You’d expect the LCD at the back of your camera to show you exactly everything you see in the finished picture. But in most cases the LCD is way too small, colors are often washed out making it hard to identify you picture is what appears to be a little bigger than a stamp. And we’re talking about non-SLR’s here, remember.

On the other hand, more advanced camera will tend to use an electronic view finder or EVF which can be like a second internal that the user view through the window on the camera. So, what’s the difference? EVFs offer a larger image that is formed by the actual light that falls on the sensor that can be used in full sunlight without being washed out etc. But again, they usually don’t have enough pixels to actually portray the image correctly, and often degenerate into blurred, ghosted pictures if the camera moves during framing. Further, they also don’t work too well with low light conditions. Overall EVFs are good, but still, not a match in comparison with dSLRs as far as previewing images go.

So, a dSLR’s viewfinder, in constrast, very closely duplicates what the sensor sees, even if the image is formed opically and not generated by the sensor itself. This is all done with mirrors, that in essence, bounce the light from teh lens into your viewfinder, sampling only a little of the light to measure exposure, color and focus. So as a result, the view finder image is often bigger and brighter

Also,  a dSLR shows you what is sharp focus, and what isn’t (the depth of field), either in general terms or more precisely when you press a handy buttons called the depth of field preview, which is available on many dSLRs.

Similar Posts:

• The Digital SLR Difference
• How To Choose a Photography Book
• iPhone Photography App?
• Always Feel Before You Buy
• SLR’s for Non-Photographers