Your camera’s viewfinder is a vital link in good picture-making:
• It shows exactly how much of the scene is visible in the shot – to ensure that no unwanted subjects (e.g. the microphone, or bystanders) are accidentally included within the picture.
• It enables you to arrange the shot accurately within the frame, composing the picture for maximum impact.
• It shows you exactly how much of the shot is sharply focused.
• It helps you to judge exposure and picture quality as you shoot.
• It can help when matching shots to other cameras; e.g. by showing their outputs combined with your own picture.
• Particularly when working in the field, it can be useful to monitor videotape playback of the scene you have just recorded.
Get Video Camera Techniques, 2nd Edition now with the O’Reilly learning platform.
O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.
