About 95% viewfinder.
If I’m wrist strapping my small Z50 and I’m on the move I will sometimes raise it one handed and use the rear screen. Otherwise it’s viewfinder and pretty much 100% with my other cameras.
For me
underwater 100% LCD
using Leica Monochrom 80% LCD 20% EVF 0% RF
when using 400/2.8s, 600/4s 100% EVF
most other lenses for street, portrait, landscape hand holding, near 100% EVF
On tripod for landscape 80% LCD unless it is so bright out that I cannot see LCD clearly.
Handholding, I always use the EVF as it is much easier to frame accurately than the rear LCD. However, if on a tripod and shooting landscapes, I generally use the rear LCD. if I am shooting moving subjects on a tripod, I will use the EVF.
olegkin wrote:
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).
Take a look at the Nikon Z6 III.Exactly the same. The screen is normally turned in when carrying and you can turn it out for review.
Back to the original posted question - The LCD screen is almost useless in bright sunlight, so the EVF is tons more effective. In addition, reviewing a shot in the EVF removes all the surrounding distractions near the LCD. You can focus on the image.
the eye in the viewfinder does the whole experience to me, I wish I could find a little body with a VF to match with 2-3 small primes to have my everyday's dream kit, no VF = game over for me
I use whichever one the situation calls for. Handy to have both.
Some people get bent out of shape with people using the rear LCD that it’s not “pro”, not sure how that’s different than using something like a Hasselblad or Rolleiflex which were grail cameras for decades.
I've had my Z5-II for only about 3 months and I use the viewfinder all the time. The screen is a touchscreen so I'd rather not keep it turned outward where it could be damaged. I open it up to view or show photos I've just taken or to enter one of the menus. Don't need it to take pics. And after 50 years of using my old Nikkormat I find the viewfinder just natural. Plus, as someone already pointed out, the face is another brace point to hold the camera steady.
jimmuller wrote:
Plus, as someone already pointed out, the face is another brace point to hold the camera steady.
This argument carried significantly more weight in the days of the Nikkormat than it does today, where in-body image stabilization (IBIS) allows even a person with a tremor to take sharp handheld photos.😇
fleeja wrote:
not sure how that’s different than using something like a Hasselblad or Rolleiflex which were grail cameras for decades.
The missing light shaft! If you had used the Hasselblad or Rolleiflex without it, you would have also given an unprofessional impression.😄
I randomly use the viewfinder because the screen shows me the same thing. The framing and exposure meter are what really matters, and it’s on the rear screen. Why do I need to push my face against the camera to see the same thing?
ok.... I very seldom use the EVF because most of my pictures are not eye level.
I don't get it, you guys shoot mostly at eye level If the picture is eye level, I guess the EVF is easier to use but for almost all other kind of shooting, waist level, overhead, close to ground the LCD wins hands down.
Duramaxjon wrote:
I randomly use the viewfinder because the screen shows me the same thing. The framing and exposure meter are what really matters, and it’s on the rear screen. Why do I need to push my face against the camera to see the same thing?
For example, because age-related farsightedness gradually becomes more noticeable and the EVF offers diopter compensation.
I had varifocal glasses made specifically for taking photos with a screen, but they're no fun to use. The money was basically wasted.
Duramaxjon wrote:
I randomly use the viewfinder because the screen shows me the same thing. The framing and exposure meter are what really matters, and it’s on the rear screen. Why do I need to push my face against the camera to see the same thing?
Exactly. I guess those that use evf frame at eye level most of the time… if you are particular about the framing and angle, rarely the best angle is my eye level…
For me, eye level doesn't necessarily mean standing upright.
Eye level and EVF are possible in many positions; you can just sit down or kneel, or if necessary, lie completely flat.
So it directly incorporates some gymnastics.
Fortunately, I'm still extremely flexible in that regard.
Nifty Fifty wrote:
For example, because age-related farsightedness gradually becomes more noticeable and the EVF offers diopter compensation.
I had varifocal glasses made specifically for taking photos with a screen, but they're no fun to use. The money was basically wasted.
That's definitely one of the reasons for me too.
With the eyesight I had 20-30 years ago, I'd probably use the rear LCD more often.
Without my glasses, the rear LCD is completely useless to me, meaning I have to wear my glasses for the EVF as well, which is significantly worse and more uncomfortable than simply adjusting the diopter to the correct value.
The alternative is to put my glasses on for the rear LCD and take them off again when looking through the EVF, which is just annoying, even though I use a glasses strap.
Therefore, I almost exclusively use the EVF, especially since I'm still flexible enough to be able to squat very deeply.
So this leaves the rear LCD mainly for tripod work and positions where I would otherwise have to lie completely on my stomach in the dirt.
So the rear LCD is only needed for extreme positions.
Apart from that, the rear LCD is significantly less immersive, especially in bright ambient light; it doesn't allow you to immerse yourself in the scene nearly as much as looking through the EVF.
Unfortunately, there's no suitable right-angle viewfinder for the Z8.
I use the Nikon DR-6 for the Z6, which makes the rear LCD unnecessary.
In that respect, I really miss the days of system cameras with their various interchangeable viewfinders.
With my Canon New F-1, everything was possible via interchangeable viewfinders: sports viewfinders, special viewfinders for helmet users (the entire image is visible up to 60mm away), various waist-level viewfinders, magnifying viewfinders, and special super-bright laser focusing screens for extremely fast lenses.
The camera was configurable down to the last detail for every conceivable situation.
Sure, some things are integrated now that used to require accessories, but the configurability was already first-class back in the days of the Canon New F-1 or Nikon F3.
There isn't even a suitable right-angle viewfinder available for the Z8 these days.
This is my preferred way to carry my camera. Sadly, none of my current cameras can do it (except the Oly, of course).
If the picture is eye level, I guess the EVF is easier to use but for almost all other kind of shooting, waist level, overhead, close to ground the LCD wins hands down. 