Photography

Clearviewer

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Camera screen magnifier

More and more cameras, especially compact ones, have no viewfinder other than the LCD screen on the back. I find using the LCD as a viewfinder to be ergonomically awkward. Additionally, in bright light it is nearly unusable. There are other workarounds. Some cameras offer an external electronic viewfinder (EVF) that fits in the hot shoe. These tend to be expensive, and an additional electronic gizmo that could potentially break. There are also add on hoods to shade the screen from glare, but these do nothing for shooting awkwardness.

Enter the ClearViewer. This little device attaches to either the tripod mount or hot shoe of the camera and holds a high diopter lens about 2 inches from the LCD screen. You hold the camera so that your eye is right up on that lens, much like you would hold a camera with a traditional viewfinder. This makes the LCD display fill your entire field of view. Additionally, since your eye is so close to the screen, the brightness is adequate even in bright sun.

When you aren’t using it, it folds flat against the camera. If you want to use the screen, you simply fold the lens out of the way. It is not the most attractive camera accessory ever made. But it is very useful, and, at $35 (or $53 with a “premium plano-convex lens”, which is recommended for larger LCD screens), it is pretty inexpensive compared to EVFs.

-- Clark Case 10/30/12

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