Hold the camera at arm’s length so it is easy to see.



This is the third in a series on the biggest myths in photography.


Number 8...

"Hold the camera at arm’s length so it is easy to see."

I am not sure where this came from, but for some reason or another people, decided that they could see the image better on a little screen than could looking through a viewfinder. Camera manufactures quickly saw that they could save some money by eliminating viewfinders all together on lower priced camera. Today we find ourselves back to the same place where we were 100 years ago with the need to throw a dark cloth over the back of the camera to see the image for framing.

LCD screens are very difficult to see in bright light and often impossible to see on a sunny day with sunglasses.

Since the beginning of photography, photographers have known that holding the camera steady is the secret to sharp pictures. Without the ability to brace the camera against your face, holding the camera steady becomes very difficult.

People often ask me questions about what camera to buy. The first thing I always tell them is to get a camera with a viewfinder. Ideally it would be a DSLR (digital single lens reflex) but an electronic viewfinder is a good second choice. Even a simple optical “window” viewfinder is an improvement over an LCD screen. The LCD screens on the back of the camera are wonderful for reviewing your photos or for some unusual situations, but 99% of the time you should push the camera up to your face to steady it, and to be able to see exactly what you are getting in all kinds of light situations.
The proper way to hold a camera is illustrated above.

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