LCD screens vs Electronic Viewfinders in digital cameras

In recent years camera manufacturers have begun to produce more digital cameras with only the LCD screen for viewing and composing the shot.  With ever brighter and higher resolution LCD screens available, it is an obvious advantage in some respects, ut in a country like Australia it is almost impossible to see the scene on a sunny day, meaning most photographs are taken by guesswork.

That often leads to the wrong decision at the time of purchase because the buyer either loves the camera features and forgets he (or she) won't ever be able to see what he is taking a photo of on a bright sunny day, or the decision to buy a camera that doesn't have what we need, but does have a separate viewfinder.

My Fuji s1500 has a separate viewfinder and when I ordered the s8600 I didn;t even think to check whether it had one.  When I bought a second hand Panasonic LUMIX FZ70, one of the most important considerations after the incredible price, was that it had a separate viewfinder.

Which brings me back to the Fuji s8600.  Th Fuji has a nice LCD screen and there are times when I prefer it to the Panasonic.  But I was using it less and less simply because I could rarely see what I was trying to shoot.  Then I made myself a simple hood for the back of the LCD screen.  Getting my eye at the right distance to focus however was an issue, so I added a lens.  The right focal distance was still an issue, but it sort of worked.

So I was searching ebay for a jeweller's loupe with the focal distance I wanted and found a collection of LCD viewing hoods for around $5 to $6.  I ordered one.

This is what I got.
A piece of metal frame with some double sided tape to attach it to the camera.

The plastic hood, complete with a lens and a rubber face cup

And the base of the hood has 4 strong magnets that attach it very firmly to the frame.

Installing it was easy enough using the instructions.  Focus was not good.  For my eyes I needed almost an extra centimetre of distance, so I cut off the end with the lens, made a tube, taped it into place and had excellent focus immediately.

It might look a little ungainly, but remember without it, I would be holding the LCD screen far enough away from my face that my eyes focus on the screen.  With my eye pressed lightly to the hood the camera is in a perfect position and the focus is great.  For the first time since I've had this camera I can actually see exactly what I want to photograph.  It is so good that I am considering another hood for the Lumix.  At $6 including delivery it just makes everything so much easier.