Is it important to have a live view in DSLR's?

Question

how important is this feature in a camera?

and what are the pro's and con's, if any?

Answer 1

There are very few situations where you would want to use the live view on a dSLR (as stated by above poster). SLRs have been without live view from the inception of the camera until the past two or so years - obviously people have gotten by without it.

My guess is that companies are now placing live view on DSLRs to entice users of point-and-shoots to spend more money and buy an SLR.

Answer 2

Pros:

If you have the camera attached to a telescope or microscope

If you are doing high volume studio product shots and the camera is on a tripod, the lighting is not changing and the cameras is connected to a AC converter.

Cons:  

P&S users will try to take all their photos holding the over 2 pound camera at arm's length and introduce unacceptable camera movement (= blurred shots)

Live view uses batteries fast.  On a recent shoot using a telescope, both batteries went flat after only two hours of shooting.  I attached a AC converter to the camera to finish the shoot.  (without using live view the camera can shoot up to 1000 shots per battery)

Answer 3

The above answer already gives you the real information that you need. From a consumer perspective I will add one more thought: it probably makes the transition from a point and shoot camera a little bit easier. When I shifted from my old Fuji S5000 to a Nikon D40 recently, many a times I would keep staring at the blank LCD before remembering that it does not have a live view. (Of course the Fuji did not have a live view -- it showed the image on the LCD way way delayed).

Other than that, I have not felt a need for it.

Answer 4

That's A Personal Opinion..

Some Need It/ Some Don't..

usually, those who desire this feature on cameras as amateurs ( which there is nothing wrong in ), who are just learning about manual controls, and want to see what manipulating the aperture and shutter will do to the image. And, this is a pretty neat extra if you can't just over the point and shoot trend, which i could understand a little bit.

in my sole opinion, i don't need live view on my digital SLR, because i know what i can expect from manipulating the settings. I know how to avoid an under/over exposure can come about, and i know how to use the controls to prevent it from happening..

when it comes to the pros.

Convenient

Nice feature

Good for learning

here's the con

a little lag when using this feature

although most professional photographers don't really need this feature, it comes on there professional cameras, why i'm not sure, because if they're pros. they wouldn't really need it, you know what i mean..?

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