GF1: EVF vs. optical viewfinder?

[juz]

Optical (brightline) viewfinders are really a different animal altogether. A lot of people don't realize that this kind of view was standard for a long time on non-slr cameras (50's-70s), and they are a joy to use.

The Voigtlander and Leica finders are expensive because they are not just a piece of plastic, but a well-designed beautiful optical tool, with fully-corrected glass; and the brightness of these are truly astounding. Framing in lowlight is fantastic (the white lines are etched in the glass and reflect the most minute traces of light to give you a hard edge). This is a totally different experience than the electronic, tv-like tunnel of EVF. It allows you to feel more "engaged" with the subject, and is therefore more suitable for action shots (in my opinion). Rangefinder fun.

Also, keep in mind that brightline finders will retain their value, since they can be used on any camera. I still use my Leica 50mm finder from the 1950s. Your panasonic will essentially be worthless in just a few years.

 

[Linh]

Optical (brightline) viewfinders are really a different animal altogether. A lot of people don't realize that this kind of view was standard for a long time on non-slr cameras (50's-70s), and they are a joy to use.

The Voigtlander and Leica finders are expensive because they are not just a piece of plastic, but a well-designed beautiful optical tool, with fully-corrected glass; and the brightness of these are truly astounding. Framing in lowlight is fantastic (the white lines are etched in the glass and reflect the most minute traces of light to give you a hard edge). This is a totally different experience than the electronic, tv-like tunnel of EVF. It allows you to feel more "engaged" with the subject, and is therefore more suitable for action shots (in my opinion). Rangefinder fun.

Also, keep in mind that brightline finders will retain their value, since they can be used on any camera. I still use my Leica 50mm finder from the 1950s. Your panasonic will essentially be worthless in just a few years.

Yeah, I hear that a lot from RF users. I definitely like the OVF better, but I have never used one hotshoe mounted w/o any info. I don't think I could get into it. I do want a Bessa R3A one of these days, but purely mated to a small 40mm of some sort.

 

[juz]

It depends on how and what you shoot. Personally, the less information, the better. I really don't want to be distracted, since I feel that is getting in the way of the "tool".
I've heard that people are setting their GF1s to center-auto-focus, then just framing with the Optical finder -- aim at the center, then reframe. That's what I plan on doing if/when they finally come back in stock in the US and I can get one.

I made my own brightline finder about 15 years ago from a Polaroid camera. There was one model that had a roughly 35-40mm view, and had a beautiful finder on it. I found the camera at a thrift shop, took off the finder and glued a plastic foot to it -- and now it's a perfect brightline finder (though a bit large).

Justin

 

[jerryk]

I have a GF1 now with only one lens, the 20mm. I expect that this will be the only lens that I will use. I would like to have a viewfinder for this camera. I am planning to get a 40mm optical viewfinder since this would be the perfect match for this lens. Not exactly cheap at the $150 range. But before doing so, I would like to hear from those using the EVF. How well is it working for you? What works well, what doesn't? I have always been skeptical of EVFs, but maybe the technology is improving.

I find the EVF to be OK. For manually focusing it is nice because the GF1 can automatically zoom in to 5X magnification. This makes it very easy to accurately manually focus the camera with or without the EVF. With that said, the EVF for the GF1 is a relatively low resolution device. No nearly as nice as the EVF on the other Panasonics.

 

[tom in mpls]

This has been an interesting set of responses, much appreciated. At this point I am leaning towards the OVF.

 

[tom in mpls]

This has also made me think about what info I really use all the time in the viewfinder. I usually shoot in A mode, so I check to see that shutter speed is fast enough. I also check focus point. Other info I tend to ignore.

What info is presented inside the EVF?

 

[Zara]

This has also made me think about what info I really use all the time in the viewfinder. I usually shoot in A mode, so I check to see that shutter speed is fast enough. I also check focus point. Other info I tend to ignore.

What info is presented inside the EVF?

The EVF basically shows a copy of the LCD screen. There are two slightly different display modes/styles you can select. See here for examples: http://www.dpreview.com/previews/PanasonicGF1/page6.asp

 

[Linh]

The EVF basically shows a copy of the LCD screen. There are two slightly different display modes/styles you can select. See here for examples: http://www.dpreview.com/previews/PanasonicGF1/page6.asp

in addition to that, you can have the image fill the screen, or have it shrink a little so everything can be seen w/o text overlaying. Essentially adding a border for the information. The obvious trade off is you're making something that's pretty small to begin with even smaller.