Sadly Leaving Nikon!

[Michael Erlewine]

If one needs reliable performance with a predictable outcome it's rarely wise to step into first or second gen technology.

The D1/D100 were a joke, the D2/D200 were Okish and the D3/D300/D700 were mind-blowing, even by todays standards.

The a7R was a joke, the a7RII is OKish and all signs give the impressions that the MkIII models will to be on par with their DSLR rivals.

The GFX is stretching of what is technically possible today, very cool if one can live with its limitations but too soon for those whom demand a predictable outcome...

My thoughts exactly. I have owned all of the above. I owned the A7R, the A7RII, the A7s, and all of the Nikon DSLRs (back to the D1x). The GFX weakness for me was their two lenses. If that is a sample of what is coming, not thanks. Not good enough and there are all kinds of MF lenses out there that IMO are not good enough. I sold all of my Mamiya lenses (eleven of them) for the same reason.

Either Sony or Nikon will come up with something I will buy.

[pluton]

I have used Panasonic G1, and it already offered most of the benefits of EVF despite its coarse image.  However, the strain imposed on my eye looking into the EVF was the major problem.  Looking into EVF is like staring  at a bright screen in a dark room.  No good for the eye.  This problem hasn't been solved on any of the most modern models.

I get more eyestrain and annoyance from using my Fuji XE-1 EVF in bright daylight....it's like looking in a dark finder from a poorly-designed 1940's consumer camera(Argus C3, anybody?).  I may be immunized against the flicker and pulsing of the EVF due to my experience operating broadcast television cameras.

[Akira]

I get more eyestrain and annoyance from using my Fuji XE-1 EVF in bright daylight....it's like looking in a dark finder from a poorly-designed 1940's consumer camera(Argus C3, anybody?).  I may be immunized against the flicker and pulsing of the EVF due to my experience operating broadcast television cameras.

The flicker or the pulsing doesn't matter to me due to the popular use of the fluorescent lights in Japan. 

But I also share the annoyance with (again, any) EVF in bright daylight.  I inserted a piece of three-stop ND gel cut to fit the eyepiece rubber to reduce the strain, so the annoyance described byKeith was even worse!

Another annoyance is that I cannot see the borders between the screen and the edges of the frame when the large dark area is on the edge(s) of the frame, which led the framing error.  Panasonic is the only manufacturer that has addressed the problem by displaying light-gray lines when the horizontal or the vertical borders of the selected proportion don't coincide with the mechanical borders of the EVF and LCD.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

The worst feature of EVFs is when they suddenly find out the brightness needs to be increased and blast you with a dose of strong light. In particular on the stupid systems that aim to switch automatically between the finder and the rear view panel. Horrible and takes away any night vision for a good while. Besides, the high intensity and contrast cause a lot of eye strain. Add to that the nausea caused by sluggish response when the camera is moved.

Some day, in a galaxy far far away, an engineer will discover that users of cameras are humans not robots, and redesign the finders to reflect that amazing fact. Well, hopes are for free.

[richardHaw]

never liked the EVF. very unnatural. some people like it, though.

[Jan Anne]

never liked the EVF. very unnatural. some people like it, though.

I fall in the last category and am kinda lost when borrowing a DSLR 

Things I miss in an OVF:
- Focus peaking with MF lenses
- The ability to zoom in with MF lenses for critical focus
- Live histogram
- The option to use a B&W viewfinder when shooting B&W images
- Image review thru the viewfinder on sunny days

Please beware that I mainly shoot static objects nowadays and frame by frame (so no blackout issues for me).

If I would do more action / animals I would probably get a DSLR again which is better suited for observing subjects (like tracking an animal for a few minutes) and the ability to nail the critical moment.

[Mike G]

As a user of an EVF for just over a year now, Fuji X-T1/2, I cannot recall seeing(no pun intended) any flickering, blackouts or a lag of the VF, and certainly have no eye strain because of an EVF.

I find it a bit odd that some who are using a mirrored camera are saying that mirrorles cameras blackout insinuating that mirrored cameras don't, really!

I agree with Jan Ann and his comments regarding EVFs!

I shall now decamp to my reinforced bunker and hunker down.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Each to his own, Mike. That is the beauty of an agnostic community. What I do is no obligation for anyone else, or vice versa.

[Akira]

I feel a bit guilty to have extended the EVF vs OVF argument. 

The eye-strain problem is highly dependent on the individual physical conditions, so it makes no sense to "argue" over it.  Also, the info on the merits and the demerits of EVF should be already pretty well shared among both mirrorless users and DSLR users.  So, again, it should make little sense to "argue" over the matter.

[richardHaw]

that's OK. this is a matter of personal taste 
I like exotic women, some don't

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Akira, complaints about eye-strain, fatigue, and even nausea, are quite common. It is not mistrust of the future that keeps a lot of users away from EVFs.

If one experiences these issues, there is no argument whether or not EVF is superior. These problems have to be solved by the designs themselves. Human eyesight cannot be expected to evolve that quickly and certainly not in the quick pace seen in technology.

[bjornthun]

I had the issue that the OVF gave me eye strain, due to difficulties with manual focus. Particularly in poor light the issues were exacerbated. So, for me the EVF solved all of this with focus peaking and a viewfinder magnifier. Eventually this lead me to sadly leave Nikon, as it was practically an AF only system for me.

As is obvious to everyone, I have no eye strain issue with the EVF, but instead with the OVF.

The Sony A7 came to the rescue, and I have not looked back. Not even today 3.5 years after Sony announced the A7, has Nikon introduced a mirrorless FX camera that would have let me used my Nikkors (since sold) with full functionality.

I had a detour to micro 43, nice weight saving, but full frame beats everything, so no big weight saving anymore, but for me a fully useable viewfinder.

Yes, I know some look down on Sony, but for me returned the fun to photography, and the lenses are just as good as the Nikkors I once had.

[stenrasmussen]

The improved refresh rate and the ability to turn off picture effect in the EVF of my X-T2 has greatly closed the gap towards an OVF. But I am now 80/20 in favour of the EVF. I still have a nit to pick with Fuji re. ergonomics in certain areas though.

[Ilkka Nissilä]

Although I do not like EVFs and feel quite strongly about this regarding my own use, I am all in favour of diverse viewfinder solutions that answer each individual's preferences and requirements to be available on the market, so that everyone can find what they need and focus on the photography. We should be happy about the options available today, and they're getting more diverse by the day. Sadly sometimes I see that people are unhappy that their preferred technology is not the only one available on the market, which is strange.

I use autofocus most of the time with OVF in my DSLRs for hand held use, and do not prefer manual focus for photographing people. For me the moment and human emotion are the main things to concentrate on in this type of photography. I think autofocus has allowed me to catch many situations where previously I would have been too slow to notice being occupied by the activity of focusing manually, and has helped greatly improve my photography. However, for tripod based work of landscapes etc. I almost always use manual focus and use both the OVF and the back LCD screen for focusing and adjusting tilt. I prefer both to be available in this situation.

[bjornthun]

The Nikon D800 made the limitations of the OVF very clear in my case, and the liveview was poor. That camera turned out to be my last DSLR. The D700 was nice and 12mp less taxing, but back then Nikon was still Nikon.

I use AF as well as MF, but prefer both to be available and useable, in case the autofocus isn't able to do its job properly.