DSLR to Mirrorless viewfinder, comfortable transition?

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Contrary to the other opinions here, I do find the switch to EVF takes some getting used to. As someone who has used SLR primarily (D850 last few years), here is my experience. One overall note I will make is that I find SLR viewfinders easier to use in bright sunlight but EVF as good or better in soft light and low light.

First EVF try: a brief test of Canon R5 on two different occasions. Viewfinder is awful to the point of being unuseable for me. (Too contrasty and electronic looking).

Second EVF: Sony A74 (owned for over a year now) and A7R5 (rented three days). Better than Canon and useable, though not as comfortable in bright sunlight. Over time I have gotten more comfortable with it.

Third EVF: Nikon Z7ii (rented for three days). Best EVF I have used. Very bright and SLR-like and reportedly the Z8/Z9 are even better. Only issue was lag at startup from sleep which makes Z7ii problematic for wildlife, but Z8/Z9 do not have this issue I believe.

One interesting observation is that EVF resolution seems to make little real world difference to me. The A7R5 I rented has three times the resolution of my A74 (9 million dots vs 3 million), yet they look almost identical. The Nikon Z7ii and Canon R5 and Sony A74 are all in the same range (I think 3 million dots, though I have not double checked to confirm this), yet their screens are very different, with the Nikon clearly superior and the Sony average and the Canon subpar.

This is my personal experience which seems to go against the dominant viewpoint on this thread. If you are considering a Nikon Z8/Z9 I think it's a non-issue, but for Sony and especially Canon I would recommend renting or trying one before you buy.

I have been using a combo of Sony (with 200-600) and Nikon D850 (with various zooms) for last year and a half, but my Nikon gear is all at KEH as I type this (I expect a confirmation of the bid price next week). Though I love Sony's lens lineup and am already partway in their system, I am considering going Nikon Z8 based partly on my experience with the Nikon viewfinder (but also based partly on the ergonomics of the Z8).
 
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Oldnintheway said:
I'm currenetly shooting with a D500, and considering going mirrorless with the Z8. I shoot almost exclusively wildlife, mostly Orcas these days. In discussing the transition with fellow whale chaser that has been shooting a Z9 for some time, she said the viewfiner took some getting used to and really put her off at first. She went to a Z9 from a D850. When I'm shooting a whale encounter I'm living through my viewfinder. It's exciting, with lots of action, and I'm wondering what, if anything, I'll be missing with the mirrorless viewfinder. I'd love to hear your experiences. TIA
Click to expand...
I love my D500 for wildlife. Just picked up
the Z8 - amazing. The EVF is fantastic. Use the high refresh rate (d19). No problems with it all . Setting up using Steve’s guide is worth every penny.
 
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MrFotoFool said:
Contrary to the other opinions here, I do find the switch to EVF takes some getting used to. As someone who has used SLR primarily (D850 last few years), here is my experience. One overall note I will make is that I find SLR viewfinders easier to use in bright sunlight but EVF as good or better in soft light and low light.

First EVF try: a brief test of Canon R5 on two different occasions. Viewfinder is awful to the point of being unuseable for me. (Too contrasty and electronic looking).

Second EVF: Sony A74 (owned for over a year now) and A7R5 (rented three days). Better than Canon and useable, though not as comfortable in bright sunlight. Over time I have gotten more comfortable with it.

Third EVF: Nikon Z7ii (rented for three days). Best EVF I have used. Very bright and SLR-like and reportedly the Z8/Z9 are even better. Only issue was lag at startup from sleep which makes Z7ii problematic for wildlife, but Z8/Z9 do not have this issue I believe.

One interesting observation is that EVF resolution seems to make little real world difference to me. The A7R5 I rented has three times the resolution of my A74 (9 million dots vs 3 million), yet they look almost identical. The Nikon Z7ii and Canon R5 and Sony A74 are all in the same range (I think 3 million dots, though I have not double checked to confirm this), yet their screens are very different, with the Nikon clearly superior and the Sony average and the Canon subpar.

This is my personal experience which seems to go against the dominant viewpoint on this thread. If you are considering a Nikon Z8/Z9 I think it's a non-issue, but for Sony and especially Canon I would recommend renting or trying one before you buy.

