Gx7 or ep5 viewfinder better?

[tweakmax]

Gx7 one is better on paper, but heard got "tearing" effect. Any comparison between the two viewfinder?

 

[biomed]

I have not noticed any "tearing" in two days of using my GX7. I haven't shot with EM5 for quite a while so I can't make a comparison (borrowed one on a field trip for a few shots). I can say that the GX7 EVF is better than any EVF on other cameras I have owned.

Mike

 

[Joe Billingham]

I have the VF-4 and it's the best EVF I've ever used. The smearing or tearing during panning is almost completely gone. The apparent image size is also huge (1.5X) and is pretty close to the same size as my full frame EOS 5D MKII. I've not used the GX7 yet but reviews seem to indicate a little more smearing during panning than the Oly but greatly reduced from the DMW-LVF2 used on the GX1 (that one makes me seasick).

 

[RnR]

Played with the VF-4 for the last few days. My mate has had the GX7 and I have played a little with it. They are both great evf's. I can't see how you could be unhappy with either of them. Surely camera characteristics would play a bigger part in your 'brand' choice?

One possible downside to the VF-4, is the lack of an eyecup addon. The VF-4 has a shallow eyecup builtin, and may be enough for most folk. I loved the one you could get for the VF-2. From my understanding you can get an eyecup for the GX7. No idea on how effective it is.

 

[monk3y]

I personally prefer the VF-4 than the EVF on the GX7. When I tried the GX7 a couple of times I thought the EVF was a bit too small.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Mu-43 mobile app

 

[sabesh]

Gx7 one is better on paper, but heard got "tearing" effect. Any comparison between the two viewfinder?

VF4 is better than my GX7's EVF. But the GX7 EVF isn't too shabby: I prefer it over the one in the E-M1. I went with the GX7 for the convenience of having a built-in EVF in a body about the same size as the E-P5.

 

[Replytoken]

VF4 is better than my GX7's EVF. But the GX7 EVF isn't too shabby: I prefer it over the one in the E-M1. I went with the GX7 for the convenience of having a built-in EVF in a body about the same size as the E-P5.

I thought that the E-M1's EVF was derived from the VF4? What did you find different between them (E-M1 & VF4)?

--Ken

 

[Chrisnmn]

Ive used both.

The VF4 is the best EVF there is out there right now, Is bright, big, clear, smooth, etc. I can manual focus without peaking. GX7 is closer to the OMD/VF2 EVF, meaning is good, really good, but not close to the VF4.

 

[sabesh]

Sorry, I meant E-M5.

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk 4

 

[Ray Sachs]

I've got loaners of the GX7 and the EP5 (with the VF-4) at the moment and the VF-4 is the best EVF I've ever seen. Big and bright, pardon me... HUGE and bright, with fast enough refresh to handle panning even in pretty low light without getting any delay or trails. The GX7 is also a great EVF - I'd say pretty similar to the one on the EM5. I'm not a huge user of EVFs so I don't think I'd upgrade to the EP5 or EM1 just for the EVF, but if I was someone who used a viewfinder all the time, I very well might - it's THAT good. I'm fine with the one on the EM5 and the one on the GX7. But, honestly, the only EVF I've ever really DIS-liked was the old Pany EVF that worked with the GF1 and LX5 - that thing was really awful. But everything I've used since has been OK and the recent ones have all been great. I have a Sony RX1 that has a really wonderful EVF (external, like the VF-4), but the VF-4 really blows it out of the water. It is a HUGE lump on the top of the camera, though. Should be really nice to have the same EVF in the EM1 for those who buy one...

-Ray

 

[meyerweb]

I haven't used either, so I'm not going to venture an opinion, but just point out one thought: If you wear eyeglasses, the somewhat smaller image produced by the GX7 may actually be an advantage, making it easier to see the entire frame.

On a more general note, how people react to an EVF is really personal. Some people hate them all, some have no issues with any of them. Some people hated the GH3 finder, others (including me) don't really have any issues with it. (I'm not saying it's perfect, it's not, but I find it eminently usable). I thought the EM-5 EVF was very good, but some seem unhappy with it.

If at all possible, you should try to sample the camera(s) you're considering before purchase. If that's not possible, be sure to order from a vendor with a good return policy. What someone else thinks is great may not be to your liking at all.

 

[Ray Sachs]

I haven't used either, so I'm not going to venture an opinion, but just point out one thought: If you wear eyeglasses, the somewhat smaller image produced by the GX7 may actually be an advantage, making it easier to see the entire frame.

I wear glasses. No problem seeing all of either of them. As big as the VF-4 finder screen is, the window to look through to see it is just as big.

I agree with everything else in your post though - particularly the part sampling both if possible...

-Ray

 

[bassman]

In my opinion, the GX7 evf is slightly better than the EM5s. Both are way more than adequate.

