Why do ultrazooms use an EVF?

[bascom]

Why do ultrazooms use an Electric VF instead of an optical VF?

[coldrain]

An optical separate view finder is supposed to mimic sort of what you would see through the lens. That is more or less easy to do with a 3x zoom lens, but to make an optical view finder that can actually mimic a big range like 36-430mm is a bit hard.

So, they just use a little LCD that shows what you actually see through the lens. No need for a separate lens system that sort of mimic what you see through the camera lens. It is a necessity, to use an EVF. And also an EVF is much more accurate.

[cdifoto]

An optical separate view finder is supposed to mimic sort of what you would see through the lens. That is more or less easy to do with a 3x zoom lens, but to make an optical view finder that can actually mimic a big range like 36-430mm is a bit hard.

So, they just use a little LCD that shows what you actually see through the lens. No need for a separate lens system that sort of mimic what you see through the camera lens. It is a necessity, to use an EVF. And also an EVF is much more accurate.


If that were true, a dSLR would need an EVF when you put a superzoom lens on it.

EVFs are necessary simply because there is no mirror to reflect the view up to your eye.

[bascom]

Do point and shoots have a mirror to reflect the view up to your eye? I thought only dSLR's had that, but point and shoots have an optical VF.

[cdifoto]

Do point and shoots have a mirror to reflect the view up to your eye? I thought only dSLR's had that, but point and shoots have an optical VF.

No mirror in a P&S either. They have an optical viefinder because you aren't looking through the lens. You're looking through the camera, above or beside the lens...literally. It's just a window. Sometimes it's an advanced window that "zooms" with the lens but it's definitely not a true optical viewfinder.

[Ray Schnoor]

If that were true, a dSLR would need an EVF when you put a superzoom lens on it.

EVFs are necessary simply because there is no mirror to reflect the view up to your eye.
The optical path for a viewfinder on a dSLR goes through the lens, so no EVF is necessary. The optical path for an optical viewfinder on a P&S camera does not go through the lens which captures the photo, but a sepaeate lens with an optical path somewhat parallel to the optical path of the lens which captures the photo.

This is why what you see through an optical viewfinder on a P&S camera may be somewhat offset from what you capture in a photo. I believe that this offset is greatest at the wide end of the lens, but is more accurate at the long end. The reason that you see EVFs on superzoom P&S cameras is that it is harder(more expensive) to make a separate and smaller ultrazoom lens for the to fit in the area the viewfinder occupies.

Ray.

[coldrain]

If that were true, a dSLR would need an EVF when you put a superzoom lens on it.

EVFs are necessary simply because there is no mirror to reflect the view up to your eye.
Yes it is true. See Ray's response to what you do not seem to get.

[cdifoto]

The optical path for a viewfinder on a dSLR goes through the lens, so no EVF is necessary. The optical path for an optical viewfinder on a P&S camera does not go through the lens which captures the photo, but a sepaeate lens with an optical path somewhat parallel to the optical path of the lens which captures the photo.

This is why what you see through an optical viewfinder on a P&S camera may be somewhat offset from what you capture in a photo. I believe that this offset is greatest at the wide end of the lens, but is more accurate at the long end. The reason that you see EVFs on superzoom P&S cameras is that it is harder(more expensive) to make a separate and smaller ultrazoom lens for the to fit in the area the viewfinder occupies.

Ray.

Superzooms go through the taking lens too. They just have no mirror. Point and shoots go through a window, not the taking lens. The LCD is better for framing because it shows what the lens shows, just like the EVF on a superzoom. On a superzoom the EVF is just the LCD shown through the viewfinder instead of on the back. It's the same exact image. There is no separate lens for a superzoom.

[cdifoto]

Yes it is true. See Ray's response to what you do not seem to get.


See my above post.

[coldrain]

cdi, it is really not hard to get that the optical view finder is NOT what you get with an SLR but the separate view finder you get on compact cameras. This is what we are talking about, we are NOT talking about SLRs but why superzooms do not have an optical viewfinder that for instance a Canon A700 has.

Again, we are not talking about SLRs but about digital cameras with separate view finders. Get my post now?

[cdifoto]

cdi, it is really not hard to get that the optical view finder is NOT what you get with an SLR but the separate view finder you get on compact cameras. This is what we are talking about, we are NOT talking about SLRs but why superzooms do not have an optical viewfinder that for instance a Canon A700 has.

Again, we are not talking about SLRs but about digital cameras with separate view finders. Get my post now?


I know this. My point is that the reason superzooms have EVFs is NOT as you said... it's not because of the fact that the lens has a huge range as you first stated. I brought up dSLRs because there are superzoom lenses for dSLRs as well, and they DO have optical viewfinders.

You need to understand that first. It IS possible for a superzoom camera to have an optical viewfinder...all they need to do is put a mirror in there. But they do not have mirrors, THUS they have an EVF instead. They are still seeing the same thing as the lens sees, unlike a P&S and just like a dSLR.

