[Total DSLR Newbie] A question about viewfinders...

[jonnyd]

Hi there,

I am new to this forum, and photography, as I have been using a point and shoot for a while and I am looking into investing into a DSLR. So today I went into a camera shop and started testing some out, and came across a realisation. Having watched many people using the viewfinder, I was intrigued to try it out as my point and shoot lacks a decent viewfinder. (Its microscopic) Anyway, so I took a look and realised that what I was seeing.. was what was there.. And now I am confused as to how people actually use it and get the exposure right.. coming from using live view, this really confuses me. I am wondering if anyone can tell me what you do use to get it right, so that next time I go to the camera shop I can actually test it out properly.

Thanks,
Jon

[ricktas]

DSLR have several ways to tell if you are getting a correct exposure etc, Some have a meter gauge visible in the viewfinder itself. What DSLR are you looking at?.. cause different brands do things differently.

[jonnyd]

DSLR have several ways to tell if you are getting a correct exposure etc, Some have a meter gauge visible in the viewfinder itself. What DSLR are you looking at?.. cause different brands do things differently.

Preferably a Canon 7D (I know.. not a first DSLR at all, but I need the magnesium alloy body, I tend to break things a lot.)

[I @ M]

Welcome to AP Jon, the camera has a meter built in and the viewfinder does absolutely nothing to aid exposure. However, when you are looking through those viewfinders and the camera ( most ) are in manual mode the meter will show in the viewfinder.

Perhaps you could have a look through the library which contains a wealth of information on such subjects.

While you are at it, would you be so kind as to amend your location in line with the site rules that you agreed to abide by when joining. The "east coast" of QLD is pretty broad and there aren't that many people in that many places on the West coast.

[jonnyd]

Welcome to AP Jon, the camera has a meter built in and the viewfinder does absolutely nothing to aid exposure. However, when you are looking through those viewfinders and the camera ( most ) are in manual mode the meter will show in the viewfinder.

Perhaps you could have a look through the library which contains a wealth of information on such subjects.

While you are at it, would you be so kind as to amend your location in line with the site rules that you agreed to abide by when joining. The "east coast" of QLD is pretty broad and there aren't that many people in that many places on the West coast.

Yep, I changed that.. I just wasn't to happy to show my location for privacy reasons..
Anyway, that explains that bar down the bottom.. I thought it was the camera automatically adjusting exposure compensation even though it was in manual mode.. I should of remembered that from the photography courses I have taken.. I am used to my current camera showing a fraction instead of a bar.. Thanks so much for your help guys, I appreciate it.

[swifty]

Hi Jon,
Are you familiar with the metering system of cameras?
Inside the viewfinder you'd typically see a meter bar that lets you know where you are exposure wise in relation to mid-gray.
0 would be middle gray, + would indicate overexposure (brighter), - would indicated underexposure (darker) in relation to middle gray.
Since inside a DSLR optical viewfinder, you see what the lens sees and it won't adjust the picture in relation to your exposure settings, you'll have to imagine what 0.3/0.6/1/2 etc. stop/s darker or brighter would look like but you can always just review the pic after its been taken.

[ricktas]

Here you go:

[jonnyd]

Yep - thanks guys, I know all the rest of the stuff, I was just confused as to what the little bar was and where the metering was, due to the fact that the metering system on my current camera was completely different to the one on the 7D.

Thanks again,
Jon

[Mark L]

The 7D has live view, if that's what you're used to!
I can't get my exposures any good at all on my better half's P&S. Guess we get used to what we get used to. You'll get used to a DSLR pretty quick.

[jonnyd]

The 7D has live view, if that's what you're used to!
I can't get my exposures any good at all on my better half's P&S. Guess we get used to what we get used to. You'll get used to a DSLR pretty quick.

Yep, was trying it out today, it was wonderful with all those pixels on the display Although I will probably end up using the viewfinder more because it will be wonderful to have one that works and isn't miniature

[jonnyd]

Just got my 7D.. its awesome, and I have gotten the hang of using the viewfinder and getting the correct exposure

[Wynny]

I use the viewfinder most of the time when I am using my camera handheld as it feels like I have much more control over it when composing. I wear glasses with a graduated lens which can present its own problems using viewfinders, but would still prefer to look through that little window.

I find that I tend to shoot either in Av or Manual and the thing that this newbie forgets to do on occasions is when I switch into Manual to take notice of that little line along the bottom as part of my brain is still thinking that the camera is doing the adjustments for me. Having said that my best results by far have come in Manual mode.