{"id":509,"date":"2015-10-26T08:27:04","date_gmt":"2015-10-26T08:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.wordpress\/?p=509"},"modified":"2019-05-29T04:31:40","modified_gmt":"2019-05-29T08:31:40","slug":"the-best-evf-digital-cameras-for-holidays-2015","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.adorama.com\/alc\/the-best-evf-digital-cameras-for-holidays-2015\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best EVF Digital Cameras for Holidays 2015"},"content":{"rendered":"

One of the most welcome trends in new camera design is the return of the eye-level viewfinder. But instead of those hardly-worth-it squintfinders of yore, these are digital, they\u2019re showing up on more compact cameras, and they\u2019re better than ever!<\/p>\n

Remember squintfinders? Those were those little optical viewfinders that zoomed with the camera and gave you about a 60-70 percent view of what you were photographing. We complained about them, but then we complained even more when they started to disappear and were replaced with LCD monitors on the backs of digital cameras that forced you to hold the camera at arm\u2019s length. This position encouraged camera shake, and the finders were (and in most cases, still are) barely usable in bright sunlight. Finally, the eye-level viewfinder is making a comeback in compact and not-so-compact cameras, and now it\u2019s electronic!<\/p>\n

We\u2019re seeing more high-resolution EVFs on compact cameras, and image quality has improved. A 2 million dot resolution EVF looks almost as good as an optical image and the big advantage over optical squintfinders is that all EVFs we\u2019ve seen show the entire image. They also let you view previews and provide lots of information so you don\u2019t have to take your eye off the camera. Even better? You can hold the camera up to your eye to shoot, and that reduces camera shake.<\/p>\n

If this is, indeed, a rebirth of the eye-level viewfinder, it\u2019s about time!
\nThe range of cameras with EVFs has expanded. Here are the key categories:<\/p>\n

Superzooms<\/h3>\n

Where a couple of years ago an 18x zoom lens was considered a long stretch, now EVF cameras with built-in lenses have 30, 40 or even 50x optical zooms, and the lenses start out at wider wide-angle settings. Maximum focal lengths in the 800mm range (35mm equivalent) are not uncommon. There’s even a camera now that can zoom beyond 1,000mm! To accommodate such a wide optical range, superzoom EVF cameras use small sensors, the kind you\u2019d find in a pocket-sized compact digital camera. In daylight that\u2019s fine, but in subdued light, image quality degrades fast because  of the physical limitations that come with squeezing so many pixels onto a space the size of your pinkie nail. Despite these limitations, noise suppression software can be applied in-camera which will let you produce 5×7 and even 8×10 prints that will be acceptable for most casual shooters. A caveat when shooting with a long-range zoom camera: Image stabilization will help in bright sunlight when zoomed to the longest focal length, but a tripod is much better and highly recommended.<\/p>\n

Interchangeable Lens EVFs<\/h3>\n

The new sub-category is interchangeable-lens EVFs, which started when Panasonic introduced the G1, based on the Four Thirds sensor, in 2008, heralding a new era for photographers. In the last year, the category expanded greatly, with Sony and Fuji, and Olympus offering cameras with larger APS sensors. In both cases, the sensors in these cameras are commonly found on DSLRs, and the overall image quality is inevitably going to be much better than on smaller sensor cameras.  But more importantly, each brand has a selection of interchangeable lenses, and third-party manufacturers have created adaptors that let you mix and match, putting other brand lenses on these cameras. Although these cameras look like DSLRs, they are smaller and lighter because they do not have a space-eating mirror housing.<\/p>\n

But wait\u2014there\u2019s more!<\/p>\n

There\u2019s another sub-category, mirrorless interchangeable lens compacts which lack built-in electronic viewfinders. Just to confuse matters a bit more, some of those cameras have EVFs available as accessories that are available at an additional cost. I\u2019m not including those cameras here, but you can read more about them in \u201cThe Best System Compact Cameras Right Now.\u201d<\/p>\n

A note about DxOMark Lab Tests: The Adorama Learning Center\u2019s partner test lab, DxOMark, has published lab test results of some interchangeable lens cameras, but not for fixed-lens EVFs. I\u2019ve included basic result information and a brief interpretive statement for each camera where lab tests are supplied.<\/p>\n

And now, on to the cameras. First, we\u2019ll look at EVFs with built-in lenses, then interchangeable-lens EVFs. Adorama prices are accurate as of October 14, 2015.<\/p>\n

Fixed Lens Superzoom \u201cBridge\u201d Cameras with Electronic Viewfinders<\/h3>\n

\"Nikon<\/p>\n

Nikon Coolpix P530<\/a><\/h4>\n

Adorama price:<\/strong> $276.95<\/p>\n

Overview: The Nikon Coolpix P530’s amazingly long-ranging zoom lens stretches to an amazing 42x zoom ratio\u201424-1000mm. The lens is f\/3-5.9, and the EVF is a modest 201k dot resolution\u2014good enough for reference but not tack sharp. But the 3-inch LCD monitor, at 921k dot resolution, leads the pack. Macro close-up can bring you to within half an inch of the front of the lens, while the camera gives you many AF options for action or more stationary subjects. This camera offers 1080 HD video in 6 recording speeds, and other resolution at a variety of frame rates. It has has 19 scene modes and\u2014a Nikon strength\u20147 in-camera editing actions. Sorry, no RAW image capture.<\/p>\n

Key Features:<\/p>\n