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With a mirrorless camera, the camera uses exactly the same technology to display an image in the viewfinder as on the LCD on the back of the camera. This means that if you're shooting wildlife or sports where you have to keep your eye to the viewfinder for a very long time waiting for the action to happen, an OVF could be preferable. In addition, when you're using an EVF you're actually looking at a small screen, and even though this has a very high refresh rate, an OVF can be more comfortable over a long period of usage.
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For this reason, many photographers shooting sports, wildlife or other subjects involving fast action still prefer a DSLR. As technologies continue to develop, the lag is likely to get shorter and shorter, but an OVF works at the speed of light, which means in effect no lag at all. Although the latest mirrorless cameras such as the EOS R5 have EVFs with a refresh rate of 120fps and the lag is only a matter of milliseconds, this can still matter if you're shooting fast-moving action and split-second timing is critical. On the other hand, because the image you see in an EVF has to be processed before it can be displayed, all EVFs suffer from some degree of lag. Conversely, with an optical viewfinder you're seeing the scene with the ambient light level, which means that in dark conditions it can be difficult to compose a shot or to focus. For many, it makes photography more intuitive.Īnother advantage of an EVF is that it can compensate for low light levels, which means you always have a clear view of the subject. In this way, an EVF is especially useful for relatively inexperienced photographers, because it enables you to see the effects of camera settings at the shooting stage, not just assess them afterwards. That's especially helpful if, for example, the subject is backlit and you might need to use some exposure compensation. This means you can use the image in an EVF to assess whether your settings suit the scene and to be confident you will get the result you want before pressing the shutter button. If you apply the Monochrome Picture Style, for example, the image you see in the EVF will be mono, while with an OVF it will remain colour. While some photographers like the natural view offered by an optical viewfinder, an electronic viewfinder brings the advantage of being able to see the effect of the exposure, white balance and Picture Style settings being applied. This means that an EVF shows the image that the sensor outputs, which can be subtly or sometimes significantly different from the view through the lens. In a mirrorless camera, an electronic viewfinder (EVF) uses the information from the imaging sensor to display an image on a small LCD or OLED screen. This means that with an OVF you are seeing what the lens sees, reflected but unprocessed. This reflects light coming in through the lens up into an optical viewfinder (OVF) via a pentaprism or pentamirror that ensures you see the scene the right way round through the camera's eyepiece.
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The key difference between a DSLR and a mirrorless camera is implicit in the names: a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex camera) is so called because it has a reflex mirror. But are there any advantages to using one or the other? What are the differences between them? And are all viewfinders the same? Optical viewfinder vs electronic viewfinder: what's the difference?
![camera with viewfinder on top camera with viewfinder on top](https://static.wixstatic.com/media/739fab_918920b46616449b8896a77d14dc1dce~mv2_d_4928_3264_s_4_2.jpg)
Which you use depends upon the subject, the shooting conditions and your personal preferences. Most Canon EOS cameras offer two ways of composing images: using the viewfinder or the LCD screen on the back of the camera.