Start · Module 1Topic · 5 min

Screens and viewfinders

Lesson 5 of 12

MODULE 1 ROADMAP

The short version

You look at the scene either through a viewfinder held to your eye or on the screen on the back. Each shows you slightly different things, and knowing the difference saves you from the classic “it looked fine at the time” moment.

Three ways of seeing

An optical viewfinder (found on DSLRs and some compacts) is like a window: you see the real scene through glass, with no delay, but it cannot show you how bright the photo will be.

An electronic viewfinder, or EVF, is a tiny screen inside the eyepiece showing the sensor’s live picture. It can preview the brightness and colour of your photo and add helpers on top.

The rear screen is the big screen on the back. Phones only have this. On many cameras it tilts or flips out, and many are touch screens. On a DSLR, using the rear screen to frame a shot is usually called live view.

A man on a café terrace holding a camera to his eye with both hands, looking through the viewfinder — **What to notice:** Camera pressed to the face: steady, and easy to see in bright sun. This is the viewfinder way of shooting.

A small camera standing on a grey surface with its rear screen flipped out and tilted at an angle — **What to notice:** A screen that flips out lets you shoot from very low or high without lying on the ground.

When to use which

Viewfinder: bright sun that washes out the screen, long lenses, and anything fast. Holding the camera to your face also keeps it steadier (Module 2).
Rear screen: very low or high angles, tripod work, zooming in to check focus, and showing someone their picture.

What the screen is telling you

Every camera can show information over the picture. Can you spot each numbered item on a real screen below?

Close-up of a camera’s rear screen showing a live view of a long hall lined with hanging lights, with an M for manual mode at top left, orange focus-area corners, a horizontal level line, a small histogram, a vertical exposure scale, and 1/640, F1.8, ISO 80, a battery icon and 4.9k shots remaining along the bottom — **Figure 1.** A real live-view screen with its overlays. Every brand arranges these differently and you can switch most of them on or off, so treat this as a guide to what to look for.

How to set it up

Make the viewfinder sharp for your eyes with the dioptre control, if your camera has a viewfinder (Lesson 2).
Pick two layouts. Step through the display options with the display button. Keep one clean layout for composing and one with the level and histogram.
Check exposure preview is on (mirrorless cameras and live view). Its name varies, such as “exposure simulation” or “setting effect”. It is what lets the screen warn you before you shoot.
Keep screen brightness at standard and judge brightness with the histogram (Module 12), not your eyes.

Easy traps

Judging brightness through an optical viewfinder. It shows the scene, not the photo.
Switching every overlay on at once. You will not see your picture for the clutter.

Finn tip: In a crowd, tilt the screen up and look down into it with the camera at chest height. People hardly notice, and you get lovely natural moments.

Key takeaways

Optical viewfinders show the real scene; electronic viewfinders and screens show the sensor’s picture.
Use the viewfinder for bright light and steadiness, the screen for odd angles and checking focus.
Keep one clean layout and one with a level and histogram.

Try it now · 10 minutes

Step through every display layout your camera offers. Find the level, the histogram and the shots-remaining number, then pick your two favourite layouts. If you found all three, give yourself a cheer: you can read your camera’s screen.