The Live View or live shooting vision was a novelty in SLRs a few years ago, while in compacts it was usual to frame the photo through the screen, in SLRs it was even exotic. However, currently, most models of digital SLR cameras have it. In today’s article I’m going to get into it to tell you what its advantages are, but also its drawbacks and, incidentally, we’ll see for what occasions it’s very helpful and when it’s better to avoid it.
What is Live View Mode?
The Live View mode, live preview or live view shooting, is a camera option that allows you to shoot while you are seeing the live image on the screen and check how it will look with the chosen parameters.
Live View mode on the camera
When you shoot using this Live View mode, instead of with the optical viewfinder, the mirror flips up (and we can no longer see through the viewfinder) and the camera captures the image that the sensor picks up electronically. Or what is the same, it would be working as an electronic viewfinder, like the one used by EVIL or mirrorless cameras. This mode is sometimes used for the process of shooting some live entertainment shows such as live latina cams.
Advantages of Live View Mode
Here are the benefits of shooting in Live View shooting mode:
It allows you to see the result in real time and how the image changes as we modify the parameters. When you look through the viewfinder of your DSLR, you see the scene as it is, but when you look through Live View you see what the image will look like once you press the shutter button. If you change a parameter, you see in real time how it affects the shot. From depth of field to white balance to exposure.
Variety of angles. Especially with foldable or articulated screens, it allows you to see what you are going to photograph at impossible angles that would otherwise involve shooting by intuition or performing poses worthy of the photographic kamasutra itself. With Live View you can take control. The same to take a selfie and go out with your eyes focused.
100% coverage. The viewfinder does not guarantee full coverage of the scene. Depending on the range of the camera, it will have more or less coverage, but in normal SLRs it does not reach 100%, with Live View mode, what you see on the screen is what is captured.
Focus precision. There are nuances here. The first thing is that the autofocus is faster and more accurate with the viewfinder, but in some situations, with a tripod, with time and with static elements, you can enlarge the image on the screen and ensure manual focus with greater precision. More than anything because you can greatly enlarge the image and thus select which area you want to focus on more precisely. Of course, as long as the camera is on a tripod and it does not move or zoom afterwards, otherwise using Live view becomes a disadvantage rather than an advantage.
Help. The Live View mode offers us some help such as the live display of the histogram or the straight horizon signal.
Discretion. It allows you to take photos without others noticing. As you are not looking through the viewfinder, but your eyes are on the camera screen, you can hide when taking your street photos, for example. Or that your children forget that you are taking photos and achieve more spontaneous captures.
After all did you find this article helpful? We hope so!