What is the proper name for the eye-level viewfinder on a camera?
Asked 5/6/2014
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When composing a photo, I can use either the rear screen or the small finder that I hold up to my eye. What is the correct term for that eye-level finder, and how is it distinguished from the rear screen?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
5
It's simply called the viewfinder. It can be optical (on an SLR) or electronic (on a mirrorless camera, basically it's a second, smaller screen). Don't say viewfinder when talking about the back display/screen, that will only confuse people - the terminology for using the display to compose your shots is live preview.
Originally by user25699. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user25699
12y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
The proper term is usually just viewfinder. In normal camera talk, “viewfinder” means the finder you put to your eye, while the back display is the screen, LCD, or live view/live preview when you’re using it to compose.
If you want to be more specific, you can say eye-level viewfinder. You can also distinguish by type:
- Optical viewfinder (OVF) on many DSLRs/SLRs
- Electronic viewfinder (EVF) on many mirrorless cameras
So, the eye piece is the viewfinder, and the rear display is the screen/LCD used for live view.
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