Overcoming “No Viewfinder” Concerns

Overcoming “No Viewfinder” Concerns

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I can still remember buying my first camera, a Nikkormat, back in 1974. Since then every camera I ever owned had a viewfinder of some sort built into it. The prospect of ever owning a camera that didn’t have a viewfinder was so foreign to me that I simply dismissed buying the Nikon 1 J5 out-of-hand. Well, the combination of the delay in an updated V-Series body and the lure of improved image quality of the J5’s 20.8MP BSI sensor finally got to me and I bought one a little over a month ago. Within a week of buying the first one, I bought a second J5. What I discovered was that overcoming my ‘no viewfinder’ concerns was a lot easier than I thought it would be.

I’ve been pretty busy the last couple of weeks since my last posting on Photography Life, which has resulted in a number of articles on my blog. I thought I’d share an eclectic mix of images from those postings with Photography Life readers to help demonstrate why the majority of my ‘no viewfinder’ concerns were unfounded.

NIKON 1 J5 + 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 10.2mm, ISO 160, 1/1250, f/5.6

One of the biggest concerns I had when buying the Nikon 1 J5 was capturing landscape images on bright, sunny days. I really wondered how difficult glare on the back of the camera would make achieving the framing I wanted in my photographs. Especially having to deal with it on an ongoing basis rather than for just a couple of weeks when doing field work to write a camera review.

NIKON 1 J5 + 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 6.7mm, ISO 160, 1/1000, f/5.6

It’s one thing to borrow a ‘review sample’ of a camera from a manufacturer in order to write a review on it, and quite another to invest one’s own money in it.

NIKON 1 J5 + 6.7-13mm f/3.5-5.6 @ 6.7mm, ISO 160, 1/1000, f/5.6

What I discovered is that having a flip screen is very useful to help reduce glare and this sufficed for the majority of the landscape images I tried to capture. There were a number of situations where the flip screen was insufficient and I still had a problem dealing with glare on the rear screen of the camera. Luckily (I suppose) my head is follicly challenged and I always wear a large brimmed hat when out creating photographs in bright sun. Simply taking off my hat and using it as a sun shield on the back of the camera was a quick and very easy solution. Especially since the Nikon 1 J5 is small and light enough to shoot one handed.

NIKON 1 J5 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 201.1mm, ISO 3200, 1/160, f/5.6

My wife and I visited the Metro Toronto Zoo and I captured a number of images, including some orangutan portraits using my 1 Nikon CX 70-300 f/4.5-5.6 zoom lens on the J5. Not being able to anchor the camera against my eyebrow does require a change in technique when using a longer focal length lens. I found that the shutter speeds at which I could hand-hold a camera without a viewfinder are not quite a slow as those when I shoot with camera that has one. The difference, for me, is about one stop which is something I can live with.

NIKON 1 J5 + CX 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 204.5mm, ISO 3200, 1/40, f/5.6

When capturing some reptile images in lower light situations I found that I could hand-hold the J5 well enough to get useable images at 1/40th of a second with little difficulty.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, ISO 560, 1/500, f/5.6

Recently I had the opportunity to produce a garden video for a residential home owner. The project integrated video footage with some still images. Since I wanted to capture some waterfall sounds with better quality audio I ended up shooting the video clips with my Nikon 1 V2 and a shotgun mic (the J5 doesn’t accept external mics). All of the still images were captured with a J5. I found it quite easy to use the ‘non-viewfinder’ J5 to frame images, with the tilt screen and my hat handling glare issues.

