Can you use the LCD screen on a Canon - EOS 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera to take pictures?

Question

A co-worker just bought this camera and was telling me that you have to look through the small viewfinder rather than using the LCD to take pictures. I tried messing around with it but could not figure it out. I guess I don't see how you can spend that much money on a camera that doesn't give you the same options that a $100 Point and Shoot Camera gives you. If it is possible, can someone tell me how?

Answer 1

I'm with Captain Noodles on this. Live view is a nearly useless feature that has been added to some new entry level DSLR's to appease people who are used to point and shoot cameras. With the viewfinder you see what the lens sees. You can also hold the camera properly so you don't get blurry shots. Try holding a camera out at arms length with a five pound lens on the front of it and see if you can hold it still.

It wasn't that long ago that no camera had live view. They all used film.

Answer 2

No, you cannot use the LCD to take pictures with anything but the most recent SLR cameras. This feature is known as "Live View" and is normally impossible, as there is a mirror that sits in front of the sensor that bounces the light into the viewfinder (That's the basic principle behind SLR). Can't have live view with the sensor blocked by the mirror -- the sensor is what relays information to the LCD. Some of the more recent cameras will lock up the mirror if you choose to use live view, but in all honesty, the viewfinder will almost always be better anyways. The viewfinder has unmeasurably higher resolution than that little LCD, it's faster to use, and it has you hold the camera close to your body, which helps stabilize the shoot. It's virtually impossible to manually focus (accurately) a shot on an LCD outside of the studio. In fact, I'd say the studio is one of the few places where I may, possibly, see an advantage in some situations over the viewfinder. The LCD is also help in very low-light situations, but that's about the extent of it. If it's any consolation, the viewfinder on a DSLR is by no means the same as the viewfinder on a crappy compact camera -- it's larger, brighter, and through-the-lens accurate.

Answer 3

I'll ask about and get back to you If I get any info...