digital cameras

has anyone solved the problem of not being able to see the screen on a camera or a cell phone on a sunny day ?

Yup - take the picture
and see how it looks when you get home. Works most of the time.

Camera Glare
I almost bought a digital camera that only had a digital screen. I was lucky and read some reviews online before I purchased it. The reviewers complained about the lack of a viewfinder when there was glare on the screen from the sun.



So my advice, is don’t buy a digital camera without a viewfinder. You can’t rely on the digital screen. Glare has no affect on the viewfinder.

I can see the screen
just not the image. Generally get a reflection, like I’m looking in the mirror.



One of those old fashioned camera drapes would work great, but wouldn’t be very convenient to use. A small hood might help as well.



Unfortunately there is no compact digital that is high quality, waterproof, and cheap. You can get any two though.



jim

Viewfinder cameras
It’s the big dilemma with waterproof cameras and even dry consumer based cameras. I agree, even for land based cameras, I really want a viewfinder. It must be cheaper for manufacturers to make them with the screen, but for me, I want to look at what I’m shooting through the viewfinder. Not many left with a viewfinder until you get into more expensive cameras.

Canon . . .
. . . P&S generally have an optical veiw finder. The is talk that they are coming out with a waterproof camera. Wonder it it will have an optical viewfinder.


Cannon’s Powershot D10 WP coming out
next month but no viewfinder either, fatter than others, and prelim reviews dont seem that special. Still apparent low light problems. Software and bling changes but no apparent utility improvements for us. Sad. R

try wal-mart …
hi look in the camera section of a Wal-Mart for a 3 -sided “pop-up” sun screen for Digital camera’s. they only came in 2 sizes . so make sure you measure your screen diagonally and across width & height b4 you go. or bring the camera with you. they were about $10 for one. or do a goggle search for digital camera LCD shades

this device just folds out and then collapses with 1 side of the cover serving as a cover for the screen, thus protecting it from scratches.

http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=4948188

Practice…

– Last Updated: Apr-28-09 10:44 AM EST –

I have a Vivitar Vivicam 6200w that only has a viewscreen.

(BTW they are selling them very inexpensively right now as a discontinued model... I think it is a steal for the price they have at this site:
http://www.fadfusion.com/selection.php?product_item_number=20100801649 )

I often have the glare problem - why spend $10 on a "pop up shade" when you can accomplish the same task with your off hand?

More practice with the camera will give you a more intuitive feel for how it aims. After a year and a half of using the camera almost every outing, I'm getting pretty good at point and click when I'm not able to see the screen. Most shots are framed fine. Might not win any Pulitzer Prizes, but it is acceptable photography.

The glare on screen is not a constant problem anyway. Just relax and click. Take two, three or more pictures at a time if you are unsure about the composition.

Practice makes (almost) perfect.

Point and shoot
a lot. I had a dog I was pet sitting that made it impossible to get a planned shot because she ran up and licked my face every time I crouched to shoot her. (the business’s owner likes shots for their web site). I finally just held the camera down with one hand and vaguely pointed it her way at the end of the leash, clicked off a few.

I got a really cute photo out of that, just had to run it thru Photoshop to get it so she wasn’t standing downhill.

Wear a baseball cap

– Last Updated: Apr-28-09 4:31 PM EST –

and pull it down low when you're shooting. Acts like a shade. Oddly enough when shooting on big boy cameras at network television events, the external viewfinder shades were often inadequate, especially on a platform above a racetrack. The 6-8" viewfinders sit right on top of the camera, and when the sun got behind us it was a nightmare. I learned from an old timer how to make nice viewfinder shades out of cardboard left behind by the catering folks. It's kind of funny seeing a quarter of a million dollars worth of camera/lens/tripod with a cardboard surround and duct tape holding it together. Looked "ghetto" but worked great. Some were bordering on artistic. Somebody came up with fancy velcro and black contraptions and tried to sell them to us, but the ritual of sitting in the compound after lunch and "cutting the cardboard" became a great bonding experience for the senior camera guys on a show. People used to watch us and think we were nuts. The operations manager loved it because we saved him buying the aforementioned contraptions, and cleared out half his cardboard garbage. I'm sure if you go to B&H's web site you can find something "official", but the hat and cardboard tricks worked for us just fine.

well i dont know
Ive actually never used those screens and still prefer to actually look thru a viewfinder, the quality of the pics seem better and more accurate.

I think they make non-glare screens now.



Anyone have the New Nikon line esp. the HD video SLR camera??? WOndering what you all think?

I’m with you p-to the sea…
I’d never buy a camera without a viewfinder.

And while I’m kvetching…never buy a video camera without a manual focus adjustment. Menu-driven “manual” focus control has to be the stupidest invention ever included in a camera.

sunny days and digital
i have a client that uses digital and does prof. photography…i asked her this very question. she uses a dark sheet and drops it over her head and a portion of the camera. she said it looks funny but has a lot of success doing this. even in a boat.