Nikon Viewfinder

mnhoj

gee aahrr
Location
Los Angeles
Name
John
I have an "A" on the way. ( :
Do you guys have a recommendation for a cheap/er finder?
I've used the GV-1 on the GR and liked it a lot.
It's about $109 new.
Are there any other options?

Thanks.
 
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A similar one is the Sigma VF-11 that's made for the DP1 variants, which share the same basic 28mm field of view with the same 3:2 aspect ratio as the A. I have one that I think I paid about $100 for. I never use it, so if you'd want something used, make me an offer. It's really tiny - you barely notice it on top of the A...

-Ray
 
A similar one is the Sigma VF-11 that's made for the DP1 variants, which share the same basic 28mm field of view with the same 3:2 aspect ratio as the A. I have one that I think I paid about $100 for. I never use it, so if you'd want something used, make me an offer. It's really tiny - you barely notice it on top of the A...

-Ray
That's kind of interesting, for my RX1r, I got the electronic viewfinder, never used it, bought the optical from B&H for a couple hundred bucks as they are blowing them out, never used it either! For street shooting I preset and shoot from the hip or frame up with the LCD. When I first got my Coolpix A yesterday what do you think the first thing I researched... OVF. I'm gonna go with my previous track record and learn from it.
 
That's kind of interesting, for my RX1r, I got the electronic viewfinder, never used it, bought the optical from B&H for a couple hundred bucks as they are blowing them out, never used it either! For street shooting I preset and shoot from the hip or frame up with the LCD. When I first got my Coolpix A yesterday what do you think the first thing I researched... OVF. I'm gonna go with my previous track record and learn from it.
Oddly, I do use the EVF on the RX1R II a LOT, and I did with the external EVF on the original RX1 as well. I don't really use it for most street shooting, framing from the hip or belly also, but I use the RX1 for so much beyond street shooting. Whereas with the Coolpix A, something about the handling of the camera just never seemed right with an OVF. And part of it is that the dumb OVF just doesn't add much and leaves you guessing about so much that I guess I've never really loved those anyway...

-Ray
 
I had one with my Panasonic GX1 but rarely used it. I won't get one for my X70 and it's really secondary on my GX85. I have a new Panasonic 100-300 vII coming tomorrow and I expect I'll use it for that lens. But otherwise I only use it if I can't see the screen or if I'm trying to track something, maybe 5-10% of the personal stuff I shoot (pretty much everything but events).
 
I had a GR before my current Coolpix A and I kept the GV-1 viewfinder from the GR and am now using it on the Coolpix. It works nicely. $109 is a bit steep but I think if you are patient and search around, they do pop up used every once in awhile on flea-bay. Btw I only use it for a very small percentage of shots, but on horribly sunny days when most camera screens tend to wash out in the sunlight, it's been a life saver.
 
I briefly had one of the Canons with an external EVF. It seemed ungainly to get it in and out of my camera pouch with EVF attached, and cumbersome to attach and detach the EVF with each usage. With a small camera like the A, perhaps this would be much less of an issue.

(retrocrank alert) It bugs me that places like dpreview can give a "rugged" camera (that has no OVF or EVF) high marks and then note in passing that the "LCD can be hard to see." Well, if you can't see to compose the shot, remind me again what the point was???!!

Cheers, Jock
 
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