In photography a viewfinder is what the photographer looks through to compose, and in many cases to focus, the picture. Photography [fәtɑgrәfi:],[foʊtɑgrәfi:] is the process of recording pictures by means of capturing light on a light-sensitive medium, such as a film or sensor. ...

Viewfinders are widely used in cameras of different types: still and movie, film, analog and digital. Large format camera lens. ...

Viewfinders can be optical and electronic. An optical viewfinder is simply a reversed telescope. It has many drawbacks, but one advantage: it consumes no power. An electronic viewfinder is a CRT, LCD or OLED based display device. In addition to its primary purpose, an electronic viewfinder can be used to replay previously captured material and usually has an on-screen display. This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Cathode ray tube employing electromagnetic focus and deflection Cutaway rendering of a color CRT: 1. ... Reflective twisted nematic liquid crystal display. ... A 3. ... On-screen display (OSD) is a way modern TVs, and devices connected to TVs (like VCRs and DVD players), can display information directly on the TV screen. ...

It is not uncommon for a camera to have two viewfinders. Here are two examples:

1. A digital still camera may have an optical viewfinder and an electronic one. The latter can be used to replay previously captured material, has an on-screen display, and can be switched off to save power. On-screen display (OSD) is a way modern TVs, and devices connected to TVs (like VCRs and DVD players), can display information directly on the TV screen. ...

2. A camcorder may have two viewfinders, both electronic. The first is viewed through a magnifying eyepiece. The second viewfinder is a mounted on the side of the camera and projected on a CRT or LCD-screen. Because it consumes more energy it is often possible to turn it off to save power. Sony DV Handycam A camcorder is a portable electronic device for recording video images and audio onto an internal storage device. ...

Some special purpose cameras do not have viewfinders at all. These are, for example, web cameras and video surveillance cameras. They use external monitors as their viewfinders. A Creative webcam A web camera (or webcam, real camera) is a real-time camera (usually, though not always, a video camera) whose images can be accessed using the World Wide Web, instant messaging, or a PC video calling application. ... Surveillance cameras. ... A computer display monitor, usually called simply a monitor, is a piece of electrical equipment which displays viewable images generated by a computer without producing a permanent record. ...

See also

• Electronic viewfinder
• waist-level finder