Trouble seeing LCD display in sunshine, any suggestions ?

Trouble seeing LCD display in sunshine, any suggestions ?

I am having considerable difficulty seeing the LCD displayon the back
of my Sony in bright sunshine. I am having to take multiple shots at
varying angles guessing that my subject is nicely framed or not cut
off, and still I wind up losing the shot I wanted to take because I
couldn't properly see what the display is showing. The viewfinder is
next to useless for me as well. I am wondering if anyone here has
experienced and solved a similar problem. I am thinking of perhaps
some kind of polarizing tape or film I can put over the LCD that will
help me see it better.

Re: Trouble seeing LCD display in sunshine, any suggestions ?

raamman@gmail . com wrote:

> I am having considerable difficulty seeing the LCD displayon the back
> of my Sony in bright sunshine. I am having to take multiple shots at
> varying angles guessing that my subject is nicely framed or not cut
> off, and still I wind up losing the shot I wanted to take because I
> couldn't properly see what the display is showing. The viewfinder is
> next to useless for me as well. I am wondering if anyone here has
> experienced and solved a similar problem. I am thinking of perhaps
> some kind of polarizing tape or film I can put over the LCD that will
> help me see it better.

An LCD image is already polarized.
I assume you're not wearing polarizing sunglasses!

--
Martin S.

Re: Trouble seeing LCD display in sunshine, any suggestions ?

On 2007-06-15, raamman@gmail . com <raamman@gmail . com > wrote:
> I am having considerable difficulty seeing the LCD displayon the back
> of my Sony in bright sunshine. I am having to take multiple shots at
> varying angles guessing that my subject is nicely framed or not cut
> off, and still I wind up losing the shot I wanted to take because I
> couldn't properly see what the display is showing. The viewfinder is
> next to useless for me as well. I am wondering if anyone here has
> experienced and solved a similar problem. I am thinking of perhaps
> some kind of polarizing tape or film I can put over the LCD that will
> help me see it better.

I have been known to improvise a sort of eye-level 'viewing hood' using a
cheap 2" slide viewer; remove the part that holds the slide (some models
have that part easily removable) and use the magnifier and rest of the
gadget to let you view the screen almost like a traditional view-finder,
with most of the glare from sunlight eliminated. Something along the same
lines but made of stiff cardboard and a small magnifying glass might be
neater; experiment :)) (My inspiration was the viewing hood of a
roll-film twin-lens reflex camera).

There are a few 'hoods' on the market, which claim to make the LCD screen
easier to use, but I'm not convinced by them and I haven't seen one with a
magnifier built in.

This problem is one that compact digicam makers need to address; it annoys
everyone I know who has ever tried to use such a camera in broad daylight.
An optical viewfinder should help, but on those few compacts so equipped
that I've tried, the optical viewfinder is very small and not very accurate
- and of course you still can't see any of the 'menus' or other
information on the LCD.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

Re: Trouble seeing LCD display in sunshine, any suggestions ?

On Jun 16, 5:43 am, Whiskers <catwhee...@operamail . com > wrote:
> On 2007-06-15, raam...@gmail . com <raam...@gmail . com > wrote:
>
> > I am having considerable difficulty seeing the LCD displayon the back
> > of my Sony in bright sunshine. I am having to take multiple shots at
> > varying angles guessing that my subject is nicely framed or not cut
> > off, and still I wind up losing the shot I wanted to take because I
> > couldn't properly see what the display is showing. The viewfinder is
> > next to useless for me as well. I am wondering if anyone here has
> > experienced and solved a similar problem. I am thinking of perhaps
> > some kind of polarizing tape or film I can put over the LCD that will
> > help me see it better.
>
> I have been known to improvise a sort of eye-level 'viewing hood' using a
> cheap 2" slide viewer; remove the part that holds the slide (some models
> have that part easily removable) and use the magnifier and rest of the
> gadget to let you view the screen almost like a traditional view-finder,
> with most of the glare from sunlight eliminated. Something along the same
> lines but made of stiff cardboard and a small magnifying glass might be
> neater; experiment :)) (My inspiration was the viewing hood of a
> roll-film twin-lens reflex camera).
>
> There are a few 'hoods' on the market, which claim to make the LCD screen
> easier to use, but I'm not convinced by them and I haven't seen one with a
> magnifier built in.
>
> This problem is one that compact digicam makers need to address; it annoys
> everyone I know who has ever tried to use such a camera in broad daylight.
> An optical viewfinder should help, but on those few compacts so equipped
> that I've tried, the optical viewfinder is very small and not very accurate
> - and of course you still can't see any of the 'menus' or other
> information on the LCD.
>
> --
> -- ^^^^^^^^^^
> -- Whiskers
> -- ~~~~~~~~~~

Thank you, I'll look for some hoods and if failing to find anything
suitable I'll improvise. Thanks again.

