A Hybrid?

[JimFox]

After buying a Sony A6400 about a year ago to use as a Camera to keep in my car to have readily available for Street and People Photography, I have found myself in a predicament.

Even after just minimal use with the Sony A6400 I have gotten so used to the EVF (Electronic View Finder) that when I go back to my Nikon D850 or D810 I find myself looking through the view finder and thinking that the image is an EVF image and is exposed so well, when in reality if I don't go back again and double check the histogram I could have a bad exposure.

I used to not care for Mirrorless, I preferred DSLR's. Right now I guess I am thinking it doesn't even matter, but I know I am really liking having an EVF and sure would like to see one on my D850.

I was wondering if anyone else would really like being able to see the exposure through an EVF while shooting?

 

[AlanLichty]

When I first started doing a lot of work with filters (early 5D days) I got pretty frustrated with not being able to see what I was doing with no EVF and Live View wasn't a feature yet. Being able to get Live View was my primary reason for jumping up to the 5D Mk II when it came out. I use Live View a lot to check my exposures out prior to shooting which is basically a much larger screen version of an EVF. I adapted my workflow when shooting to include Live View almost 10 years ago so the EVF in a mirrorless camera body is pretty much a Meh? feature for me. Try using Live View on your D850 every once in a while - you might find it more useful than you thought.

I strongly prefer having the choice of when I want to see the exposure and still have an optical viewfinder as there are conditions where I prefer each of them.

 

[Ben Egbert]

I seldom use my viewfinder because live view is so much better. If I was doing bird photography I would need the viewfinder. Having no EVF camera I am not sure how I would like it.

 

[Jameel Hyder]

Echo Alan's and Ben's responses related to live view. That works well for situations where the shooting is deliberate and the use of tripods. I see Jim's point about street and people shooting where live view becomes awkward.

My experience with EVFs are restricted to the Sony RX - its not a particularly good EVF. If the EVFs advance to the point that is close enough to OVF in resolution/brightness/responsiveness then it becomes a natural transition. With the advent of mirrorless the argument becomes moot anyway.

All that said a hybrid makes a lot of sense. An analogy is the overhead displays becoming popular in upscale vehicles so that the driver's eyes don't have to move away from the road ahead.

 

[JimFox]

When I first started doing a lot of work with filters (early 5D days) I got pretty frustrated with not being able to see what I was doing with no EVF and Live View wasn't a feature yet. Being able to get Live View was my primary reason for jumping up to the 5D Mk II when it came out. I use Live View a lot to check my exposures out prior to shooting which is basically a much larger screen version of an EVF. I adapted my workflow when shooting to include Live View almost 10 years ago so the EVF in a mirrorless camera body is pretty much a Meh? feature for me. Try using Live View on your D850 every once in a while - you might find it more useful than you thought.

I strongly prefer having the choice of when I want to see the exposure and still have an optical viewfinder as there are conditions where I prefer each of them.

That’s so true, the Live View is just a large EVF. Unfortunately I just can’t seem to get used to Live View. For me, I have to compose and focus through the View Finder. Maybe I will some day.

Live View has been available for me ever since the Nikon D800, so it’s been quite a few years, but I still can’t do it. But the EVF feels fine, since it’s just looking through the View Finder.

 

[Beth]

i liked the evf on my fuji, the x series evf wasn't too bad either. i've gotten so used to the tools available with an evf that i prefer them to an ovf now. i couldn't get used to using live view. the closest thing to a hybrid i've seen was the overlay on the x-pro series, but even with that camera i preferred the evf.

 

[AlanLichty]

That’s so true, the Live View is just a large EVF. Unfortunately I just can’t seem to get used to Live View. For me, I have to compose and focus through the View Finder. Maybe I will some day.

Live View has been available for me ever since the Nikon D800, so it’s been quite a few years, but I still can’t do it. But the EVF feels fine, since it’s just looking through the View Finder.

