lack of viewfinder After having Canon PowerShot cameras, I'm ready for a Panasonic Lumix. My only concern is the lack of a view finder which I find essential when taking photographs on a bright, sunny day. Any thoughts ? Thanks. lack of viewfinder After having Canon PowerShot cameras, I'm ready for a Panasonic Lumix. My only concern is the lack of a view finder which I find essential when taking photographs on a... » Read More lack of viewfinder After having Canon PowerShot cameras, I'm ready for a Panasonic Lumix. My only concern is the lack of a view finder which I find essential when taking photographs on a bright, sunny day. Any thoughts ? Thanks. « Show Less
812738
Look at the Panasonic LUMIX DMC FZ35 18x which has a viewfinder. Note this is not a pocket sized camera. Looks like a DSLR but weights less than a pound. This is a quality camera, sharp images, most features of DSLR except small senor size. Amazon sells the camerq.
1746411
That is what I needed to hear! I have the Canon EOS 7D and love it, But...as you said by the time you carry around all the gear for "sight seeing", I'm exhausted. I too am looking for that mid level (super zoom) companion to go along with my Canon when called of. I was a little hesitant to go with a Panasonic but everything I have read about this camera has been positive.I have yet to actually find a store who has one on display, looks like I will have to order it blindly and pray!
15258
I agree...I'm searching for business use, and the PowerShots seem to fit my needs for everything other than not having a viewfinder! Most people at the office won't care, but I am the primary photographer here and get better pictures when I use a viewfinder. I personally own a Sony Cybershot with about the same megapixels and optical zoom, and it takes excellent pictures, but the memory card type and the cost of the camera don't fit my needs here at work. Have either of you found anything else comparable with a viewfinder? Part of what I need is good close-up shots, as well as overall quality good enough for a publication. I agree...I'm searching for business use, and the PowerShots seem to fit my needs for everything other than not having a viewfinder! Most people at the office won't care, but I am the primary photographer here and get better pictures when I use a viewfinder. I personally own a Sony Cybershot with about the same megapixels and optical zoom, and it takes excellent pictures, but the memory card type and the cost of the camera don't fit my needs here at work. Have either of you found anything else comparable with a viewfinder? Part of what I need is good close-up shots, as well as overall... » Read More I agree...I'm searching for business use, and the PowerShots seem to fit my needs for everything other than not having a viewfinder! Most people at the office won't care, but I am the primary photographer here and get better pictures when I use a viewfinder. I personally own a Sony Cybershot with about the same megapixels and optical zoom, and it takes excellent pictures, but the memory card type and the cost of the camera don't fit my needs here at work. Have either of you found anything else comparable with a viewfinder? Part of what I need is good close-up shots, as well as overall quality good enough for a publication. « Show Less
1576343
To me its acceptable now I have only taken pics in the daylight an they show up pretty good but you have to be pretty still when taking them ( tripod ) would help any more ?s feel free to ask
1097535
Unfortunately, viewfinders are almost non-existent in non-slr cameras, including this one. Great camera, but if you're nearsighted or the viewscreen is in bright light the image can be hard to see without glasses or a hood.
1849828
There is no view finder. The lens is a wide angle type and I've not had any issues with it not picking up a good field of view.
2273880
I do use the viewfinder a lot but don't know, I have a spare battery in my camera bag just in case. Sorry I can't be of help.
1082487
Thanks very much for the info., Les. I actually returned my camera when even Panasonic tech support couldn't fix the problem, but I later learned it was not a defective camera. I'll be buying it again in the near future as I think it's a great camera, and I'll be saving your message in an attempt to figure it all out. Also, too bad there's no flash button on the camera and that you have to go to the menu to fiddle with it. That's weird! (and too bad it doesn't pop up automatically, like my Sony) THANKS AGAIN! Jeffroar
994843
Yes, the P7100 has a viewfinder, but when I say viewfinder, its basically a viewing area of our shot only, no display of settings etc. It does work for me when i want o look through it to set the composition of my shot.
2262126
All of Olympus' viewfinders work. I have the vf2. The vf1 is not much of a viewfinder as it is only for one lens and is optical, unable to adjust to different lenses. The others are electronic and show the same as the screen. Given the choice and considering what I have already spent, I would probably choose to spend the extra money for the Panasonic GX7, which has a built in viewfinder and flash and has integrated wifi while retaining the hot shoe, but I still love the pm2.
909791
I does have a viewfinder, it's small but useful for situations you describe. The LCD screen is very good also, about 1 million pixels vs 250 to 400 thousand for most point & Shoot cameras. The shutter to picture time (or Delay) is excellent, with a good UHS Class1 card, it's as quick as you can get w/o going to a full size DSLR.
560320
No, not on this model. But, my wife has an older model that does have a viewfinder,but she only uses it on bright, sunny days when it difficult to see the picture.
152152
Hey Julie- I too had this same question so I went out and purchased the Lumix DMC-TZ5. I found the camera to be very good in the zoom department and video was nice as well. The reason I returned this camera was because of the picture quality. Panasonic seems to me, to have yellow pictures. Even though there is IS, I still had many shots that turned out to be blurry. I owned a Pansasonic in the past and had the same issues on that camera. I now own the Olympus Stylus 1010 for about 2 weeks. I had a mid-size camera for years and loved it but wanted a pocket size camera that would do justice. I am very picky and have bought and returned 4 different point and shoot cameras. The Olympus 1010 is the first camera that I have fell in love with. Very fast, very small, and the image quality is awesome! I have a very difficult shooting base but this camera far exceeds any other camera I have purchased or spent many hours playing with. I am so very satisfied with my purchase and Olympus really has come through with this camera. Hope this helps!
716709
Yes, the camera does shoot in the Raw mode and the RAW and jpeg mode as well, it makes a very sweet file. As for the viewfinder, there is not optical viewfinder made by Panasonic, there is a HD electronic View finder, the LVF-2 and I have one and it works well enough for critical framing and is a vast improvement over the external viewfinder that was used with the GF-1.
263012
I agree that a viewfinder is a definite plus. But in my experience, the need for one varies with the camera's LCD properties. I have a 2006 version of a Sony 10X and the LCD is near worthless under bright sunny conditions. On the other hand, I've never missed one on my 5x Panasonic Lumix DMC FX500. Trials with my new 12x Panasonic ... ZS3 suggest that its LCD will be sufficient, too. By the way, the ZS3 has several options for setting the LCD that can help preserve battery life.
263009
I wondered if there were better LCDs out there for outside photos than on my last two cameras (Fujis). Anyway, I am gravitating toward a slightly larger camera with a nice optical zoom. On the high end, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35, and on the low end the Fuji S1500. These cameras tend to have viewfinders, but I need to do a lot more research before I make a final decision.
482190
Yes, indeed, it does have a viewfinder. That is exactly why I bought this camera. Most digital cameras today use a LCD screen and have no viewfinder. In bright daylight, LCD screens are hard to when and impossible if you are looking toward the sky like photographing birds, airplanes, etc. This camera has a button that activates the viewfinder and shuts down the LCD screen. It works quite well.