Taking picture in bright sun no view finder

[58Piano]

I have a Kodak easyshare cd1013

Most cameras today do not have a view finder to look into.

At a beach in Carribbean with bright sun I could see nothing on the camera. Did not know what exactly I was shooting. What do you do when the sun blocks out what you see in the camera? Why did they stop making view finders?

[Multi-Cruiser]

I have a little device called a Hooded Loupe. It's like a jeweler's loupe attached to a rubber hood. You hold it over the screen and it blocks out the sunlight. It also has a diopter adjustment to adjust for your vision.

 

 

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[Kamloops50]

I have a Kodak easyshare cd1013

Most cameras today do not have a view finder to look into.

At a beach in Carribbean with bright sun I could see nothing on the camera. Did not know what exactly I was shooting. What do you do when the sun blocks out what you see in the camera? Why did they stop making view finders?

That's why I always buy a camera with a viewfinder.

[Tweedy]

I have a Kodak easyshare cd1013

Most cameras today do not have a view finder to look into.

At a beach in Carribbean with bright sun I could see nothing on the camera. Did not know what exactly I was shooting. What do you do when the sun blocks out what you see in the camera? Why did they stop making view finders?

 

Check and see if there is a setting for your screen that is for bright light or sunshine. That will brighten up the screen and at least let you get a better idea of what you a taking a photo of.

[RoxnDox]

I have a Kodak easyshare cd1013

Most cameras today do not have a view finder to look into.

At a beach in Carribbean with bright sun I could see nothing on the camera. Did not know what exactly I was shooting. What do you do when the sun blocks out what you see in the camera? Why did they stop making view finders?

 

Use a hood loupe, shade the screen with a hand/hat/something, or get a camera with an optical viewfinder, I'm afraid. As to why - it's cheaper to put an electronic screen/viewfinder into a small camera than it is to try and shoehorn both an optical VF and a screen into the space. The great majority of camera users nowadays seem to value small size over having an OVF. In some cases I'd agree, but bright sun is not one of those cases!

 

Jim

[CWRob]

There is absolutely nothing better than an optical/electronic viewfinder. I have a lumix fz200 and use viewfinder 100% of time. Much easier since I remember the days of the "box cameras"!!. The hype imho about cameras lcd viewfinders which you can see in bright sunlight is hype/marketing!

 

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[tommui987]

I have a lumix fz200 and use viewfinder 100% of time.

 

One benefit is that your camera is somewhat steadied by your forehead. Holding the camera away from your body with your arms can create camera shake, even though your camera/lens may have a stablizer.

[mcimages]

The quick and cheap solution to your problem:

 

take a "beer cozy" or can drink insulator, those foam thingies emblazoned with advertising that you might already have lying around... Many already have a hole of some sort in the bottom, make the hole big enough to look through, place it over your LCD to shade it and voila! Instant hood! You might have to trim it a bit if it hits any of your camera controls.

 

It's certainly not as good as a hoodman loupe, they have optics in them as the other poster mentioned... but it will also keep your drink from getting too warm on the beach!

 

 

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[celle]

The quick and cheap solution to your problem:

 

take a "beer cozy" or can drink insulator, those foam thingies emblazoned with advertising that you might already have lying around... Many already have a hole of some sort in the bottom, make the hole big enough to look through, place it over your LCD to shade it and voila! Instant hood! You might have to trim it a bit if it hits any of your camera controls.

 

It's certainly not as good as a hoodman loupe, they have optics in them as the other poster mentioned... but it will also keep your drink from getting too warm on the beach!

 

Thank you! The number-eight-wire solution to a problem I have too. I love my camera, which takes great pictures, but the screen is hopeless in bright sunlight.

[Turtles06]

There is absolutely nothing better than an optical/electronic viewfinder. I have a lumix fz200 and use viewfinder 100% of time. Much easier since I remember the days of the "box cameras"!!. The hype imho about cameras lcd viewfinders which you can see in bright sunlight is hype/marketing!

 

Sent from my SM-T310 using Forums mobile app

 

I also have the FZ200 (backup to my DSLR) and am impressed by the quality of its viewfinder. I too use the viewfinder pretty much exclusively; as noted in a post above, this allows for you to be in a much more stable position.

 

And I agree with you that the "you can see the LCD screen in bright sunlight" stuff is a bunch of hooey.

[donaldsc]

I have a Kodak easyshare cd1013

Most cameras today do not have a view finder to look into.

At a beach in Carribbean with bright sun I could see nothing on the camera. Did not know what exactly I was shooting. What do you do when the sun blocks out what you see in the camera? Why did they stop making view finders?

 

They stopped making most cameras w viewfinders because good viewfinders cost money and they convinced all the suckers that they were not necessary. There are a few cameras out there with sort of decent optical viewfinders and the EVFs are getting better but they cost more money. As longer as most of the purchasers of camera can be convinced that viewfinders are not necessary, most cameras will be made w/o them. Sales volume talks.

 

If you want to want to see a real hoot, watch the people trying to hold their cameras steady at arms length in a good gusty wind. It is hilarious. It is hard enough if the camera is plastered against their face.

 

DON

[Turtles06]

They stopped making most cameras w viewfinders because good viewfinders cost money and they convinced all the suckers that they were not necessary. There are a few cameras out there with sort of decent optical viewfinders and the EVFs are getting better but they cost more money. As longer as most of the purchasers of camera can be convinced that viewfinders are not necessary, most cameras will be made w/o them. Sales volume talks.

 

If you want to want to see a real hoot, watch the people trying to hold their cameras steady at arms length in a good gusty wind. It is hilarious. It is hard enough if the camera is plastered against their face.

 

DON

 

Agreed.

 

For decades, there was a wonderful "Mom and Pop" camera store near my office. They gave you the kind of personal service, advice and attention that is priceless and mostly gone now. I bought all my gear there. As Mom and Pop grew older, their son took over the business. Enter the digital age. I'll never forget the son telling me that "a camera without a viewfinder is a cellphone." Sadly, their business was done in by the big box stores and on-line shopping.