EVF. I haven't had any problem using it in any situation I've been in. I accept that nothing will be perfect for all situations.

It did take me a while to get familiar with a lot of the controls and features on the camera... and decide the best way to use some of them. I guess if I come upon a situation where the EVF can't see well enough into the shadows, I'll try to use my other eye. FWIW, it saw into a night scene better than my unaided eyes could. This camera is so small and convenient and can produce such nice images (after using DXO to convert) that I really enjoy using it.