EVFs

An electronic viewfinder, or EVF, is a small display and accompanying optics built into digital cameras that presents a magnified, digital preview of the scene captured by the camera’s sensor. It replaces the traditional optical viewfinder in many mirrorless cameras, allowing framing, focus, and exposure adjustments to be done at eye level.

The live image is processed from the sensor and shown on a high-resolution LCD or OLED microdisplay, which is viewed through eyepiece optics. In addition to the live view, EVFs can overlay information such as histograms, exposure simulation, white balance indicators, and focus peaking. Modern EVFs offer high refresh rates and low latency, with some models supporting 120 to 240 Hz, reducing motion delay and minimizing blackout during burst shooting.

EVFs emerged in the late 2000s with early mirrorless systems and have evolved from low-resolution, high-latency previews to high-fidelity, color-accurate, and magnifiable views. Improvements in display technology and processing have increased resolution to several million dots, improved magnification options, and enhanced eye relief, making EVFs more comparable to traditional optical finders in many situations.

Advantages of EVFs include accurate exposure preview, reliable framing in bright light, and useful focus aids such as magnification and peaking. Limitations can include higher power consumption, potential lag in very low light, and color or contrast differences compared with optical finders in some conditions. Many cameras now balance these trade-offs with fast panels and advanced processing.

Applications span most modern mirrorless cameras and some professional video cameras, with ongoing work to raise resolution, increase refresh rates, and improve color fidelity and eye comfort in diverse shooting environments.