question for EVF users

I have used one for very little time , but I find the same using the Nex 5n

Do you think using the EVF yo tend to adjust the exposure to what you are seeing , I mean , you don't take much care of the "numbers " and this can be tricky .

Just wondering , not saying its a problem .

Yes I quite often twiddle t'knobs without reading them off to get the image in the EVF right! :)

I always shoot in manual mode, so I pick my aperture and shutter speed beforehand with regard to circumstance and conditions, etc. Once these are set, I just set exposure compensation according to lighting conditions. The following examples are just a rule of thumb guide that I use when shooting:

Lighting Condition                                           Exposure Compensation
Very bright high sun day, no cloud.                 -2
Very bright but overcast or low sun.               -1.5
Average brightness normal overcast.              -1
Dull or darkish overcast or
bright indoors.                                           -0.5
Indoors average lighting.                               0

These are just rough examples and will vary by some degrees either way depending on the exact light at the time of shooting. Most of the shots taken will be deliberately under exposed just so that the detail in the higher or lighter tones can be captured or at least not lost and the detail in the darker tones can all be brought out in Post Processing.

Edited by whiteheat - 12 November 2012 at 02:35

With my A77, I normally check exposure visually with the EVF(as I had been used to with my Minolta 7Hi and Dimage A2, but not with may A700).

Under very bright conditions, I do ignore the EVF, because it shows a too dark image. In these cases I do rely onto the camera's automatic exposure.
Shooting raw, it is normally no problem to do some later adjustments i f necessary.

Overall, I do prefer the EVF over the OVF especially because of this point (exposure control). I do not need to see all details etc. of the motiv in the viewfinder, I want to control exposure, WB and histogram before shooting.

i use the EVF with my NEX 7 and nowadays the a99 quite a bit - by looking at the histogram that is. the brightness of the EVF is set to "auto" in both cases which means that when shooting in dim light it shows the image lighter then what really is recorded.

that is no problem at all, because you see more then you would see when it was more lifelike, but you may be tricked to alter the exposure settings, which will render the images too dark. by watching the histogram you can avoid that.

in very bright lighting the EVF will not be able to show detail in both the shadows and the highlights. that may be annoying at first, but the sensor is far more capable in recording detail ten the EVF can show - just keep the histogram from clipping and you will be ok. the EVF of the a99 seems less vulnerable to clipping though then the EVF on the NEX 7.

Since I've been using setting preview and live histogram, I didn't get one overexposed shot. Set exposure the way you want in the EVF, check shutter speed, check histogram, press the shutter. It is that simple.

Only if you could use the spirit level and histogram together...

You can use the histogram and level together on the Quicknavi screen on the a99, which is something but not quite what you're angling for.