Panasonic's External Live View Finder mounts to the hot shoe of DMC-GF1, GF2, and LX5 digital cameras and provides a full-time live view function with a magnification of 1.04x (0.52x in 35mm equivalent) and 100% field of view regardless of what lens is used. Because it displays the same information as the GF1's LCD, it is effectively used in situations where the LCD is difficult to see, such as under bright sunlight. The LVF is also handy for low-angle shots because it can be tilted vertically from 0 to 90 degrees.
The full-time live view lets you see in the LCD how adjusting the exposure, white balance, aperture and even the shutter speed will affect the shot. This makes it easier to capture a special shot or particular kind of image without shooting again and again.