Why is live picture view becoming such a big deal?

[greghalliday]

brmill26 said

"You were; I was writing to the post I quoted, not your original question. I agree in large part with you."

Sorry about the misread Mate. Thanks all for the responses.
Greg

[Methodical]

Well I am one who has transition from the P&S to the DSLR (50D) and I, so far, love the viewfinder on the DSLR and the lack of shutter lag. I experimented with the Live View last night and its definitely different that the P&S version. The autofocus takes a while which was strange to me, plus you have to press the autofocus button to focus as oppose to half pressing the shutter button on the P&S. Also, I noticed that it seems limited to still objects - at least on the 50D - (but remember I am new to this though so it could've been me). So I can see the advantage of using it in the studio for still pics. I can see me using it to snap some pics of the family at home (still) and when taking pics at ground level and over head shots in crowds. But I can say that I will use the viewfinder more than the Live View. However, as my Father always said:

"Better to have and not need than to need and not have"

So in my very limited experience with DSLR, it seems to have its place.

Just One Man's Opinion

[drg]

I'm wondering about that. Video while shooting stills would make a great tool for teaching.

Think also about shooting stills while making video. The frame rate of the sensor are certainly high enough already that if the storage and fast enough processing is available you can shoot 24+ fps now.

Live view makes tracking easier as well in unusual shooting circumstances as Sebastian mentions. Video cameras (Pro models and otherwise) have long had variable angle viewing screens, whether Canon's flip n' fold or some other.

As a potential marketing transition tool, Live View is not surprising for camera manufacturers to lead many buyers and a large market segment towards EVF.

Fewer mechanical parts (i.e. no moving mirror) means less failures will elevate customer satisfaction. Cheaper construction means higher profit and more models and the list continues.

Combining the best features of video and still photography is going to be the future of most if not all consumer driven photography. Kids, sporting events, vacations/travel all are markets now for both still and motion recording. Live view just enhances the integration of these segments in one of the next few generations of cameras.

[JETA]

Hmmmmm, I may now quit scoffing at the live view on my camera and try it out again. Some good points for uses I never thought of.

Thanks for starting a great thread Greg.