Electronic viewfinder

Old video camera viewfinder cutway; note the miniature CRT
An Olympus PEN E-PL5 mounted with an external EVF unit: the Olympus VF-4
EVF of Panasonic Lumix DMC-G85/G80 with 2,360,000 dots.

An electronic viewfinder (EVF) is a camera viewfinder where the image captured by the lens is displayed on a small screen (usually LCD or OLED) which the photographer can look through when composing their shot.[1] It differs from a live preview screen in being smaller and shaded from ambient light, and may also use less power. The sensor records the view through the lens, the view is processed, and finally projected on a miniature display which is viewable through the eyepiece.

Digital viewfinders are used in digital still cameras and in video cameras. Some cameras (such as Panasonic, Sony, Fujifilm) have an automatic eye sensor which switches the display from screen to EVF when the viewfinder is near the eye. More modest cameras use a button to switch the display. Some have no button at all.[2]

While many cameras come with a built-in EVF, this is fixed in place and can only be used while holding the camera to the user's eye, which may not be convenient. Other cameras don't come with an EVF at all, or come with a low quality one. It is sometimes possible to get a separate, attachable EVF to use in these cases.[3] In certain higher end models such as the Alexa Series by ARRI, an external viewfinder is the default way of monitoring what is being shot.[4]

  1. ^ Massey, Jake. "Optical vs electronic viewfinders". Which?. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  2. ^ Darren Rowse. "Should I use the LCD or Viewfinder on my Digital Camera?". Archived from the original on May 28, 2021. Retrieved July 29, 2021.
  3. ^ "To EVF, or not to EVF, that is the question". Newsshooter. 2021-03-18. Retrieved 2022-04-17.
  4. ^ "What are the Components of a Camera Rental Package?". Camera Rentals NYC. Retrieved 2024-09-12.