We haven't seen a lot of cost reduction so far from using EVFs. Take for
example two roughly equivalent cameras an EVF Olympus OM-D EM-1 at 16mp
and the K-5II. The cameras spec sheets are very similar, weather sealed,
Magnesium alloy bodies, With really about equal IQ, both have weather
sealing available battery grips, The Oly has arguably one of the best
EVFs on a m43 camera, the Pentax one of the best OVFs on an APS-C DSLR.
MSRP at introduction for each was within $100.00 of other.
Now admittedly when you look at FF cameras, the Sony A7 twins sell for
considerably less than the Nikon D800 and D610 but based on some of the
reviews I've read, I think that Sony may have cut some corners in the
imaging train to achieve those numbers, but where you can see roughly
equivalent cameras one with an EVF and one with an OVF that have roughly
the same build quality and image quality, they seem to sell for roughly
the same price, and I expect they have roughly the same profit margin
per unit.
There are distinct advantages to both types of viewfinders, which I
don't think I have to go into, you can prefer the advantages of either
or use both or hate both and use Leica, if you can afford it.
No matter what the advantages or disadvantages of EVFs may be, they will
not replace OVFs until the manufacturing complexity and cost of a good
EVF is significantly lower than a good Pentaprism OVF and based on
pricing, which is the only real data I have, I think that using an EVF
just replaces one source of cost and type of manufacturing complexity
with another.
The thought that EVFs have to be better, or even equal to OVFs as a user
experience, to replace them isn't really an issue. I don't like EVFs all
that much, but I've looked through the OM-D EM-1 viewfinder, as far as
viewfinder quality is concerned, that EVF is "good enough" now, for most
applications.
As I said I don't like 'em, but if EVFs offered a big enough
manufacturing advantage Pentaprism viewfinders would be gone tomorrow.
On 1/28/2014 7:16 PM, Mark Roberts wrote:
Bob W wrote:
And I'm really not interested in an EVF, however hard they push it.
Same for me. For now.
But I expect EVF's will eventually get as good as optical viewfinders
and will replace them – the elimination of the moving mirror, prism,
etc. will make the cost reduction irresistible (though I'm skeptical
of their effect on battery life).
Now that I think about it I realize I got it backwards: EVF's will
replace optical viewfinders and *then* they'll (eventually) get as
good as optical viewfinders. I hope they'll get "good enough" before
then. This new Fuji could be the tipping point.
--
A newspaper is a device for making the ignorant more ignorant, and the crazy,
crazier.
- H.L.Mencken
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