This article isn’t meant to bash you or your camera,\u00a0 I am a firm believer that the best camera is the one that fits your needs.\u00a0 But I don’t believe the best camera “is the one you have with you”.\u00a0 That’s some crap someone came up with to make someone else feel better because they complained about their camera (#Truth).\u00a0 I’m writing this article because I believe that if you don’t already have a camera with a viewfinder you should save up until you can afford one and run, don’t walk, to the store (or your computer if you use Amazon like I do) and buy one.<\/p>\n
I’d almost rather draw a picture of what I see than use a camera without a viewfinder, that’s how strongly I feel about the importance of a viewfinder.\u00a0 I’ve yet to meet a LCD screen that didn’t wash out in direct sunlight.\u00a0 Discretion is lost by holding your camera three feet from your face to see your LCD when trying to take a candid image.\u00a0 Most people with LCD’s end up having to crop the dickens out of their images because they couldn’t frame properly using the washed out LCD in the sunlight.\u00a0 Finally, you have to focus so much on the LCD screen that you miss the action around you.\u00a0 Humor me if you will:<\/p>\n
Forget it, you may as well stare into the sun because you’re just reflecting the rays back into your peepers with the glass of the LCD screen.\u00a0 I can remember using one of the Olympus Pen cameras years ago and trying to rely on its sole LCD screen for composing my images.\u00a0 I was in Barbados and there were rarely any clouds in the sky which made using the LCD screen almost pointless.<\/p>\n
It’s not discreet when you hold your camera three feet from your face and rotate around following your shot like a robot.\u00a0 Pulling your elbows in to your sides and holding your camera close to your face reduces your profile and allows you to move through crowds without smacking into people with your outstretched arms.<\/p>\n
In fact, holding your camera out so you can see the viewfinder is just poor form and impacts the quality of your images.\u00a0 By tucking your elbows into your side when shooting you are helping to support the camera and reduce possible image blur from shaky hands.<\/p>\n
How you frame a scene makes all the difference in the world.\u00a0 For instance, if you are shooting with a LCD that is washed out by the sun (happens more often than most would like to admit) you are likely to botch an important shot by cutting off your subject’s head because they were too far to the right, left, bottom, or top of your frame.\u00a0 You may have a crooked horizon that, once straightened, you end up having to crop most of the shot and losing the ability to enlarge your photograph if you ever need to (I’ve been asked for photographs as large as 6’x7′).<\/p>\n
Because you typically focus on things three feet away from you with both of your eyes you lose your ability to see the world around you when you frame a shot.\u00a0 With a viewfinder you can press your eye to the camera and leave your other eye open to see what’s coming into the frame, the camera acts as a lens for one of your eyes rather than the focal point.\u00a0 Don’t believe me?\u00a0 Try this, cover one eye and look around the room…\u00a0 Still seeing everything without much trouble right?\u00a0 Now hold your hand arms length in front of you and look at your palm (imagine it’s a LCD screen), and while looking at your palm try to look around the room…\u00a0 Big difference.<\/p>\n
Finally, am I saying you shouldn’t use a camera that only has a LCD screen for viewing your next shot?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 I know my sarcasm can be a little extreme but I am encouraging you to give up the notion that just a LCD screen is good enough.\u00a0 It’s not, and you’re cheating yourself by convincing yourself that it is.\u00a0 If all you have or can afford is a camera with a LCD screen then by all means keep using it and make the best of a tough situation.<\/p>\n
I value your opinion, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below…\u00a0 Keep it clean.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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