Viewfinder

Do all SLR camera require you to look throught the viewfinder? Do any allow you to use the LCD when focusing ?

I want to buy the Canon S5 IS but my husband doesn't like the fact that u have to use the viewfinder.

Public Comments

1. You could use the LCD rather than the view finder on the S5. There are new DSLRs in the market that support live view.
2. No, some newer SLR cameras have live view.
3. The S5 is not an SLR. It has this awesome little flip-out screen that is viewable from any angle. You can see yourself as you take a picture of yourself, if you want to. And yes, almost all DSLRs require you to use the viewfinder. There are one or two coming out now that don't, but older ones pretty much all do.
4. 1. Canon S5 IS is not an SLR, and you can use the lcd screen to view through 2. The current DSLR's that have live view are: Olympus Evolt series (E410, E420, E510) and E3 Pentax K20D Nikon D300 Canon 40D Fuji S5 (with limitations) Sony alpha series (300, 350, 700)
5. Just a note; there is an SLR with live view called the S5: the spectacular Fujifilm S5, which is a D200 designed with special features and has its own advantages over the Nikon. It has a short segment live view feature. IIRC, almost all major brands have their own live-view cameras. Some come in more expensive packages (only Nikon's top of the line come with live view), while often times they cover a camera company's lower ranks (Canon and Olympus both have entry level live-view, and Sony has two almost-entry-level live view cameras). Unfortunately, not all live view is created equal - they focus in a wide range of different reliabilities, though most are fairly good at it these days.
6. Some of the new models have a feature called "live view". My camera, a Canon 40D has this feature and also has the ability to be hooked up to a laptop through a cable or wireless setup that lets you focus the camera and take a picture remotely, such as for photographing birds at a feeder with the camera on a tripod. Here is an article about the 40d