NIKON 1 J5 + 70-300mm f/4.5-5.6 @ 102.4mm, ISO 1600, 1/200, f/8.0

I always shoot my Nikon 1 camera bodies using single point auto-focus when doing any kind of still photography as I like the precision it provides. Even when using extension tubes I found that I could hand-hold the J5 steady enough to get the exact focus point on a subject I wanted. This allowed me to capture the detail in the above image. Although the J5 has a touch screen I have it turned off on my cameras as I prefer moving a single point auto-focus point to an exact location on the rear screen. Using my finger tip to set the auto-focus point and release the shutter never seems to work out as well for me.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, ISO 250, 1/500, f/5.6

Part of the video project also incorporated images of some garden whimsy and sculptures.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 25.7mm, ISO 160, 1/320, f/5.6

Having a rear-tilt screen with any camera can be very helpful with these types of images as shooting from close to the ground is quite common.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, ISO 360, 1/500, f/5.6

I love capturing patterns of all types. The homeowner’s garden presented a wide range of opportunities for me to do that with the J5. Using the rear screen to compose images took a bit more discipline in order to keep the camera still and the shot framed correctly.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 31.9mm, ISO 400, 1/250, f/5.6

I typically capture the majority of my images without the need for any kind of cropping when using a camera with a viewfinder like the Nikon 1 V2. I now allow a little bit of ‘wiggle room’ in terms of potential cropping with my original captures when using a non-viewfinder camera body. Again, a small shift in technique.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 81.8mm, ISO 800, 1/320, f/5.6

I found that achieving desired focus, for example on the foreground petals in the above image, was not an issue at all when using a non-viewfinder camera hand-held.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, ISO 400, 1/500, f/5.6

Using a camera without a viewfinder is also a non-issue with street photography, especially if it is equipped with a tilt screen. The image above was one of many I captured while strolling in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario with my wife.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 31.9mm, ISO 400, 1/400, f/5.6

Capturing my typical eclectic mix of street photography images was simple and I didn’t miss not having a viewfinder. If anything I was less conspicuous capturing images.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 42.4mm, ISO 400, 1/250, f/5.6

I’ve been finding that when I go out to take some casual photographs all I take with me is a Nikon 1 J5 and the 1 Nikon 10-100mm f/4-5.6 zoom lens. It gives me all kinds of image capturing flexibility in a very small and lightweight package.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 12.1mm, ISO 400, 1/1600, f/6.3

Trying to precisely square up certain types of images does take a bit more discipline as I noted earlier, and leaving a bit of ‘wiggle room’ for cropping can be helpful.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 24.2mm, ISO 400, 1/320, f/5.6

Capturing images through windows, especially if the subject material is down low is made much easier when using any camera with a rear flip screen.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, ISO 400, 1/400, f/5.6

Trading off not having a viewfinder to get improved dynamic range and colour depth turned out to be a very good decision. Now that I own a couple of J5s even if a V4 came out with the same 20.8MP BSI sensor I’m not sure it would make sense for me to buy one. I’d need to investigate other performance issues such as buffer size, card writing speed and video capabilities to determine if I could justify the investment for my business.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, ISO 160, 1/100, f/8.0

The transition to using the rear screen to compose images has been far easier and faster than I first anticipated.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 64.1mm, ISO 400, 1/200, f/6.3

Other than not using my J5s for birds-in-flight or other types of action-oriented photography I haven’t felt restricted at all when out creating images. Folks who want to use a mirror-less camera without an EVF for birds-in-flight can purchase a Hoodman viewer made specifically for this purpose. Checking camera compatibility in advance is always recommended.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 20.3mm, ISO 400, 1/1250, f/5.6

It may take me a tiny bit more time to frame and hold an image motionless on the rear screen for capture, but I haven’t noticed any impediment to my creative urges.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 24.2mm, ISO 800, 1/40, f/8.0

If anything I’m finding that not restricting myself to using a viewfinder is liberating from a creative standpoint. I am now using my J5s at all kinds of strange and usual angles to capture images I likely would not have even considered in the past. I recently visited a local agricultural show in the Niagara area which featured a large selection of custom cars. Using the J5’s tilt rear screen allowed me to capture a number of interesting perspectives of engines that would not have been possible with my V2s as they don’t have tilt screens.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, ISO 1600, 1/320, f/8.0

I could still get the precise focusing point desired in my images and frame photographs to my liking even when holding the camera inside the engine compartment.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 10mm, ISO 800, 1/80, f/8.0

Experimenting with how to leverage the advantages of not using a viewfinder to compose images is important. Without touching the surface of the car, I had to hunch over and stretch out as far as I could with one hand underneath the hood to capture the image above. I used the tilt screen on the J5 to get approximate framing for the image. I then squared it up in post.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, ISO 1600, 1/200, f/8.0

Using the rear screen to switch between horizontal and vertical images has also been a very fast and simple transition for me.