Re: Trouble seeing LCD display in sunshine, any suggestions ?

On 2007-06-16, raamman@gmail . com <raamman@gmail . com > wrote:
> On Jun 16, 5:43 am, Whiskers <catwheezel@operamail . com > wrote:
>> On 2007-06-15, raam...@gmail . com <raam...@gmail . com > wrote:

[...]

>> This problem is one that compact digicam makers need to address; it annoys
>> everyone I know who has ever tried to use such a camera in broad daylight.
>> An optical viewfinder should help, but on those few compacts so equipped
>> that I've tried, the optical viewfinder is very small and not very accurate
>> - and of course you still can't see any of the 'menus' or other
>> information on the LCD.
>
> Thank you, I'll look for some hoods and if failing to find anything
> suitable I'll improvise. Thanks again.

I've been doing some more web searching, and found this
< * w w w .eagleeyeuk . com />. The site is badly designed and difficult to
navigate, but if you click on 'Click here to enter the website' then on
'Products and ordering' and then on 'LCD sunshades', you find that they
are offering a range of products that are effectively up-market versions of
my 'slide viewer' bodge - and look a lot more useable. They aren't cheap,
but I'm tempted by 'Xtend-a-View Pro(tm) VARIABLE - LCD Sunshade & Viewer'
(part XVPRO) plus 'Xtend-a-Mount OMNI (tm) - Universal LCD Sunshade
Attachment System' (part XMomni) - if I can convince myself the expense is
justified! If your camera has a small LCD, the 'Xtend-a-View Pro(tm) MINI
- LCD Sunshade & Viewer' (part XVPROMINI) without the XMomni might be more
appropriate.

The actual dimensions of the various hoods are mentioned here
< * w w w .eagleeyeuk . com /Xtend-a-View_Compat_FAQ.htm>. The camera
compatibility lists look very out-of-date.

A cheaper approach to the same sort of magnifier hood is offered here
< * photodon.hostasaurus . com /v4f.htm> and would be more attractive if
it came in a size that matched my camera.

I found the link to Eagleeyeuk here
< * w w w .ptcuk . com /technical/tech_tips.htm> which looks worth a bit of
a read.

--
-- ^^^^^^^^^^
-- Whiskers
-- ~~~~~~~~~~

Re: Trouble seeing LCD display in sunshine, any suggestions ?

On Jun 17, 12:39 pm, Whiskers <catwhee...@operamail . com > wrote:
> On 2007-06-16, raam...@gmail . com <raam...@gmail . com > wrote:
>
> > On Jun 16, 5:43 am, Whiskers <catwhee...@operamail . com > wrote:
> >> On 2007-06-15, raam...@gmail . com <raam...@gmail . com > wrote:
>
> [...]
>
> >> This problem is one that compact digicam makers need to address; it annoys
> >> everyone I know who has ever tried to use such a camera in broad daylight.
> >> An optical viewfinder should help, but on those few compacts so equipped
> >> that I've tried, the optical viewfinder is very small and not very accurate
> >> - and of course you still can't see any of the 'menus' or other
> >> information on the LCD.
>
> > Thank you, I'll look for some hoods and if failing to find anything
> > suitable I'll improvise. Thanks again.
>
> I've been doing some more web searching, and found this
> < * w w w .eagleeyeuk . com />. The site is badly designed and difficult to
> navigate, but if you click on 'Click here to enter the website' then on
> 'Products and ordering' and then on 'LCD sunshades', you find that they
> are offering a range of products that are effectively up-market versions of
> my 'slide viewer' bodge - and look a lot more useable. They aren't cheap,
> but I'm tempted by 'Xtend-a-View Pro(tm) VARIABLE - LCD Sunshade & Viewer'
> (part XVPRO) plus 'Xtend-a-Mount OMNI (tm) - Universal LCD Sunshade
> Attachment System' (part XMomni) - if I can convince myself the expense is
> justified! If your camera has a small LCD, the 'Xtend-a-View Pro(tm) MINI
> - LCD Sunshade & Viewer' (part XVPROMINI) without the XMomni might be more
> appropriate.
>
> The actual dimensions of the various hoods are mentioned here
> < * w w w .eagleeyeuk . com /Xtend-a-View_Compat_FAQ.htm>. The camera
> compatibility lists look very out-of-date.
>
> A cheaper approach to the same sort of magnifier hood is offered here
> < * photodon.hostasaurus . com /v4f.htm> and would be more attractive if
> it came in a size that matched my camera.
>
> I found the link to Eagleeyeuk here
> < * w w w .ptcuk . com /technical/tech_tips.htm> which looks worth a bit of
> a read.
>
> --
> -- ^^^^^^^^^^
> -- Whiskers
> -- ~~~~~~~~~~

