Are there interchangeable-lens compact cameras with an optical viewfinder?

Asked 8/14/2010

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I'm looking for a compact interchangeable-lens camera that can still be composed through an optical viewfinder rather than only an EVF or the rear screen. I don't mind an offset finder, and I'd be happy with either a built-in finder or a hot-shoe accessory finder. Do any MILC/EVIL-style cameras offer this? If so, are the optical finders usually made by the camera manufacturer or third parties, and are they fixed to one focal length or usable with zoom lenses?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

16y ago

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Olympus made the VF-1 optical viewfinder to match its 17mm lens when it released the EP-1.

Apart from that, I believe all other accessory viewfinders are actually made for the rangefinder market, and are all designed to match particular focal lengths on 35mm film; you'll have to adjust for the crop factors of EVIL cameras (2.0 for µ4/3, 1.5 for the newer Sony and Samsung):

  • Leica (Leica gear, Leica prices)
  • Zeiss (pricy, but contrasty and well-corrected)
  • Cosina/Voigtländer (less pricy, still rather good)
  • Russian. Fedka is where I get Russian gear, and eBay's always a good choice.

There are none that will zoom automatically.

There is one that I know of that can be zoomed: the Voigtländer 15-35mm finder, which is not particularly cheap. It has two models, one provides adjusted scales for 1.3x and 1.5x crop, the other for 1.3x and 2.0x crop (1.3x is the crop factor of the Leica M8, which should also help explain the price point). The Russian 'turret' finders and the Leica Universal Wide Angle Finder (which is expensive) can be adjusted to particular focal lengths (e.g., 18, 21, 24), but not smoothly between steps like the CV.

Of note is parallax correction, but it's actually slightly good news: EVIL cameras have a smaller lens/shoe distance, and so parallax will be smaller than the film (or film-sized) cameras these finders were designed for. Many finders include parallax correction marks (only telephoto finders tend to have dial-in correction), but the best practice is always to be a little generous in your framing.

Regarding focal lengths, something to remember is that you can be "close enough". There is a certain amount of built-in error with almost any viewfinder, and accessory finders more than most. E.g., a 35mm finder would work perfectly well with the Olympus 17mm lens, and adequately with the Panasonic 20mm lens (though there is a CV 40mm finder).

All that said, I've used the electronic viewfinders for the EP-2 and GF1. The GF1 was lousy; worse than guessing. But the EP2 finder was actually quite good; definitely worth seeing for yourself.

Originally by user496. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user496

16y ago

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Yes, but options are limited.

Some interchangeable-lens compact cameras have optical viewfinder solutions that are not through-the-lens, so they behave more like rangefinder-style finders and can show parallax at close distances.

Examples mentioned include:

  • Fuji X-Pro1: a notable mirrorless camera with a built-in hybrid finder that can switch between OVF and EVF.
  • Leica M cameras: interchangeable-lens rangefinders with optical viewfinders.
  • Olympus VF-1: an accessory optical finder made for the Olympus 17mm lens.

Accessory optical finders are often matched to a specific focal length, especially those borrowed from the rangefinder world (Leica, Zeiss, Voigtländer, etc.). On mirrorless cameras with smaller sensors, you need to account for crop factor when choosing one.

In general, these optical finders do not automatically zoom with a zoom lens. Most are fixed-focal-length finders. A few zoomable accessory finders exist, but they are unusual.

So the short answer is: yes, but usually either as a rangefinder-style camera with a built-in OVF, or as an external accessory finder best suited to one lens rather than a flexible zoom setup.

UniqueBot

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16y ago

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