NIKON 1 J5 + 10-100mm f/4-5.6 @ 100mm, ISO 800, 1/60, f/8.0

I really enjoy being able to get a small, light camera like the J5 into very cramped quarters to create still images. Using the rear tilt screen at unusual angles has helped to capture the exact framing I have in my mind.

If you’re like me you may be resisting even trying out a camera that doesn’t have a viewfinder. While I can’t predict whether you would enjoy shooting with a non-viewfinder camera, I can tell you that it is worth a try.

Technical Note:
All photographs in this article were captured hand-held using a Nikon 1 J5. The images were produced from RAW files using my standard process of DxO OpticsPro (versions 10 or 11), CS6, and Nik Suite.

Article and all images are Copyright 2016 Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication or adaptation of any kind is allowed without written consent. Photography Life is the only approved user of this article. If ou see this article reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use.

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My Self-Imposed 23mm Challenge with a Fuji X100T

My Self-Imposed 23mm Challenge with a Fuji X100T

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The past few months I have fallen victim to a creative slump, a rut, a lack of enthusiasm around my photography. Call it what you want, I felt uninspired. Although I love nature and bird photography, I found myself struggling to make time to get out and shoot. We live on the gulf coast of southern Mississippi. There is an abundance of wonderful birdlife, beautiful sunsets and unique cypress swamps full of wildlife begging to be photographed. When I did get out, I found I was not very motivated to download my images, let alone take the time to process them. I needed a change. What I really needed was a challenge. I decided to try something I had heard of, but have never tried before, in the hopes that it would relight my photographic passion.

We had a two week trip to France booked for the beginning of June. We were spending ten days in Provence and four days in Paris. Normally I would have lugged two DSLR’s and a camera bag stuffed full of lenses with me. But this trip was not a photography trip. This one was a vacation. We would be travelling with non-photographer friends and we were seeing the country for the first time.

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 250, 1/60, f/8.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/800, f/8.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 800, 25/10, f/16.0

The challenge I gave to myself was to create images that depicted the French Provencal countryside, life in Paris, and of course take some images of iconic French landmarks. The catch was I had to do this with one focal length for the entire trip, no cheating! In addition, I wanted to experiment with street photography. I have always admired photographers who could capture images of street life, but I have always been too nervous to give it a try.

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/1000, f/5.6

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 640, 1/125, f/8.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/420, f/8.0

I chose to take my small, lightweight, mirrorless Fujifilm X100T with its fixed 23mm f/2 lens (35mm full frame equivalent). Now I have to be honest, several weeks before we left I took possession of a brand new shiny Nikon D500, and I didn’t want it to feel left out. I always travel with a backup camera, so I gave myself permission to place my new toy in the bottom of my backpack, just in case something happened to my X100T!

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 250, 1/125, f/4.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/125, f/11.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 2000, 1/60, f/5.6

Now some of you might think I was crazy, and I admit I was more than a bit nervous about my choice. I knew that I probably wouldn’t get to visit France again, and with a 23 mm lens, I knew that many shots would be impossible. But I wanted to force myself to see things differently. Without the choice of several focal lengths, I would have to be creative with my framing. I would have to look for unusual angles to tell my story. Details of the gargoyles at the top of Notre Dame Cathedral were not going to happen. Would I regret not being able to get those shots? Well, I was ready to accept the challenge and take that risk!

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 1000, 1/125, f/2.8

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 800, 25/10, f/16.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/70, f/14.0

I must say that I felt very liberated in the airport. We had packed lightly since we would be travelling by plane, train and car and would probably have some walking to do with our suitcases. My husband and I had each packed one carry-on size bag with our clothes, which we checked. We also limited ourselves to one small backpack each to take on the plane. This was so different to how I normally travel, with a heavy camera bag and a second large purse with all the gear I couldn’t fit in my camera bag! I can’t tell you how nice it felt not to be carting 30 pounds of kit on my back!

