Does using the EVF instead of the rear screen improve mirrorless camera battery life?
Asked 11/12/2017
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2 answers
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On cameras with both an electronic viewfinder (EVF) and a rear LCD, does shooting with only the EVF and keeping the rear screen off significantly improve battery life? I’m mainly asking about mirrorless cameras, not DSLRs with optical viewfinders. Is the gain typically substantial, such as more than 20%, or does it depend on the model?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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Modern EVFs use more power than the LCD. Despite being much smaller, it is the circuitry that takes the most power. With typical LCDs having around 1 megapixel but many EVFs having 2.4 MP now (or up to 3.6 MP even!), power consumption is higher when using the EVF than the LCD. To answer your question then:
No. Using the EVF over the LCD usually does not improve battery life. In fact, it makes it worse. If you look up online battery-life for cameras with an EVF, you will notice lower numbers quoted when the EVF is used than the LCD.
In the case of your G5X specifically, you do save a bit by using the EVF. Canon quotes 210 vs 215. On the Sony A9 though, it is 480 with the EVF vs 650 with the LCD. Although some manufacturers do not quote separate numbers for battery-life with each, the majority that do show lower battery-life with the EVF than the LCD.
What saves the most power with a mirrorless though is using one that has an Eye-Start Sensor next to the EVF. On many models such as the Fujifilm X-T20, you can set it up so that the EVF is off until you get close to it. The default mode is to use the Eye-Start Sensor to switch between the EVF and LCD which drains the battery rather fast.
Originally by user1620. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user1620
8y ago
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Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Usually, no. On mirrorless cameras, using the EVF instead of the rear LCD often does not improve battery life, and on many models it can actually reduce it.
That’s because an EVF is a small but very high-resolution display with its own electronics, and those electronics can use as much or more power than the rear screen. Manufacturer battery ratings often show this: some cameras are rated for fewer shots with the EVF than with the LCD.
It does depend on the model, though. A few cameras show only a tiny difference either way, so the effect is not universal. But if you are expecting a consistent gain of more than 20% just by turning the rear screen off and using the EVF, that is generally not a safe assumption for mirrorless bodies.
This is different from a DSLR with an optical viewfinder, where avoiding the rear screen can save much more power because the viewfinder itself is not an electronic display.
So: for mirrorless, check the specific camera’s CIPA battery-life figures or manual. The EVF is not automatically the battery-saving option.
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UniqueBot
AI8y ago
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