Best way to handle lack of an eyepiece shutter?

[DeanChriss]

Perhaps I've lived a sheltered life but I've never had a DSLR, or 35mm film camera for that matter, that did not have a built-in eyepiece shutter. That may soon change and I'd like to know the best way to deal with it. For photographing wildlife or action there's no need for an eyepiece shutter since your face and eye blocks light from the viewfinder. For landscapes I use it 100% of the time if I'm not using live view, and I don't use live view very often. Unless environmental conditions are nice and the scene will remain as it is for a while, which is rare, I want to work reasonably fast without lots of fussing around. I can't imagine being in a hurry, in the spray of a waterfall, blowing sand, or countless other "not nice" conditions while having to remove the eyepiece surround and replace it with a rubber cover. I also can’t imagine not losing one of these pieces eventually, or trying to get gaffer's tape to stick to a wet camera, or using live view when there are beads of water all over the LCD or dust blowing into your eyes.

I'd just like to find out how people deal with the ridiculous lack of a built-in eyepiece shutter on many cameras. Has anyone found a clever solution, like something that slides into the hot shoe and flips up out of the way? I don’t care what it looks like but it has to work.  I know this seems like an insignificant issue, but exposures that are off due to stray light entering the viewfinder are as significant as it gets for a photograph.

Thanks.

[shadowblade]

Perhaps I've lived a sheltered life but I've never had a DSLR, or 35mm film camera for that matter, that did not have a built-in eyepiece shutter. That may soon change and I'd like to know the best way to deal with it. For photographing wildlife or action there's no need for an eyepiece shutter since your face and eye blocks light from the viewfinder. For landscapes I use it 100% of the time if I'm not using live view, and I don't use live view very often. Unless environmental conditions are nice and the scene will remain as it is for a while, which is rare, I want to work reasonably fast without lots of fussing around. I can't imagine being in a hurry, in the spray of a waterfall, blowing sand, or countless other "not nice" conditions while having to remove the eyepiece surround and replace it with a rubber cover. I also can’t imagine not losing one of these pieces eventually, or trying to get gaffer's tape to stick to a wet camera, or using live view when there are beads of water all over the LCD or dust blowing into your eyes.

I'd just like to find out how people deal with the ridiculous lack of a built-in eyepiece shutter on many cameras. Has anyone found a clever solution, like something that slides into the hot shoe and flips up out of the way? I don’t care what it looks like but it has to work.  I know this seems like an insignificant issue, but exposures that are off due to stray light entering the viewfinder are as significant as it gets for a photograph.

Thanks.

Use live view.

It's the modern equivalent of a ground glass, but much more versatile, and perfect for shooting landscapes.

[dwswager]

Perhaps I've lived a sheltered life but I've never had a DSLR, or 35mm film camera for that matter, that did not have a built-in eyepiece shutter. That may soon change and I'd like to know the best way to deal with it. For photographing wildlife or action there's no need for an eyepiece shutter since your face and eye blocks light from the viewfinder. For landscapes I use it 100% of the time if I'm not using live view, and I don't use live view very often. Unless environmental conditions are nice and the scene will remain as it is for a while, which is rare, I want to work reasonably fast without lots of fussing around. I can't imagine being in a hurry, in the spray of a waterfall, blowing sand, or countless other "not nice" conditions while having to remove the eyepiece surround and replace it with a rubber cover. I also can’t imagine not losing one of these pieces eventually, or trying to get gaffer's tape to stick to a wet camera, or using live view when there are beads of water all over the LCD or dust blowing into your eyes.

I'd just like to find out how people deal with the ridiculous lack of a built-in eyepiece shutter on many cameras. Has anyone found a clever solution, like something that slides into the hot shoe and flips up out of the way? I don’t care what it looks like but it has to work.  I know this seems like an insignificant issue, but exposures that are off due to stray light entering the viewfinder are as significant as it gets for a photograph.

Thanks.

Nikon DSLRs without eyepiece shutters come with a little piece of plastic that looks like a hot shoe cover piece.  The cameras with a rectagular viewfinder window.  I would think other brands provide something similar.  If the exposure isn't excessively long, the I wouldn't worry too much unless the intensity and angle of the sun is right into the viewfinder window.  And you can just shield it with your hand or a dense cloth.  I have not mastered Live View for focusing so I switch back and forth.  In bright sun I use a cloth over my head to shield the screen so I would use that on any camera without a shutter.



Apparently, there are Round Viewfinder Nikons without a shutter because I found the DK-8

[NancyP]

All Canon DSLRs come with the standard neck strap, on which there is a small rubber plug similar to the Nikon version in the previous post. Failing that - careful application of your hat, approximation of your thumb to eyepiece, or gaff tape! Not usually a problem for me because I use live view on tripod, and my eye is on the eyepiece if hand holding.

[stamper]

Use manual exposure with your eye to the camera and then when you move your eye away the exposure won't change?

[DeanChriss]

Use manual exposure with your eye to the camera and then when you move your eye away the exposure won't change?

I actually thought of that before posting, and so far using manual exposure is the best alternative when you really need the "SLR" part of DSLR.

Thanks, all.

[MatthewCromer]

One of the many things about EVF I prefer...