The Textbook of Digital Photography - PhotoCourse

For more on digitAl photogrAphy, visit http://www.shortCourses.Com 23

http://www.photocourse.com/itext/parallax/

Composing imAges

http://www.photocourse.com/itext/SLR/

• Close-ups. When taking close-ups, the monitor is a great way to compose
  and focus the image since it shows the scene exactly the way it will be in the
  image you’ll capture. An optical viewfinder doesn’t show the same view be-
  cause it is offset from the lens.


• Odd angles. When photographing over a crowd, at ground level, or around
  a corner, a camera with a tilting and swiveling monitor lets you compose the
  image without holding the camera up to your eye.
  When considering a monitor, here are some things to keep in mind:


• The monitor gets its image directly from the image sensor so it shows the
  view seen through the lens (TTL). Most show the entire image.


• The monitor often gives you a preview of how light or dark the captured will
  be. This lets you use the flash or adjust the exposure to make it the way you
  want it.


• Tilt and swivel (vari-angle) monitors let you shoot from different angles.


• Screen size and resolution are important not only to evaluate images but to
  share them with others.


• A wide viewing angle lets a small group see the photos together.


• A transparent cover keeps the monitor from being scratched. They are
  cheap and easy to replace.


• You can connect some cameras to a TV when taking photos so everything is
  displayed on a much larger screen.


• A glare-proof surface and brightness adjustment help you read menus and
  see images in bright sunlight where many monitors just become mirrors.

ViewFinderS

Viewfinders are ideal for following fast action as it unfolds—waiting for the

decisive moment. One of the advantages of some, but not all, of them is

that they don’t draw battery power so your batteries last longer. Also, most

viewfinders are coupled to the zoom lens and show the same area that will be

captured in the photo. There are three kinds of viewfinders and most photog-

raphers would consider the rangefinder viewfinder the best, followed by the

type used in SLRs.

• Viewfinders on digital SLR cameras show the scene through the lens
  (TTL). A mirror bounces light coming through the lens into a prism that
  directs it out of the viewfinder. When you take a picture, the mirror swings up
  and the shutter opens to let light hit the image sensor and create the image.
  These are true “what you see is what you get” viewfinders because you see
  exactly what the lens sees. Some cameras have interchangeable focus screens
  so you can adapt the camera for your preferences. For example, if you do ar-
  chitectural or product photography you may want grid lines in the viewfinder
  so it’s easier to keep things aligned. Some cameras let you add the grid lines
  digitally by changing a camera setting.


• Optical viewfinders on point-and-shoot and rangefinder cameras
  show the scene through a separate window that is slightly offset from the
  view seen by the lens. The offset view isn’t a problem except in close-up pho-
  tography where parallax causes you to see a view that is slightly offset from
  the one the lens sees, so a subject centered in the viewfinder won’t be cen-
  tered in the image. Rangefinder viewfinders such as those on the Leica, have
  a bright window with lines framing the area of the scene that will be captured

Because an optical

viewfinder is offset from

the lens, what you see

through the viewfinder

(top) is different from

the image you actually

capture (bottom).

A common monitor icon.

Click to see the light

The light Path Through an slr

Click to explore how

parallax affects your

view of a subject.

SLR viewfinders display

focus areas and camera

settings.