I've seen photographers on social media documenting their shoots, and most of them are working from the little display on the back, not the viewfinder. I understand that mirrorless kinda killed the optical viewfinder, so whatever is inside that little hole is another little display anyways.
Is using the screen instead of the viewfinder the standard way of doing things now? What is the advantage of doing all your work like this? Curious because I still use SLRs and a rangefinder.
I only really use the rear LCD when the EVF is no longer a good option, i.e. in positions very close to the ground.
For my Z6, I also have a DR-6 Rectangular Right Angle Viewfinder for such cases, so that I can do without the rear LCD even when close to the ground.
With the Z8, I've come to terms with using the rear LCD for such situations.
For me, the rear LCD is really only a stopgap when the EVF becomes uncomfortable due to the camera's position, i.e., close to the ground or far above my head.
If Nikon had something like a built-in tilting EVF, I wouldn't need a rear LCD at all.
YouTube "photographers" are in the business of making videos. They used to film with monitors, and now they shoot with LCD screens because it appears to look better. Porn has the same problem when it comes to showing “realistic” sex acts.
I like EVFs for their immersiveness. I want to focus and cut out distractions. But EVF has to be good, on my A7C it below average, A7IV was average, A7RV and Z8 are optimal.
Screens aren’t bad; I love the huge screen on my Nikon ZR.
You’re seeing YouTubers do it for two main reasons:
They do not know how to capture the EVF and share it with their audience.
They want to include their audience in the experience, especially when it comes to street or portrait photography.
Only portrait photographer I found on YT who knows what they are doing is Julia Trotti. She shares multiple perspectives, screen/EVF/third person.
I voted all the time, though I do use live view just about as much on Z's as I do the waist level finders in my SLR's, and live view in my DSLR's. Ground level shots, shots on tripods where the viewfinder might be impractical, etc. The autofocus quality of using live view in the Z's is a big deal and opens up some opportunities, but if I can have my eye to the camera, I'm going to do that.
I almost always have my LCD on my Zf closed while shooting, keeps me much more in the moment and I find it's easier to keystone with the camera at my eye than doing it with the LCD.
Of course the LCD comes out when a tough angle presents itself but that's it.
Now...the X2D...that's a different story, because boy oh boy does that LCD make every other camera looks like a fidget toy.
I am probably currently close to 50/50 between using the EVF and using the rear screen. My goto is still the EVF, and I prefer the EVF in bright light or when trying for handheld at slow shutter speeds. Over time, I have started taking advantage of the screen more and more, especially since going mirrorless. The ability to easily use different positions and angles definitely opens up some creative possibilities.
Outstanding wrote:
I like EVFs for their immersiveness. I want to focus and cut out distractions. But EVF has to be good, on my A7C it below average, A7IV was average, A7RV and Z8 are optimal.
Screens aren’t bad; I love the huge screen on my Nikon ZR.
You’re seeing YouTubers do it for two main reasons:
They do not know how to capture the EVF and share it with their audience.
They want to include their audience in the experience, especially when it comes to street or portrait photography.
Only portrait photographer I found on YT who knows what they are doing is Julia Trotti. She shares multiple perspectives, screen/EVF/third person....Show more →
Here's the weird thing. I'm seeing still photo people do this, including in my local parks. They aren't doing video, no one in their party is making a video of anything, and the photographer isn't dealing with ergonomically bad angles. I was tempted to walk over and ask, then thought better of it.
It's not just the social media people who are doing this. I've found a few of the normal people doing it too.
Oscarsmadness wrote:
Here's the weird thing. I'm seeing still photo people do this, including in my local parks.
I mostly use the EVF, but I don't find it weird at all if people prefer to use the display. As long as they can see what they want to see, everything's fine. If there were a camera with a pop-up hood on a 5 or 6-inch flip-out screen, I'd probably use the monitor most of the time too. The fact that you could look into the waist-level finder and onto the large, bright focusing screen of a 6x6 camera with both eyes was one of the main reasons I chose to shoot analog with medium format rather than 35mm, as it simply allows for much better image composition. Unfortunately, shooting with an unshaded 3-inch display can't compare to a 6x6 waist-level finder, so I'm forced to use the viewfinder with one eye.
Speaking of weird. What I find much more difficult to get used to is that nowadays hardly anyone holds their smartphone to their ear when they make a call, but instead activates the speakerphone and holds the smartphone at a distance and at head height while they speak.
Oscarsmadness wrote:
I've seen photographers on social media documenting their shoots, and most of them are working from the little display on the back, not the viewfinder.
In a lot of cases it's just narcissism - they want their viewers to be able to see their face. It's the same reason they cry when a camera doesn't have a selfie-screen - they want to be able to watch themselves when they film.
I can’t believe how useful this picture turned out to be. I’ve been reposting it in relevant threads a few times a year for almost a decade now This is my preferred way to carry my camera. Sadly, none of my current cameras can do it (except the Oly, of course).
