Viewfinder

In photography, a viewfinder is a device on a camera that a photographer uses to determine exactly where the camera is pointed, and approximately how much of that view will be photographed. A viewfinder can be mechanical (indicating only direction and approximate view), with simple optical components, with precision optics and optical functions, or a digital accessory device used with digital cameras.

In photography, a viewfinder is a device on a camera that a photographer uses to determine exactly where the camera is pointed, and approximately how much of that view will be photographed. A viewfinder can be mechanical (indicating only direction and approximate view), with simple optical components, with precision optics and optical functions, or a digital accessory device used with digital cameras. File:Ansco Panda.jpg|Child's waist-view box camera File:Mamiya 645 1000s waist level finder.JPG|Mamiya 645 1000s waist level finder File:Robot Royal III camera with Zeiss Ikon waist level viewfinder attachment.jpg|Robot Royal III camera with Zeiss Ikon waist level viewfinder attachment File:LEI0440 Leica IIIf chrom - Sn. 580566 1951-52-M39 Blitzsynchron front view-6531 hf-.jpg|Leica IIIf viewfinder camera, 1951 File:Two TEWE 35-200MM ZOOM FINDER.jpg|German Tewe 35 mm to 200 mm zoom viewfinder File:Concord 4060AF.JPG|Early 21st century digicam with viewfinder

Contemporary viewfinders

]] Viewfinders can be optical or electronic. An optical viewfinder is simply a reversed telescope that displays what the camera sees. It has many drawbacks, but it also has advantages; it consumes no power, it does not wash out in sunlight, and it has "full resolution" (i.e. the resolution of the photographer's eye). Modern electronic viewfinders (EVF) are LCD or OLED based display devices. In addition to its primary purpose, an electronic viewfinder can be used to replay previously captured material, and as an on-screen display to browse through menus. A still camera's optical viewfinder typically has one or more small supplementary LED displays surrounding the view of the scene. On a film camera, these displays show shooting information such as the shutter speed and aperture and, for autofocus cameras, provide an indication that the image is correctly focussed. Digital still cameras will typically also display information such as the current ISO setting and the number of remaining shots which can be taken in a burst. Another display which overlays the view of the scene is often provided. It typically shows the location and state of the camera's provided auto-focus points. This overlay can also provide lines or a grid which assist in picture composition. viewfinder information]] It is not uncommon for a camera to have two viewfinders. For example, a digital still camera may have an optical viewfinder and an electronic one. The latter can be used to replay previously captured material, has an on-screen display, and can be switched off to save power. A camcorder may have two viewfinders, both electronic. The first is viewed through a magnifying eyepiece, and due to a rubber eyepiece it can be viewed perfectly even in bright light. The second viewfinder would be larger, of a higher resolution, and may be mounted on the side of the camera. Because it consumes more power, a method is often provided to turn it off to save energy. In late 2010, Fujifilm announced hybrid viewfinder of optical viewfinder and electronic viewfinder in one viewfinder for its highend compact cameras. There is a half mirror prism that reflect data from LCD to the optical viewfinder, so we can see both the shooting frame and the shooting data. A button can change the hybrid function to electronical viewfinder by blocking the image through the optical viewfinder with moving a half mirror prism to be a straight up mirror. Viewfinders are used for virtually all cameras whether still or movie, film, electronic analog (Television) or digital. Many digital sensor cameras do not have a separate viewfinder. For those cameras, the electronic image is shown on a small accessory screen for composition and focusing purposes. CCTVs and webcams do not need any viewfinding device.

See also

Director's viewfinder Electronic viewfinder Eyepiece Finderscope Live preview Waist-level finder

References

Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1319867253 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.