Live View on Nikon has been around since D700 days - I showed Al Blitzstein how to use it on his D700 back at PNW II in 2010. I use use it as a hybrid system where I typically compose using the OVF and then check the exposure using Live View. The Canon 5D Mk IV changed my M.O. quite a bit when I learned how to use the touch screen interface with Live View. I can spot check exposure info anywhere on the touch screen by simply touching the spot I wish to sample and then use touch on the screen to set the focal point for autofocus. I still primarily compose using the OVF but focus and exposure is almost all done in Live View anymore since the interface is so much more efficient for setting the exposure and focal point.

 

[JimFox]

i liked the evf on my fuji, the x series evf wasn't too bad either. i've gotten so used to the tools available with an evf that i prefer them to an ovf now. i couldn't get used to using live view. the closest thing to a hybrid i've seen was the overlay on the x-pro series, but even with that camera i preferred the evf.

Yep, that’s my feelings too. The OVF is still great, but I am liking as you said the extra tools of an EVF.

 

[JimFox]

Live View on Nikon has been around since D700 days - I showed Al Blitzstein how to use it on his D700 back at PNW II in 2010. I use use it as a hybrid system where I typically compose using the OVF and then check the exposure using Live View. The Canon 5D Mk IV changed my M.O. quite a bit when I learned how to use the touch screen interface with Live View. I can spot check exposure info anywhere on the touch screen by simply touching the spot I wish to sample and then use touch on the screen to set the focal point for autofocus. I still primarily compose using the OVF but focus and exposure is almost all done in Live View anymore since the interface is so much more efficient for setting the exposure and focal point.

The D700 did have Live View but it was practically useless, especially compared to what Canon was offering on their cameras. The D700 having the Live View didn’t jump to my mind probably because mine died such an early death due to its failed attempt at swimming.

Both the D700 and D800 had practically useless Live View for 2 reasons. 1st, when it started to get dark like at sunset or at sunrise, the screen turned into a noisy pixelated mess. So you definitely couldn’t focus with it because nothing was ever sharp due to all of the noise. The 2nd thing was the Live View would not respond to exposure changes. So if you were underexposing by 2 stops or overexposing by 2 stops the Live View still looked the same, and there was no option to make the view mimic the exposure. Now Canon? They had both of those going on their cameras.

With Nikon, when the D810 came out they did correct both of those things, so finally the Live View was better. Not perfect, but better. And the Live View on the D850 works awesome, it’s just not comfortable for me to use. It’s super powerful but just feels awkward. So I know that’s a “me” issue, it’s not the fault of the camera, it’s just me.

So I totally get how you would like the Live View, I know lots of people do. I don’t think I am old or a dog, but you know what they say about teaching old dogs new tricks...

 

[AlanLichty]

Interesting to hear what Nikon has been doing with Live View all these years. I always figured it was pretty much the same as Canon's implementation. My primary reason for ditching my less than 2 year old 5D and moving to the 5D Mk II 10 years ago was to get Live View so I could see what I was doing with my Singh Ray Vari-ND filter. The Canon screen presented the view with the selected exposure parameters once they released the 5D Mk II.

The new twist for me was the introduction of the Live View screen having a touch interface with the 5D Mk IV. Being able to just touch a spot to move my focal/metering point on the fly was a feature I adopted into my workflow from the first moment I found out how to use it. I love being able to quickly move my spot meter around my proposed capture and quickly set my exposure values before choosing the spot I want as the final focus point. It is worth noting that the 5D Mk IV touch interface is identical to what Canon used for the EOS R.

Focus stacks are so simple to execute it's addictive - touch a spot for focus, squeeze off the shot; touch the next desired focus point and squeeze off the next shot; repeat as necessary.

Does the D850 have a touch screen interface?

 

[JimFox]

Yep, not only does the D850 have the touch screen, it also has Focus Stack bracketing built in. so you can set up how many photos you want it to take and you just focus on the foreground and press the button and it steps through all the way to infinity. It is so sweet. I used to rarely focus stack, but now I do it a lot more because it’s so easy to do.