Let’s take a moment to reflect on mirrors. Mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, like the Olympus Pen E-P5 or Samsung NX300, have enjoyed increasing popularity over the past few years, and it’s become clear that they are more than a passing fad.
This motley collection of high-tech cameras filled the gap that existed between bulky DSLRs and compact cameras, but manufacturers are now starting to expand their mirrorless lineups in hopes of attracting a wider cross-section of photographers, including professionals. Read more…
One of the big complaints people have about the Canon EOS M (besides the horrendously slow autofocus) is the lack of a viewfinder. While autofocus can be improved through firmware updates, you can’t simply add an EVF or OVF to a camera by rolling out a download. Luckily, there appears to be a second EOS M camera on the way that does offer an electronic viewfinder. Read more…
ClearViewer is the compact camera’s equivalent of a DSLR viewfinder attachment. It’s a folding high-diopter lens that lets you use your compact camera’s LCD screen as an electronic viewfinder by putting your eye less than 2 inches away from the screen. This lets you see fine details in the shot, make precise manual focus adjustments, and avoid the problem of glare. Read more…
When we handled a pre-production model of the Fujifilm X-E1 at Photokina back in September, we noted that there seemed to be some strange pixelation, a little lag, and a delay after shots. We said at the time that those issues were likely due to the fact that it was an early demo unit of the camera, and that now appears to be true. A photographer named Andrew (apw100 on YouTube) recently got his X-E1 before most people by ordering through eBay from a company in Hong Kong. He then shot a series of videos showing the EVF quality by putting his iPhone up to the viewfinder. Read more…
While many photographers swear by optical viewfinders, it’s clear that much of the camera industry is shifting over to electronic — or hybrid — ones to offer high-tech features such as overlaid information displays. Thankfully, many of the old problems that existed with EVFs (e.g. low resolution) are starting to disappear. Case in point: French company MicroOLED has just announced a new microdisplay that packs 5.4 million dots into the highest pixel density viewfinder ever seen. To put that into perspective, the highly-reviewed viewfinder found in the latest Sony mirrorless cameras are only 2.4-million dots. MicroOLED is said to be targeting professional cameras with the display — as well as military and medical purposes.
Olympus has something big up its sleeve. In an interview with Impressjapan, manager Mr. Ogawa revealed that the company is working on a new mirrorless camera that features an “epoch-making” viewfinder — presumably one that’s even more advanced than the hybrid viewfinder found on the Fujifilm X100. The upcoming viewfinder sounds like it’ll also be some kind of fusion between electronic and optical. There’s not much that’s know about the technology at the moment, but we should be hearing more about it very soon.
Here’s a glimpse at how selecting an autofocus point works on the upcoming Fujifilm Finepix X100. The hybrid viewfinder — which overlays an electrical viewfinder view over the optical view — provides a rich user-interface previously impossible for fully optical viewfinders.
When Fujifilm unveiled the upcoming FinePix X100 back in September, the sleek retro design was enough to cause many photo-enthusiasts to start drooling and saving up money. Now, more details about the technological advances incorporated into the camera are becoming available, undoubtedly causing more camera lust. One of the big features offered by the camera is a novel hybrid viewfinder that can toggle between optical and electronic modes with a single touch, which overlays even the optical view with a sweet “heads up display”. Read more…
SonyAlphaRumors received a pretty interesting tip yesterday regarding the design of the upcoming Sony Alpha A77 (which is still a rumor at this point). The anonymous tipster wrote that the camera — successor to the A700 — will have an innovative design that boasts a hybrid viewfinder by blending optical and electronic images:
Yesterday Sony explained the new system that will be used for the incoming a77 (the a750 will use a regular SLR design). Practically the are using two semi-transparent mirrors and a high-resolution EVF to reinforced the live image. They are using a reflexive technology design called 70/30, between each semi-transparent mirrors.
The final image in the viewfinder will have 30% of original image and 70% of electronic reinforced image through the new EVF.