[Ray Schnoor]

Superzooms go through the taking lens too. They just have no mirror. Point and shoots go through a window, not the taking lens. The LCD is better for framing because it shows what the lens shows, just like the EVF on a superzoom. On a superzoom the EVF is just the LCD shown through the viewfinder instead of on the back. It's the same exact image. There is no separate lens for a superzoom.
The original question was "why do Ultrazooms use EVFs instead of an optical viewfinder", not how does an EVF work. All optical viewfinders on P&S cameras go through a smaller, lower quality "lens" which zooms in and out with the higher quality lens taking the photo, or is stationary if the camera has no optical zoom. The view through this optical viewfinder is approximate to what the camera sees through the lens when taking the photo. The "reason" that Ultrazooms have EVFs instead of optical viewfinders is not that the LCD/EVF is more accurate(even though it is more accurate), but because of the size the optical viewfinder would have to be to mimic the zoom capability of the lens taking the photo. You would need a second lens tube sticking out from the optical viewfinder to give it the same zoom, something you do not need with an EVF.

So, in my opinion, the reason that ultrazooms do not use optical viewfinders is probably a combination of 1)cost of a second ultrazoom lens for the optical viewfinder and 2)cosmetics of a second tube housing the viewfinder jutting out from the top/side of the camera.

Ray.

[cdifoto]

The original question was "why do Ultrazooms use EVFs instead of an optical viewfinder", not how does an EVF work. All optical viewfinders on P&S cameras go through a smaller, lower quality "lens" which zooms in and out with the higher quality lens taking the photo, or is stationary if the camera has no optical zoom. The view through this optical viewfinder is approximate to what the camera sees through the lens when taking the photo. The "reason" that Ultrazooms have EVFs instead of optical viewfinders is not that the LCD/EVF is more accurate(even though it is more accurate), but because of the size the optical viewfinder would have to be to mimic the zoom capability of the lens taking the photo. You would need a second lens tube sticking out from the optical viewfinder to give it the same zoom, something you do not need with an EVF.

So, in my opinion, the reason that ultrazooms do not use optical viewfinders is probably a combination of 1)cost of a second ultrazoom lens for the optical viewfinder and 2)cosmetics of a second tube housing the viewfinder jutting out from the top/side of the camera.

Ray.

None of you are even understanding what I'm saying. Please comprehend English before you respond.

You have to know how it works to know why it's not done. There is no mirror to reflect what comes back through the lens, hence no optical viewfinder, plain and simple. And the reason they do not use optical viewfinders like a P&S is because of parralax error. One reason people move away from P&S because they want/like the accuracy of through the lens composition. You cannot get that on a P&S because the lens you look through is not the same as the lens that takes the image, so there is always some parralax error. If you don't put a mirror in a superzoom then you cannot have an optical viewfinder.

The reason I brought up dSLRs is because they DO have an optical viewfinder.

[Andrizzle]

It's really quite simple, cdi.

If a superzoom had a mirror, it would by definition become an SLR. Since it does not have a mirror, it is a point and shoot with superzoom.

Superzoom is a point and shoot that, for many reasons that have been stated already, does not have an optical viewfinder. It is NOT a dSLR.

If all you are trying to say is that a superzoom COULD have an optical VF if they added a mirror, than you would be correct, in a way, but you would also be missing the point of the whole thread. If that is not what you're trying to say, then you're really bad at getting your point across.

In either case, you really should watch the attitude.

[Ray Schnoor]

None of you are even understanding what I'm saying. Please comprehend English before you respond.

You have to know how it works to know why it's not done. There is no mirror to reflect what comes back through the lens, hence no optical viewfinder, plain and simple. And the reason they do not use optical viewfinders like a P&S is because of parralax error. One reason people move away from P&S because they want/like the accuracy of through the lens composition. You cannot get that on a P&S because the lens you look through is not the same as the lens that takes the image, so there is always some parralax error. If you don't put a mirror in a superzoom then you cannot have an optical viewfinder.

The reason I brought up dSLRs is because they DO have an optical viewfinder.
I understand exactly what you are saying. No need to insult my grasp of the English language.

This is the misunderstanding; I am reading the original question as "Why don't camera manufacturers use the same type of optical viewfinders for ultrazoom(fixed lens) digital cameras as the rest of the P&S(fixed lens) digital cameras?"

You are reading the original question as "Why don't ultrazoom digital cameras have the same type of optical viewfinder as digital SLRs?"

I guess that the OP could set us both straight and clear up the confusion.

Ray.

[cdifoto]

I understand exactly what you are saying. No need to insult my grasp of the English language.

This is the misunderstanding; I am reading the original question as "Why don't camera manufacturers use the same type of optical viewfinders for ultrazoom(fixed lens) digital cameras as the rest of the P&S(fixed lens) digital cameras?"

You are reading the original question as "Why don't ultrazoom digital cameras have the same type of optical viewfinder as digital SLRs?"

I guess that the OP could set us both straight and clear up the confusion.

Ray.

Perhaps you're right. We're both answering it from 2 different sides. Although I did try to answer it from both sides. I suppose I just wasn't clear enough on the non-dSLR optical side.

Either way...if you make it dSLR-like optical you have a non-interchangeable lens dSLR. If you make it a P&S optical you have parallax error annoyance.

[aparmley]

There went a few minutes I'll never ever get back. . . :(

[bascom]

Thanks for the explanations.