The EVF

The mirrorless movement is taking big strides these days, but the fundamental issue with the design is still nagging me.  I had also moved to mirrorless, don't take me as a nay-sayer.  I have been using the Sony Nex5 and the A55, and I still cannot get used to the most important interface with the camera -- the view-finder, or the lack of.....

The Nex5 is without a viewfinder, and I really really really hate to adopt the only posture for taking pictures with this camera -- let me quote someone on the Net -- like holding a baby with a wet diaper.  I had some really nice pictures from the Nex5, but I still cannot enjoy the picture taking process.  I even bought a LCD lope for looking at the screen at eye level!!

I jump into the A55, thinking that the EVF would allow me to shoot at the more conventional posture, and indeed I did.  The EVF had come a long way, and in about 80% of the situation, I'm OK with it.  But when it comes to really tricky lighting situations, I'm like blind when I was trying to read the scene thru the EVF.  Blind literally. 

The picture below was taken with the A55, the reflections off the pond were really complicated, and I was not able to visualize the final picture thru the EVF.  I was reading the scene and I decided the reflections together with the bit of sun shining thru, would make a very interesting light and shadow pattern.  When I put the camera over my face and look thru the supposedly very good EVF, I could not even compose.

Reflections off a pond

I still believe those who claim that the EVF or the liveview from the LCD screen are good enough had not been looking through the viewfinder of a Sony A900/850 or a Nikon D3/3X recently.  I switch between these and the Nex5 and A55, and I cannot but notice the huge difference.  These viewfinders make taking picture a very enjoyable process -- lurking behind the viewfinder, peering at the scene, waiting for the right moment, is like looking at the scene unfolding a 46" LED HDTV.