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 3200, 1/25, f/5.6

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/110, f/16.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/75, f/8.0

I ended up using my X100T exclusively. Before we left for each day’s outings I would throw two extra charged batteries, a small wallet with extra SD cards and a GorillaPod into my pack. I carried my camera using a lightweight wrist strap. That was it! All my gear weighed in at a measly 1.5 pounds. That is less than my 24-70 mm lens alone! It took me a while to get used to the fact that I wasn’t missing some critical piece of kit! I didn’t even end up carrying the D500 with me! It stayed in the hotel safe everyday except one. When we visited Versailles, I decided to throw it in my pack. However, by this time I had grown accustomed to just carrying the tiny X100T on my wrist. It was way too much work to dig around the bottom of my backpack to pull out the “backup”. The D500 also more than doubled the weight of my pack! It went back into the safe the next day! I did not take one shot with it the entire trip.

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 6400, 1/8, f/5.6

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/3000, f/2.8

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/180, f/10.0

The first few days I struggled. Had I bitten off too big a challenge? I tend to shoot with longer focal lengths, so 23mm was very wide for me. Although this focal length worked well for landscapes, I was having trouble ignoring shots that required a longer focal length. In my minds eye I knew how I could capture these subjects with 50mm or 200mm, but I struggled with the 23mm focal length. I was too worried about what a great shot I “could have made” with a longer lens. This attitude was killing any creativity I had left. However, I soon realized that I didn’t need to take a photograph of everything. I learned to enjoy the scenery, and started to relax. After I realized this, I started to see differently. I found angles that I hadn’t thought about before. I was starting to have fun with my photography again. I was excited to try new things and was not feeling intimidated by my camera choice any more.

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 400, 1/60, f/14.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 3200, 1/25, f/4.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/80, f/14.0

Soon I was seeing in 23mm. I began to visualize more opportunities. Since I couldn’t frame as closely as I could with a longer zoom, I paid more attention to backgrounds and took more environmental type shots. I also became much more aware of my framing and perspective. I began to use my feet to zoom and tried angles I would not normally have tried with a larger camera or a longer focal length.

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 800, 1/125, f/8.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/125, f/8.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/300, f/5.0

Normally I capture my shots in raw. However, this time I decided to shoot both a raw file along with a jpg. I chose to shoot the jpg in black and white. This meant that the file displayed on the back of the camera was in black and white. I found this helped me concentrate on the tones in the image, without colour complicating things. It was amusing when I passed off my camera to someone else to take a shot of my husband and myself together. They would say something like “I don’t think your camera is working, the picture is in black and white!”

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/600, f/8.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 640, 1/125, f/8.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/160, f/7.1

All in all I think my self-imposed challenge was a success. Although I did miss some shots, I feel that overall my photography skills improved. And, I definitely feel re-charged creatively! Was it the fixed 23mm focal length, or the small mirrorless camera? I think it was a combination of both. The wide focal length made me see things differently and made me shoot outside my comfort zone. The small, quiet, inconspicuous camera allowed me to capture perspectives and subjects I wouldn’t have tried to capture otherwise. I also ended up with a collection of photos that are much more cohesive than if I had shot with several different focal lengths. I encourage any of you to try a similar challenge to elevate your photography to the next level. You will be amazed at how limitations can bring out your creativity. I would love to hear how you make out.

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 200, 1/70, f/8.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 250, 1/125, f/8.0

X100T @ 23mm, ISO 1000, 1/125, f/8.0

Just a couple of final notes: all of the images in this article were processed very lightly in Lightroom, with minor tweaks to contrast, highlights, shadows, blacks and whites. Most are full frame images; others have only minor cropping, mostly for levelling. And don’t worry; I’m not ready to sell all my DSLR gear quite yet! My D500 does have a place in my camera bag and is being used regularly now!

 

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