I have been using a combo of Sony (with 200-600) and Nikon D850 (with various zooms) for last year and a half, but my Nikon gear is all at KEH as I type this (I expect a confirmation of the bid price next week). Though I love Sony's lens lineup and am already partway in their system, I am considering going Nikon Z8 based partly on my experience with the Nikon viewfinder (but also based partly on the ergonomics of the Z8).
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I think that this is a good, nuanced and knowledgeable discussion of evf's. After shooting with modern mirrorless for a while, one tends to forget about the subtleties of the learning curve. That said, I think that the evf of the Z8 will be the easiest part of the transition.

Shooting orcas is demanding, particularly since it is unpredictable as to exactly when they will surface. The Z8 will need to be set up for quick response. Setting up the focus system to suit the needs of this situation will probably take practice and real-world experience with the Z8, so I would be taking the D-850 along for backup, at least for the first trip or so.

The Z8's Precapture mode seems ideal for Orcas ( and alone might justify the transition), but is Jpeg only, so you will need to get Picture Controls for processing in-camera Jpegs set to your taste and this can take some experimentation.

The Z8/9 were born and bred for action...You won't be disappointed.
 
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Not long after the Z6 and Z7 were released, I was part of a discussion about what people liked best about Nikon mirrorless. For about 2/3 of the participants, the single best feature was the EVF. And the Z8/Z9 EVF is much better.

The EVF allows you to accurately judge your exposure and changes in your exposure without chimping. You can see the image before pressing the shutter release.

The EVF also allows most changes in settings to be handled through the EVF without taking your eye from the camera. I almost never look at the rear LCD - just the EVF most of the time.

You can program Fn buttons to put new features at your fingertips. I photograph a lot of small birds in obstructed environments. Since the start, I have programmed my Fn1 button to Zoom to 100%. I use it instead of binoculars to lead bird walks, identify birds, and watch for head position or action before making the shot. I can press the shutter any time I want and make a photo. And I can use the same button on playback in a similar manner.

As someone who wears glasses, with the EVF I am no longer taking glasses on and off to view subject matter or the LCD.

There are obviously going to be differences and issues. But when you fully commit to using the camera as designed, the EVF is a head up display with a lot more functionality than a typical optical viewfinder.
 
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The older mirrorless cameras had a EVF that would increase greatly in brightness when I was shooting with the sun to my back and brought the camera up to my eye. It was a bit of a hinderance as compared to my DSLR cameras. This is quite different with the Z9 camera.

With a DSLR (D850 or D5) in a dark situation I would need to chimp and adjust my exposure to get it right. With the Z9 I have no need to do this and can see the changes with different EV settings or exposure modes or lenses. The shorter the focal length of the lens the more the camera's exposure determination is off for the central subject and great to anticipate this before tripping the shutter.
 
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A mirrorless viewfinder is different to an optical viewfinder but then, so is a TV screen compared to being outdoors in the real world.

If you can use the rear monitor on your D500 then you should get used to a modern electronic viewfinder within a few minutes.
 
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EricBowles said:
Not long after the Z6 and Z7 were released, I was part of a discussion about what people liked best about Nikon mirrorless. For about 2/3 of the participants, the single best feature was the EVF. And the Z8/Z9 EVF is much better.

The EVF allows you to accurately judge your exposure and changes in your exposure without chimping. You can see the image before pressing the shutter release.

The EVF also allows most changes in settings to be handled through the EVF without taking your eye from the camera. I almost never look at the rear LCD - just the EVF most of the time.

You can program Fn buttons to put new features at your fingertips. I photograph a lot of small birds in obstructed environments. Since the start, I have programmed my Fn1 button to Zoom to 100%. I use it instead of binoculars to lead bird walks, identify birds, and watch for head position or action before making the shot. I can press the shutter any time I want and make a photo. And I can use the same button on playback in a similar manner.

As someone who wears glasses, with the EVF I am no longer taking glasses on and off to view subject matter or the LCD.

There are obviously going to be differences and issues. But when you fully commit to using the camera as designed, the EVF is a head up display with a lot more functionality than a typical optical viewfinder.
Click to expand...
^This
I loved my D850 and was curious how I'd like mirrorless when I got the Z9. With the VF set to 'display effects of settings" along with a histogram I'm spoiled and would not want to go back to any DSLR. I have my Z8 and Z9 set to 'Prioritize VF' so the monitor panel behaves like a DSLR. In short, I really liked my D850 but found I adpated to these new mirrorless 'features' so well I would not think of going back to DSLR's.
 
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