Digital SLR - "Why do photographers use viewfinder instead of LCD when taking pictures?"?

Question

I was observing how professional photographers look at the tiny viewfinder, instead of looking at the big LCD screen, when taking pictures with their DSLR. Why is that?

Answer 1

on an dslr the sensor doesn't see the picture until the shutter is opened and the mirror moves.
Their is no way to see before you take the picture.

Answer 2

Well, pros really tend to have better lenses that also use up batteries, and the LCD also uses up battery power like crazy; so, the pros try to conserve battery power so they don't get caught with a worn out battery, or miss a vital shot while changing batteries or changing cameras. That's one reason. Another reason, is that pros rely on the meter, exposure setting and other information they see through the viewfinder that is not available on the LCD; pros do a sort of "mental multi-tasking" whereupon they are not only considering the meter information, the aperture and shutter speed to be used but also cropping out background details that may interfere with the subject as they compose and arrange the subject in the viewfinder to attract viewers' attention, which many amateurs are simply oblivious to. Additionally, the use of the LCD is cumbersome, as compared with the viewfinder. The pros often have DX lenses (that are designed for the digital camera to eliminate the "cropping" effect of film lenses that also attach to the digital cameras they have).

Amateurs that use regular film lenses on their cameras must rely on the LCD very often because the LCD will show them what the camera's sensor has focused on and will capture upon tripping the shutter button. They can zoom in or out to compensate for the "cropping" effect while they're focusing. They lack the experience to determine what the image will look like BEFORE they trip the shutter release button. I guess newbie amateurs use the LCD also because what they see in the LCD is larger than what they see in the viewfinder.

Answer 3

Few DSLR cameras actually offer that function because the beauty of using a DSLR is the viewfinder and the ability to change the lenses and see exactly what you are going to take.

I also find that it isolates the view to exactly what you are shooting. You looks through the viewfinder and see only what your camera sees.

If you are using a the lcd screen you have the outside world and you are holding the camera away from your body in a strange way.

The viewfinder is a more exact and intimate way to photograph.

Answer 4

Who told you, you can see through the LCD screen of a digital SLR. NO digital SLR disply the object on the LCD screen instead of viewfinder. The digital SLR cameras like Nikon D50,D70,D80 and so on or Canon EOS !D,20D, 30D,350D,or 400D....you can not see anything trough the LCD screen in this cameras. You just look throug the view finder first, focus it, shoot it, and you will see the taken image on the LCD screen. That's all.

Answer 5

The Viewfinder is more comfortable and exact. Also for the fact that lighting around you hits the LCD screen and then you cant make out how the picture will exactly look.

Answer 6

And apart from the two previous answers, only a couple of Olympus DSLRs have a realtime LCD anyway. The removal of the proper viewfinder, and reliance on the LCD on most compact dogital cameras is one of the most pernicious things to have happened to photography in recent times

Answer 7

Professional photographers use professional cameras, on which there’s no LCD screen to preview the photo; it only appears on the screen after the shot have been taken.

It’s so funny to see people running around with their pocket cameras, pointing at anything with their arms extended... There’s no way you’ll ever see a pro doing such a thing.

Answer 8

Several reasons the most important being camera shake , when u extend your arms out to look at an lcd display u increase your chances of shakeing the camera bluring the picture, as opposed to holding the camera in close much easier to keep it steady. The other reasons have been answered in the above so i wouldnt repeat them. Hope this helps ..

Answer 9

All of the above (battery drain is a big one) plus one very important thing they didn't mention. When you hold a camera out at arms length there is no way you can hold it steady. Next time you watch someone take a picture that way look at how their arm moves and then listen to them complain about how all their pictures are blurry and how crappy their camera is. I promise it's not the camera it's the technique.

Answer 10

Through the viewfinder, you will see exactly what the camera sees. The LCD screen is an approximation of what the camera sees.