Optical & Electronic Viewfinders

What is a Camera Viewfinder?

A viewfinder is the part of the camera you look through to frame and compose your photo. Most mirrorless and DSLR cameras have an electronic or optical viewfinder built in but viewfinders can also be purchased separately and attached usually on the hot-shoe mount. With an electronic viewfinder (EVF), you can see exactly what your sensor sees where as an optical viewfinder uses a series of mirrors to show you what the lens sees. Camera viewfinders are used across the board. Viewfinders usually also have a set magnification number. Looking through the viewfinder ultimately helps you stabilize the camera better as when you're using it, you will traditionally have the camera braced against your body.