I like the hoodloupe, bit pricey but looks like the best solurtion for
me. thanxs

Re: Trouble seeing LCD display in sunshine, any suggestions ?

Whiskers <catwheezel@operamail . com > wrote:

> On 2007-06-15, raamman@gmail . com <raamman@gmail . com > wrote:
>> I am having considerable difficulty seeing the LCD displayon the back
>> of my Sony in bright sunshine. I am having to take multiple shots at
>> varying angles guessing that my subject is nicely framed or not cut
>> off, and still I wind up losing the shot I wanted to take because I
>> couldn't properly see what the display is showing. The viewfinder is
>> next to useless for me as well. I am wondering if anyone here has
>> experienced and solved a similar problem. I am thinking of perhaps
>> some kind of polarizing tape or film I can put over the LCD that will
>> help me see it better.
>
> I have been known to improvise a sort of eye-level 'viewing hood'
> using a cheap 2" slide viewer; remove the part that holds the slide
> (some models have that part easily removable) and use the magnifier
> and rest of the gadget to let you view the screen almost like a
> traditional view-finder, with most of the glare from sunlight
> eliminated. Something along the same lines but made of stiff
> cardboard and a small magnifying glass might be neater; experiment
> :)) (My inspiration was the viewing hood of a roll-film twin-lens
> reflex camera).
>
> There are a few 'hoods' on the market, which claim to make the LCD
> screen easier to use, but I'm not convinced by them and I haven't seen
> one with a magnifier built in.
>
> This problem is one that compact digicam makers need to address; it
> annoys everyone I know who has ever tried to use such a camera in
> broad daylight. An optical viewfinder should help, but on those few
> compacts so equipped that I've tried, the optical viewfinder is very
> small and not very accurate - and of course you still can't see any of
> the 'menus' or other information on the LCD.

My wife bought me an original Canon ZR camcorder 8 or 9 years ago. It
came with a clip-on hood with adjustable magnifying eyepiece to convert
the LCD screen into an optical viewfinder. Very useful it was too in
bright sunlight. Unfortunately the camera no longer works reliably, and
I recently bought a ZR700 at a fifth of the price ($400 vs $2000).

It would be nice if P&S camera manufacturers provided such a feature.

--
Martin S.

Re: Trouble seeing LCD display in sunshine, any suggestions ?

