A Great Camera Viewfinder Safari

I really must pay a visit to Blimie and Herman in Hell's Kitchen (is that right? Is B&H [420 9th Ave.] in Hell's Kitchen? I don't know my Manhattan neighborhoods) and stage a Grand Guignol viewfinder showdown. Annoy the staff by looking through dozens of viewfinders to get a handle on the state of the art and identify the standouts. And identify if standouts are needed, which they would not be if the standard is high and many offerings approach the standard. But you never know that until you look.

Just the sort of quirky Quixotic test TOP would undertake....

Just thinking out loud,

Mike

Book o' the Week

Annie Leibovitz. At long last, the unlimited trade edition of the humongous, limited Sumo edition by Taschen. Mind you, it's still a huge book—15.4 inches high, 556 pages, and almost 13 pounds. And the price! (But that's nothing—the Sumo weighed 57 pounds and cost $7,500.) This is the closest ordinary folks (with ordinary shelves) will get to the ultimate Annie. UPDATE: Well, that was fast—Amazon's supply didn't even last one whole day! But you can order and get in line for when they get more.

This book link is a portal to Amazon. You're very kind use our links, as they help support the site.

B&H Photo

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(To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below.)
Featured Comments from:

Alex Mercado: "Since they're immediately south of 34th St., I'll argue they're located in Chelsea. However, many of the kids these days would say they're located in Hudson Yards. Those kids can get off my lawn."

Comments

[Thomas]

Please, please, please, do that. I would like to to that myself. It seems every time I show up in a camera store most of the cameras are out of juice, so any meaningfull comparison is impossible. Seems odd as most of them are attached to these little wires that should provide them with power as well as secure them from theft (at least thats what I think the wire thingy is doing).

[James]

If B & H isn't in Hell's Kitchen it should be! Such a cool name for a neighborhood.

[Stan B.]

B&H is just south of the 34St. borderline between Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen technically placing it in Chelsea- feels more like Hell's Kitchen though. Well, it used to; with the hyper gentrification occurring in that area it certainly does not connote anything remotely associated the netherworld, then again, on second thought...

[Grant]

Your quest for monochromatic nirvana has jolted me out of my Covid slumber. The other day I ventured out with camera, to a sandy beach on the shores of Lake Ontario. What a beautiful, warm, sunny, fall day. Alas, the sun was so bright I could see neither the viewfinder, nor the monitor. Disappointed, I returned home to my computer and began my own Quixotic quest for a viewfinder hood. I ended up with a "Professional" 3X magnifier hood from Amazon. I won't link to it because it is cheaply made, has poor optics and will no doubt be broken before long.

But. But. Oh man, does it ever do a great job of blocking the sun and letting me see the screen. This giant contraption mounted on the back of the camera is definitely the way to go.

Bonus. When people see me with this cumbersome rig, they are sure to think that I'm that famous photo blogger Mike Johnston!

[Oleg Shpak]

It is going to be either Sony A1, or Canon R5, or Nikon Z9. A very short list.

[robert e]

If you're not necessarily looking for the latest and the lines at the regular counters are long, B&H's used department can be a good alternative. You might want to browse the online inventory beforehand.

[John McMillin]

At this point, the photos from most cameras look the same. The view through their viewfinders are the biggest difference. I choose to stay with DSLRs because the photos most closely resemble what I saw in the OFV. You shouldn't have to be reminded of this, Mike, so I'll just say that your comparisons need to include this tried & true alternative.

My own quick test of a camera's VF involves walking towards the front glass door -- with the salesperson's permission, of course -- and aiming at the door frame. Can I se the bright daylit area out the door? Then can I see any shadow detail in the surrounding wall? And how's the color represented? Overall, does this view of the scene through this viewfinder make me more or less excited about the photo I'm making? Every DSLR passes this test, but so far, not a single mirrorless.

Remember, WYSIWYG applies to color and dynamic range, not just focus and exposure.