No viewfinder !!

[pierces]

Well of course not the other way around. The contacts are on only one side of the card. If you put the card in the other way around, the camera has no way of communicating with the card. :D

 

 

Need I say more?

 

:D

 

Dave

[pierces]

i hate not having a viewfinder...call me nuts....and i had to find a camera with one that was situated so i wouldn't get a noseprint on the screen! :D

 

but i must admit (and i mean no offense to anyone here) that i love watching people try to line up shots in the screen with their arms fully extended moving the camera up and down....then they take 87 shots of the same thing cause it's all blurry!! heeheehee :D (i am really warped!)

 

 

I thought I would miss one, so I got the SD800IS witch has a viewfinder. I found that the grid overlay on the LCD is such a great tool for keeping buildings and horizons level, that I almost never use the viewfinder at all.

 

BTW, i do use the viewfinder on my DSLR...'cause it is an actual "viewfinder", not the glorified peephole you find on most compacts.

 

Bottom line for me...if the compact takes great pictures and the LCD is clear and bright enough for daylight use..the viewfinder is expendable!

 

Dave

[Cuizer2]

Bottom line for me...if the compact takes great pictures and the LCD is clear and bright enough for daylight use..the viewfinder is expendable!

 

Dave

 

The problem with a LCD that is bright enough for daylight use is it uses up the batteries too fast. I always use the viewfinder. My batteries usually last for one full card. When I let the people at work use my camera one day, they used the LCD screen and used up one full set of batteries while the card was less than 1/4 full.

 

If the camera does not have a viewfinder, I will not buy it (except for my under water camera, where a viewfinder is useless anyway). But I don't use the LCD under water either. I do use it on land (since I have no choice). But I rarely use the underwater camera on land anyway.

[pierces]

The problem with a LCD that is bright enough for daylight use is it uses up the batteries too fast. I always use the viewfinder. My batteries usually last for one full card. When I let the people at work use my camera one day, they used the LCD screen and used up one full set of batteries while the card was less than 1/4 full.

 

I noticed that you said "set of batteries". Does your camera use AAs? My Canon uses a lithium ion pack (proprietary, of course, *sigh*) and I seldom, if ever use up a pack in a day of shooting while on a trip. It lasts for 1-3 weeks of casual shooting as my 24x7 carry camera. I carry a spare and simply recharge the empty when I replace it. I have found that using the LCD for composing is rarely the culprit, but rather the time spent reviewing each picture. I'll briefly check for blur or composition if there is some doubt, but I leave detailed viewing for the computer or the photo viewer if I'm on a trip.

 

If the camera does not have a viewfinder, I will not buy it (except for my under water camera, where a viewfinder is useless anyway). But I don't use the LCD under water either. I do use it on land (since I have no choice). But I rarely use the underwater camera on land anyway.

 

Valid point. Everybody has their preferences and if a viewfinder is a must...go for it! I'm just saying that after using cameras of all kinds for 40 years, I have found the LCD on a compact camera to be a great tool. I opted for a compact with a viewfinder on my last two compacts, but it really won't be high on the list of selection criteria next time.

 

I generally use a DSLR while on a trip and the viewfinder vs. LCD isn't even a question there. However, when I use the compact, I find that using the LCD gives me a better view of the composition, saving me from a lot of straightening or cropping later. If this means switching the battery pack after 100-200 pictures, I consider that well worth the effort. Batteries are cheap, my time isn't!;)

 

I always say; the best camera is the one you'll use and the picture you take will always be better than the one you didn't.

 

Happy shooting!

 

Dave

 

P.S. Thanks for the contrasting opinions. this is, after all, a "discussion" forum! And, of course, Thanks for the humor. If I ever take this stuff too seriously, I'll need to find another hobby!

[Cuizer2]

I noticed that you said "set of batteries". Does your camera use AAs? My Canon uses a lithium ion pack (proprietary, of course, *sigh*) and I seldom, if ever use up a pack in a day of shooting while on a trip. It lasts for 1-3 weeks of casual shooting as my 24x7 carry camera. I carry a spare and simply recharge the empty when I replace it. I have found that using the LCD for composing is rarely the culprit, but rather the time spent reviewing each picture. I'll briefly check for blur or composition if there is some doubt, but I leave detailed viewing for the computer or the photo viewer if I'm on a trip.

 

Happy shooting!

 

Dave

 

P.S. Thanks for the contrasting opinions. this is, after all, a "discussion" forum! And, of course, Thanks for the humor. If I ever take this stuff too seriously, I'll need to find another hobby!

 

I have a 5MP Canon w/ a proprietary battery. I think the battery is/was $50. I only have two (one in the camera and one spare). However, my Canon A620 uses AA batteries and I have three sets of four. So I can have one in the camera, one as a spare and one being charged.

 

My Nikon uses a proprietary battery also. However, I got lucky. I went to Circuit City when they were discontinuing the battery and picked up two more for around $14 each. So I have three for the Nikon also. The people at work were using my Nikon because they wanted the high pixel count (8MP). I forgot, it does use a single proprietary battery, so my comment was a little misleading. Nonetheless, I can fill up an entire 2GB CF card with one battery, while the people at work need 1 3/4 batteries for only 25% of the CF card. The only difference is, they used the LCD screen while I don't.

 

The type of battery the camera uses is one of the factors why I choose the Canon A620. The main factors for that camera (7MP four to one zoom) is that the camera fits in my pocket, has a view finder, is more than 6MP (I wanted at least 6MP) and has a four to one zoom (typical is three to one - which is what my older Canon has). Since I already had the Nikon (8MP and eight to one zoom) I was looking for a better camera (better than the older Canon - 5MP three to one zoom) to take on trips. The Nikon will not fit in my pocket, which is important on cruises (at least it is important to me).

 

That the Canon A620 uses AA is another plus for travel cameras. If worse comes to worse, finding replacement batteries is easy. For me, the Canon A620 has it all. A good zoom range, many pixels, easy to find batteries, good reviews, takes good photos and has a view finder.

 

The main selling points for the Nikon was the (then) large zoom range and the 8MP pictures (which is still close to the top - only the D-SLRs have more). So when I go to my sister's house, or when I am at home, the Nikon is great ...

 

 

 

 

 

 

And for cruises, the Canon A620 works great ...