H
Heidi
Guest
I hope I'm not too late to the party.
I've been visiting Canon Rumors as long as the site has existed, but finally felt compelled to contribute my 2¢.
One of my first cameras, the Nikon F inherited from my grandfather, came with the standard and waist level finder. Nikon F series had interchangeable viewfinders (yes, the prism at the top came off with the viewfinder). I loved the waist level finder especially when taking portraits because I could maintain face to face connection with the subject without having the camera get in the way. It made the subject feel more at ease.
Also, one could literally 'shoot from the hip' while being able to see what one was framing.
My first foray into digital camera was the Canon G2 which has the articulating screen, and it was almost natural for me to use the screen in the position that mimicked waist level finder. It could also be used like a standard LCD on many of today's high-end DSLRs or flipped to protect the screen when not in use. When swiveled 180, it helped compose and take self portraits or let the subject see what I saw through the viewfinder.
I understand that today's DSLR is much more complex internally than Nikon F and switching the viewfinder in a similar fashion is technically near-impossible. Hence, I would love to see an articulating screen appear on serious hobbyist cameras such as 7D and 5D. That being said, the G2 gave up its ghost due to articulating screen failing - first, when flipped 180, the picture never rotated so I had to deal with upside down images. Then the LCD died. It is a weak link due to its being a complex moving part.
If the durability issue can be resolved, I'm all up for the articulating screen - it's too bad it carries a 'non-serious photographer' stigma in the DSLR community, but recalling the days of film cameras, it is the closest thing to interchangeable viewfinders serious SLRs such as Nikon F series had to offer.
I've been visiting Canon Rumors as long as the site has existed, but finally felt compelled to contribute my 2¢.
One of my first cameras, the Nikon F inherited from my grandfather, came with the standard and waist level finder. Nikon F series had interchangeable viewfinders (yes, the prism at the top came off with the viewfinder). I loved the waist level finder especially when taking portraits because I could maintain face to face connection with the subject without having the camera get in the way. It made the subject feel more at ease.
Also, one could literally 'shoot from the hip' while being able to see what one was framing.
My first foray into digital camera was the Canon G2 which has the articulating screen, and it was almost natural for me to use the screen in the position that mimicked waist level finder. It could also be used like a standard LCD on many of today's high-end DSLRs or flipped to protect the screen when not in use. When swiveled 180, it helped compose and take self portraits or let the subject see what I saw through the viewfinder.
I understand that today's DSLR is much more complex internally than Nikon F and switching the viewfinder in a similar fashion is technically near-impossible. Hence, I would love to see an articulating screen appear on serious hobbyist cameras such as 7D and 5D. That being said, the G2 gave up its ghost due to articulating screen failing - first, when flipped 180, the picture never rotated so I had to deal with upside down images. Then the LCD died. It is a weak link due to its being a complex moving part.
If the durability issue can be resolved, I'm all up for the articulating screen - it's too bad it carries a 'non-serious photographer' stigma in the DSLR community, but recalling the days of film cameras, it is the closest thing to interchangeable viewfinders serious SLRs such as Nikon F series had to offer.
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