MartinS wrote:
> Whiskers <catwheezel@operamail . com > wrote:
>
>> On 2007-06-15, raamman@gmail . com <raamman@gmail . com > wrote:
>>> I am having considerable difficulty seeing the LCD displayon the back
>>> of my Sony in bright sunshine. I am having to take multiple shots at
>>> varying angles guessing that my subject is nicely framed or not cut
>>> off, and still I wind up losing the shot I wanted to take because I
>>> couldn't properly see what the display is showing. The viewfinder is
>>> next to useless for me as well. I am wondering if anyone here has
>>> experienced and solved a similar problem. I am thinking of perhaps
>>> some kind of polarizing tape or film I can put over the LCD that will
>>> help me see it better.
>> I have been known to improvise a sort of eye-level 'viewing hood'
>> using a cheap 2" slide viewer; remove the part that holds the slide
>> (some models have that part easily removable) and use the magnifier
>> and rest of the gadget to let you view the screen almost like a
>> traditional view-finder, with most of the glare from sunlight
>> eliminated. Something along the same lines but made of stiff
>> cardboard and a small magnifying glass might be neater; experiment
>> :)) (My inspiration was the viewing hood of a roll-film twin-lens
>> reflex camera).
>>
>> There are a few 'hoods' on the market, which claim to make the LCD
>> screen easier to use, but I'm not convinced by them and I haven't seen
>> one with a magnifier built in.
>>
>> This problem is one that compact digicam makers need to address; it
>> annoys everyone I know who has ever tried to use such a camera in
>> broad daylight. An optical viewfinder should help, but on those few
>> compacts so equipped that I've tried, the optical viewfinder is very
>> small and not very accurate - and of course you still can't see any of
>> the 'menus' or other information on the LCD.
>
> My wife bought me an original Canon ZR camcorder 8 or 9 years ago. It
> came with a clip-on hood with adjustable magnifying eyepiece to convert
> the LCD screen into an optical viewfinder. Very useful it was too in
> bright sunlight. Unfortunately the camera no longer works reliably, and
> I recently bought a ZR700 at a fifth of the price ($400 vs $2000).
>
> It would be nice if P&S camera manufacturers provided such a feature.
>


They could, but if they did the product wouldn't be cheap enough for
enough people to buy enough of them to make enough money on the first
10K production units. Considering the cheapness of a significant
portion of the P&S market, producing a better product doesn't translate
to making money. Hence, most P&S products are considered disposable by
the manufacturer, and the consumer will eventually agree when they see a
repair estimate for their broken LCD hood, rendering the product almost
as useless as it already is. IOW, it's a marketing snake that eats it's
own tail.

--
jer
email reply - I am not a 'ten'

Re: Trouble seeing LCD display in sunshine, any suggestions ?

* raamman@gmail . com wrote:
> I am having considerable difficulty seeing the LCD displayon the back
> of my Sony in bright sunshine. I am having to take multiple shots at
> varying angles guessing that my subject is nicely framed or not cut
> off, and still I wind up losing the shot I wanted to take because I
> couldn't properly see what the display is showing. The viewfinder is
> next to useless for me as well. I am wondering if anyone here has
> experienced and solved a similar problem. I am thinking of perhaps
> some kind of polarizing tape or film I can put over the LCD that will
> help me see it better.
>

You might want to look at these -- I haven't yet, but will next week.
Courtesy of PC World July 2007, page 140.

* w w w .delkin . com /products/popupshades/index.html

Miles

Re: Trouble seeing LCD display in sunshine, any suggestions ?

On Jun 17, 1:52 am, Miles <milesc...@REMOVEMEpacbell . net > wrote:
> * raam...@gmail . com wrote:
> > I am having considerable difficulty seeing the LCD displayon the back
> > of my Sony in bright sunshine. I am having to take multiple shots at
> > varying angles guessing that my subject is nicely framed or not cut
> > off, and still I wind up losing the shot I wanted to take because I
> > couldn't properly see what the display is showing. The viewfinder is
> > next to useless for me as well. I am wondering if anyone here has
> > experienced and solved a similar problem. I am thinking of perhaps
> > some kind of polarizing tape or film I can put over the LCD that will
> > help me see it better.
>
> You might want to look at these -- I haven't yet, but will next week.
> Courtesy of PC World July 2007, page 140.
>
> * w w w .delkin . com /products/popupshades/index.html
>
> Miles

That's really helpful. Thank you

Re: Trouble seeing LCD display in sunshine, any suggestions ?


raamman@gmail . com ;618877 Wrote:
> I am having considerable difficulty seeing the LCD displayon the back
> of my Sony in bright sunshine. I am having to take multiple shots at
> varying angles guessing that my subject is nicely framed or not cut
> off, and still I wind up losing the shot I wanted to take because I
> couldn't properly see what the display is showing. The viewfinder is
> next to useless for me as well. I am wondering if anyone here has
> experienced and solved a similar problem. I am thinking of perhaps
> some kind of polarizing tape or film I can put over the LCD that will
> help me see it better.

I may be a bit late entering this thread, but I have seen LCD Scrreen
Protectors on Ebay. They come from China although you can order through
an Irish seller. One was priced at about £6.50 inc. p. & p.




--
frodron