Something I've been wondering about EVFs

jct us101 · 04-11-2010, 04:42 PM

Can they be damaging to the eye? I haven't used a full size EVF yet, but I remember that when I would use the one in my Canon S3 IS that it would really make my eye feel funny and kind of hurt for a while after it, not to mention a weird almost blind feeling in my left eye.

It would make sense that since your eye is literally looking into a computer LCD screen that it can't be that great for you (have you tried this with your laptop? It hurts.) but since I don't have any experience with the full size ones, I don't know if it's just because the S3 IS one wasn't very big.

When using a mirror combo though you're just looking through glass, which I would think is not that harmful (and I've never had a problem looking through normal viewfinders).

Any thoughts on this?

imtheguy · 04-11-2010, 10:42 PM

Sorry, I can't back you up on this one. I don't feel any different during/after using my FZ30 with EVF and laptop for hours than the K20D. In fact, television, even HDTV, is harder on my eyes than any camera or computer. Maybe my contacts shield me from whatever is bothering your eyes.

jct us101 · 04-11-2010, 10:45 PM

I would think that people who wear glasses and contacts would probably not be affected by it since there is an actual glass lens that is keeping them from having their eye right up against it.

knoxploration · 04-11-2010, 10:55 PM

Originally posted by jct us101

I would think that people who wear glasses and contacts would probably not be affected by it since there is an actual glass lens that is keeping them from having their eye right up against it.

If you've got your eye so close to the camera that a contact lens makes a difference to whether your eye is against the viewfinder, you might want to back off just a little and stop trying to mash it into your face. ;-) You can be at one with your camera mentally, without physically being AT ONE with your camera. :-D

I can't see there being any such issues with an EVF (and I've used plenty in my time). You can buy LCD-based video goggles / video glasses relatively easily, marketed for watching movies or playing computer games. While their manufacturers generally recommend taking a break every ~30 minutes or so to avoid eye strain (and because you tend to blink more slowly while focusing on them), you'd still spend far more time looking at these in one stretch than you would your camera's viewfinder. If you can use the video glasses safely for half an hour at a time, there's pretty little chance of injury from spending a few minutes at a time staring into your EVF... :-)

glanglois · 04-13-2010, 01:35 PM

I can see and hear the TV adverts now: "Have you or anyone in your family ever been diagnosed with eye disease or eye problems after using cameras with electronic viewfinders? If so, call the law offices of Dewey, Cheetum, and Howe immediately. Electronic viewfinders emit measurable electromagnetic radiation which has been associated with (fill in the blanks here)."

For those here who don't follow this, take heart. Your legal system may be preferable in some respects to that in America.

04-11-2010, 04:42 PM	#1
jct us101 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Rohnert Park, CA Posts: 3,793	Something I've been wondering about EVFs Can they be damaging to the eye? I haven't used a full size EVF yet, but I remember that when I would use the one in my Canon S3 IS that it would really make my eye feel funny and kind of hurt for a while after it, not to mention a weird almost blind feeling in my left eye. It would make sense that since your eye is literally looking into a computer LCD screen that it can't be that great for you (have you tried this with your laptop? It hurts.) but since I don't have any experience with the full size ones, I don't know if it's just because the S3 IS one wasn't very big. When using a mirror combo though you're just looking through glass, which I would think is not that harmful (and I've never had a problem looking through normal viewfinders). Any thoughts on this?

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04-11-2010, 10:42 PM	#2
imtheguy Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Virginia Beach Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,950	Sorry, I can't back you up on this one. I don't feel any different during/after using my FZ30 with EVF and laptop for hours than the K20D. In fact, television, even HDTV, is harder on my eyes than any camera or computer. Maybe my contacts shield me from whatever is bothering your eyes.

04-11-2010, 10:45 PM	#3
jct us101 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Rohnert Park, CA Posts: 3,793 Original Poster	I would think that people who wear glasses and contacts would probably not be affected by it since there is an actual glass lens that is keeping them from having their eye right up against it.

04-11-2010, 10:55 PM	#4
knoxploration Veteran Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Knoxville, Tennessee Posts: 846	Originally posted by jct us101 I would think that people who wear glasses and contacts would probably not be affected by it since there is an actual glass lens that is keeping them from having their eye right up against it. If you've got your eye so close to the camera that a contact lens makes a difference to whether your eye is against the viewfinder, you might want to back off just a little and stop trying to mash it into your face. ;-) You can be at one with your camera mentally, without physically being AT ONE with your camera. :-D I can't see there being any such issues with an EVF (and I've used plenty in my time). You can buy LCD-based video goggles / video glasses relatively easily, marketed for watching movies or playing computer games. While their manufacturers generally recommend taking a break every ~30 minutes or so to avoid eye strain (and because you tend to blink more slowly while focusing on them), you'd still spend far more time looking at these in one stretch than you would your camera's viewfinder. If you can use the video glasses safely for half an hour at a time, there's pretty little chance of injury from spending a few minutes at a time staring into your EVF... :-)

04-13-2010, 01:35 PM	#5
glanglois Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Madison, Wis., USA Posts: 1,506	I can see and hear the TV adverts now: "Have you or anyone in your family ever been diagnosed with eye disease or eye problems after using cameras with electronic viewfinders? If so, call the law offices of Dewey, Cheetum, and Howe immediately. Electronic viewfinders emit measurable electromagnetic radiation which has been associated with (fill in the blanks here)." For those here who don't follow this, take heart. Your legal system may be preferable in some respects to that in America.