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From: Neil Harrington on 21 Jul 2010 13:22

"Robert Montgomery" <info-block(a)northern-data-tech.net> wrote in message
news:H3D1o.9549$Z6.2826(a)edtnps82...
> Are there any compact, lightweight cameras that have both a good telephoto
> capability (i.e. ten times zoom) and a viewfinder?

Depends on how fussy you are about that term "compact."

The Panasonic FZ35 has an excellent 18x zoom and a viewfinder. It is very
compact for a camera of its type, but most users would not regard it as
pocketable if that's what you mean by "compact."

>
> I can find compact, lightweight cameras with ten times zoom, and compact
> lightweight cameras with viewfinders.
>
> But I have yet to find a camera that has all of these characteristics:
> � compact
> � lightweight
> � has at least a seven times zoom lens AND
> � has a viewfinder.
>
> I can hardly see the image on the monitors of cameras on sunny days
> because of all the light and glare � both in shooting mode and playback
> mode.

Yep. Shading the monitor with your hand can help, but certainly does not
eliminate the problem. There are some third-party accessories that may help
more -- folding hoods, or hoods with eyepieces.

>
> It seems to me that any camera lacking a viewfinder is a camera for
> amateurs. And I don't understand why even amateurs wouldn't be bothered by
> this problem.

It's a trade-off. A large monitor is nice both for seeing better what you're
taking a picture of, and for showing it in-camera to others. Ultracompact
cameras are now so small the monitor often takes up most of the back of the
camera, leaving little if any room for a viewfinder. Remember that any sort
of viewfinder (optical or electronic) means more parts in the camera too,
increasing size, weight, complexity and cost.

>
> I can't understand why consumers don't demand viewfinders.
>
> I was even told by a clerk at a photography store that viewfinders are
> less frequent on the new cameras!

Yes, they are definitely going out of style in ultracompact cameras and have
been for the last few years. I don't think I've ever seen an ultracompact
10x zoom with a viewfinder anyway, though.


From: Alan Lichtenstein on 21 Jul 2010 14:56
Robert Montgomery wrote:

> Are there any compact, lightweight cameras that have both a good
> telephoto capability (i.e. ten times zoom) and a viewfinder?
>
> I can find compact, lightweight cameras with ten times zoom, and compact
> lightweight cameras with viewfinders.
>
> But I have yet to find a camera that has all of these characteristics:
> � compact
> � lightweight
> � has at least a seven times zoom lens AND
> � has a viewfinder.
>
> I can hardly see the image on the monitors of cameras on sunny days
> because of all the light and glare � both in shooting mode and playback
> mode.
>
> It seems to me that any camera lacking a viewfinder is a camera for
> amateurs. And I don't understand why even amateurs wouldn't be bothered
> by this problem.
>
> I can't understand why consumers don't demand viewfinders.
>
> I was even told by a clerk at a photography store that viewfinders are
> less frequent on the new cameras!
>
> Robert
Olympus has two compact cameras, one with 26X and the new one, the
SP-800UZ with 30X. They're larger than P & S and smaller than SLR's. I
haven't looked at the specs for the 800UZ, but the older model has both
live view and viewfinder. However, neither model has a mirror, so that
makes them EVF cameras. Neither, as I'm sure you know, has
interchangeable lenses.
From: Irwell on 21 Jul 2010 15:18
On Wed, 21 Jul 2010 16:23:58 GMT, Robert Montgomery wrote:


>
> Would a collapsible hood fit properly on all small digital cameras?
>
> Robert

They usually come with some sort of attaching
bands, or you can just hold it against the LCD
with one hand and the pressure of your eyesocket,
a bonus is you will get a steadier picture than the
usual 'arm-length' posture.
From: bugbear on 22 Jul 2010 07:05
John Turco wrote:

> That's been the tendency, these past few years. Today, the large LCD
> VF is dominant, and it occupies the majority of a given digicam's back
> panel.

That's because of some driving consumer desires:

* smaller cameras
* desire to use a camera as a display device,
so larger displays are better

The limit is a display the size of the camera,
which leaves no room for (separate) viewfinder
or controls.

Consequently, the LCD is obliged to function
as both viewfinder ("EVF", user interface
(menu, display, previews, adjustments) and
controls (touch screen).

BugBear
From: whisky-dave on 22 Jul 2010 08:35

"Robert Montgomery" <info-block(a)northern-data-tech.net> wrote in message
news:%fF1o.9712$z%6.1562(a)edtnps83...
> Rich wrote:
>> On Jul 21, 10:00 am, Robert Montgomery<info-bl...(a)northern-data-
>> tech.net> wrote:
>
>>> But I have yet to find a camera that has all of these characteristics:
>>> � compact
>>> � lightweight
>>> � has at least a seven times zoom lens AND
>>> � has a viewfinder.
>>
>> Check out the latest P&S offerings on Dpreview.
>>
>> www.dpreview.com
>
> Thanks.
>
> Does anybody know of any offhand? I've already looked considerably at
> http://www.photographyblog.com, but I can't find any.

I thought the pen EP1 or EP2 had that ability or you could add a viwfinder
as an option.

>
> Robert


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