On a related note, I think they've reached the point where the only real advantage to an ovf is that you don't have to wake up the camera to see through it, or switch from the LCD. The advantages the evfs offer: image replay, histogram, focus peaking, brightness boost, etc. - are substantial. Both the EM5 and GX7 evfs are bigger than the ovf in my D7000.

 

[Joe Billingham]

In my opinion, the GX7 evf is slightly better than the EM5s. Both are way more than adequate.

On a related note, I think they've reached the point where the only real advantage to an ovf is that you don't have to wake up the camera to see through it, or switch from the LCD. The advantages the evfs offer: image replay, histogram, focus peaking, brightness boost, etc. - are substantial. Both the EM5 and GX7 evfs are bigger than the ovf in my D7000.

I use the VF-4 and VF-1 (OVF) and while the VF-4 is the best EVF I've used, I still prefer the amazing clarity and ease of use the simple VF-1 optical. I find the display overlay of the VF-4 distracting to composition and keep it off most of the time. The main disadvantage of the VF-1 is it only works with my 17mm lenses. When I use my other primes I'm stuck with the VF-4 and always feel like I've taken a big step backwards in terms of VF quality.

 

[ptolemyx]

I tried the GX7 in a store here in Vancouver yesterday, and IMO its EVF is not even as good as the EM5's.

While its resolution etc is pretty good, it's a bit small, and I noticed loads of smearing when panning sideways--so much so that it was difficult to discern important parts of the image. (I don't wear glasses.)

It's a shame, since the rest seemed superb: great feel, lots of control points, beautifully built.

I still haven't been able to try a VF-4. I'm expecting to be blown away.

 

[metalmania]

I tried the GX7 in a store here in Vancouver yesterday, and IMO its EVF is not even as good as the EM5's.

While its resolution etc is pretty good, it's a bit small, and I noticed loads of smearing when panning sideways--so much so that it was difficult to discern important parts of the image. (I don't wear glasses.)

It's a shame, since the rest seemed superb: great feel, lots of control points, beautifully built.

I still haven't been able to try a VF-4. I'm expecting to be blown away.

Same here. I used GX7 and EM5 at the same time for an event, GX7's EVF is much worse than EM5's. Too small and not easy to see.

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2

 

[Joe Billingham]

I tried the GX7 in a store here in Vancouver yesterday, and IMO its EVF is not even as good as the EM5's.

While its resolution etc is pretty good, it's a bit small, and I noticed loads of smearing when panning sideways--so much so that it was difficult to discern important parts of the image. (I don't wear glasses.)

It's a shame, since the rest seemed superb: great feel, lots of control points, beautifully built.

I still haven't been able to try a VF-4. I'm expecting to be blown away.

That's too bad. I was hoping Panasonic would increase the refresh rate enough to nix the tearing/smearing allow for real panning. The VF-4 ain't perfect but you can pan with it even in fairly dim light and there is almost no smearing of the image. The prior generation GX1 LCD and matched EVF are so jumpy and smeared in low light it's nearly unusable.

 

[Replytoken]

Its great that EVF's have progressed so much in the past few years, but its unfortunate that we are still having to make compromised choices. I like the integrated design and Adobe RGB color display in the GX7, but the tearing issue and small viewing area are definite drawbacks for me. The VF-4 offers an amazingly large view and great refresh speed, but short of the E-M1, it is add-on. I am hoping that the next generation is the one where the choices are less extreme.

--Ken

 

[Joe Billingham]

I prefer the add-on design of the VF-4: lets me move it between multiple cameras, upgrade older models or cheaper and remove to use an optical VF (e.g., VF-1). I've been using the VF-4 on my "ancient" E-P3 for over two months. If you crave a built-in EVF, the E-M1 is only slightly bigger than an E-P5/E-P3 and has a better grip too. I'd miss the tilt feature of the VF-4 tho'...

 

[khollister]

Same here. I used GX7 and EM5 at the same time for an event, GX7's EVF is much worse than EM5's. Too small and not easy to see.

Sent from my LT18i using Tapatalk 2

Just got done comparing a friend's GX7 to a VF-4 (and I shoot with a E-M5 currently) - I strongly disagree on this. I think the GX7 EVF is very clear and contrasty (in a good way) compared to the E-M5 and even the VF-4. The VF-4 is certainly big, but it struck me as lower apparent resolution than the GX7. I did not notice any significant tearing when I slewed the camera around on either EVF. The GX7 is great in the dark too - the light boosting s much higher fidelity than the E-M5.

One thing I think is going on here is the eye relief. When I took my glasses off, I understood the "tunnel effect" comments about the GX7. The VF image seemed smaller due to all of the surrounding structure (as a result of the generous eye relief). And my other camera is a Nikon D800, so it's not like my reference on VF's is P&S's

I think EVF's, and how we perceive them compared to optical VF's, is a very subjective thing, so I wouldn't expect total agreement on this subject.

I think a prospective buyer should try the camera(s) rather than decide based on someone else's comments (including mine) when it comes to this issue.