The EVF advantage

[agentlossing]

I never thought I'd be coming down on the side of EVF vs. OVF, but the LVF-2 has converted me.

Actually, to be precise the Sony A7 planted the seed. It has a very nice EVF, and when I was at a camera store I played around with one for as long as the salesperson would let me. That EVF was so handy! Exposure settings, real-time sensor data, minus the obnoxiousness of LCD viewing when composing. It made me miss my old D40 despite the cramped, dark OVF simply because I prefer the viewfinder experience.

So, I equivocated for quite a while over the LVF-2 for my GX1. Finally I bit. And it's really transformed the way I use the camera, and doubled the amount of enjoyment I get in snapping pics. Being able to see camera effects through the finder is great - I set my jpeg output to monochrome and sharpness to +2, and I was able to confirm focus quite easily with my old Mamiya-Sekor 55mm f1.8 at f2, without even magnifying the view! Seeing the world in B&W through a finder is pretty cool.

Bottom line, the old arguments against EVFs just aren't worth trotting out these days. Even the LVF-2 isn't the best of the best, as tech has evolved since it was released. But it's quite good enough to augment my trusty GX1.

 

[pdk42]

Yea, I couldn't live without an EVF, although I find that I use the rear screen for a lot too. Nice to have both!

 

[OzRay]

I've been saying that for a while, and it will only get better, but old habits die hard with some.

 

[silver92b]

I completely agree, I use the EVF a lot with the EM5 and after I got the EP5 with the VF-4 I was blow away! The VF4 will make a believer out of most people I think. I also use the EVF of the GX7, but it's so far from the VF4 that it's not fun to use....

 

[Bif]

The LVF2 on the GX1 is an exceptional EVF, I had the VF2 I used on an Oly Pen E-PL1 and then on an E-P3 and considered it very good. Both are far superior to the EVF on the GH3 (sad to say) but I've learned to work with it anyway.

I just got a slightly used GX7 body and the EVF on that is noticeably better than that on the GH3.

The best advantage to using an EVF is that with CONSTANT PREVUE set to ON and the exposure mode set to Manual (both stills and video) you can get a good previsualization of your exposure effect in the EVF. The GX1 has no CONSTANT PREVUE but you can still get the effect on a shot by shot basis.

In the C with wrench menu go to the button function and set one of the Fn buttons (I use Fn1 for this) to "Prevue". Then when you press the Fn1 button you get a "SHTR SPEED EFFECT ON Fn1" notice (what this really means I don't know). Press it again and that notice changes to "SHTR SPEED EFFECT OFF Fn1". Now when you adjust aperture or shutter speed you can see the changes in exposure either in the EVF or on the LCD.

If you half press the shutter button to autofocus or press pretty much any other button on the GX1 this "clears", so you have to again press the Fn1 button twice to get the "Prevue" function back. And this works this way only in Manual mode for stills (there is no Manual exposure mode for the video function on this camera.

With the GX7 in my "kit" I am debating whether to sell the GX1 body and LVF2 or to keep it. As little as these are bringing these days it's almost worth keeping as a "knockaround" camera I can hide in the car and always have one with me.

 

[speedandstyle]

I love my VF2s for my PENs and I have another one for my XZ1. I love them to death. I have found that I use the rear screen on my XZ a lot more than I thought I would.

 

[laser8]

Coming from EVF- (or OVF-, for that matter) less cameras, I am finding it a very useful thing. It is perfect for macro shots without tripod, and I suppose for stabilizing the camera generally...

 

[RT_Panther]

Bottom line, the old arguments against EVFs just aren't worth trotting out these days.

For some, it's simply a matter of personal choice & not an argument.
Anyways, congrats on a new vision! :smile:

 

[moccaman]

Comparing the GX7 to that VF4 monstrosity sitting on top of that ugly EP5 is like comparing the view out of a Lambo vs the view out of a prius, yeah the prius has a much larger more usable portal, but who cares when you are in the Lambo doing 200mph down the autobahn! :happy-084:

 

[mattia]

Comparing the GX7 to that VF4 monstrosity sitting on top of that ugly EP5 is like comparing the view out of a Lambo vs the view out of a prius, yeah the prius has a much larger more usable portal, but who cares when you are in the Lambo doing 200mph down the autobahn! :happy-084:

Well, I agree the VF4 looks hideous on top of the E-P5, but overall, the GX7 is the Prius lookin' thing in this analogy...

 

[jnewell]

Overall, I'd come down on the side of EVF, but both have advantages. I was out this weekend with my G5 and EM-5 and have to say that both in terms of quality of the view and in terms of functionality in the viewfinder, I think the EM-5 is way ahead of the G5.

 

[Atom Ant]

Comparing the GX7 to that VF4 monstrosity sitting on top of that ugly EP5 is like comparing the view out of a Lambo vs the view out of a prius, yeah the prius has a much larger more usable portal, but who cares when you are in the Lambo doing 200mph down the autobahn! :happy-084:

It's unlikely to be legal to drive any car at >300 km/h while looking through the viewfinder of a camera.

Setting that aside, who cares what the EVF looks like - or for that matter, what the Lambo looks like? Shouldn't you judge an EVF on its performance?

 

[agentlossing]

Comparing the GX7 to that VF4 monstrosity sitting on top of that ugly EP5 is like comparing the view out of a Lambo vs the view out of a prius, yeah the prius has a much larger more usable portal, but who cares when you are in the Lambo doing 200mph down the autobahn! :happy-084:

Only thing I don't like about the GX7 finder, after using one for a bit yesterday, is how narrow the physical unit is. I almost felt like I was going to poke myself in the eye every time I brought it up to my face... but I'm sure that would change with time and use.

 

[paul macro]

Only thing I don't like about the GX7 finder, after using one for a bit yesterday, is how narrow the physical unit is. I almost felt like I was going to poke myself in the eye every time I brought it up to my face... but I'm sure that would change with time and use.

You can purchase a eye cup which fits over the top and helps a lot with eye relief ,makes it more comfy to view ,I've owned the vf4 view finder it is larger and better but not substantially enough to worry about .the gx7 has a very good viewfinder .

 

[agentlossing]

Yeah, I noticed the EM10 finder had a nice cup on it, but one which would definitely have made pocketing the camera difficult. The GX7 is obviously made for compactness.

The LVF-2 really still holds up, I've decided, after checking out the G5, GX7, EM10 and others.

 

[madogvelkor]

Once I used the VF-4, I was blown away. I don't even really feel like I'm looking at a tiny screen.