optical viewfinder for 3.2 lcd displays free sample

The Z-Finder Pro 2.5x for 3.2” screens is an optical viewfinder that allows DSLR cameras to have the correct form factor for video. This Z-finder will magnify the LCD screen by 2.5x and has a diopter for specific focus tuning. It cuts out any extraneous light and offers an initial point of stability by pressing your eye against our comfy, large eyecup. The Z-finder Pro 2.5x for 3.2” screens comes with a 40mm diameter Zacuto optical designed lens, anti-fog coated protective and a mounting system designed for 3.2” LCD screens. The diopter allows you to dial in the focus to match your eye. If you need extra focal points you can use the included Z-Finder Extender Frames. These are semi-permanent stackable frames that attach to the body of the Z-Finder Pro and extend the Z-Finder glass further away from the LCD screen for people who are farsighted.

The 2.5x magnification is recommended in particular for users who are and may have problems seeing long distances. The Z-Finder Pro 2.5x for 3.2” screens has a diopter range of -4.75 and up (unlimited with extender frames). This is the model we use with our electronic viewfinder packages.

The Z-Finder Pro attaches to your camera with the included Gorilla Plate V2 and Z-Finder 3.2" Mounting Frame for Small DSLR Bodies.  The Gorilla Plate V2 attaches to the bottom of your camera using a ¼ 20” screw and has ¼ 20” screw holes underneath to attach a tripod plate. The metal Z-Finder Mounting Frame attaches to the Gorilla Baseplate using the provided red thumb screws. The Z-finder itself pops on and off the Z-finder Mounting frame. No magnets or glue are used. The metal Z-Finder Mounting Frame is backed with rubber to prevent scratching or slippage. If you want to remove the entire mounting frame from your camera, you can do so by loosening the thumb screws and pulling up on the metal mounting frame to release.

1. All Z-finder bodies are the same size and can fit on any of our frames. The Z-Finder Pro 2.5x for 3.2” screens comes standard with a 3.2” Z-Finder Mounting Frame for Small DSLR Bodies.  Any other frames need to be purchased in addition to the Z-Finder.

2. The tapped holes on the bottom of the Gorilla Plate V2 are offset from the center of the lens for use with some of our equipment. This is only a concern if you are using the Gorilla plate with other rigs that do not have to side movement and need the matte box in line with the lens/mounting screw hole. To compensate for this issue, you can either use an adhesive mounting frame to attach the Z-finder or add a Gorilla Plate Adapter to your plate. Our Gorilla Plate Adapter centers the tripod holes on the bottom of the gorilla plate. Please note that this adapter does come with a longer 1/4 20" screw that will replace the smaller 1/4 20" screw that comes with the Gorilla Plate. You will need to take your screw out and use the longer one provided with the adapter to attach your camera to the plate.

3. In order for the Gorilla Plate and mounting frame to correctly align with the LCD the plate needs to be directly underneath your camera. This means it cannot be used in combination with L brackets like Really Right Stuff or contour plates like Arca Swiss. You can use an adhesive frame on your camera with our Z-finder and continue using your camera specific plates as usual.

WARNING The Z-finder is a magnifier and as such will magnify the sun and could damage the LCD screen if the sun is allowed to shine directly through the Z-finder lens. This is not a defect but a physical property. Caution should be taken to avoid direct . Proper use of the included lens cap and sun mask will dramatically reduce but not eliminate risk.

HoodLoupe is worn around your neck.  To review images, glare-free, place HoodLoupe over your  (up to 3.2 inch) LCD.  The +- 3 diopter adjustment accommodates those with less than perfect vision; turn the eyepiece in or out to set for your vision.  Precise glass optics give you a bright, clear and non-pixelated image to view.

HoodLoupe is our bestselling product each year. In the past 11 years, we have enabled over 200,000 great photographers to view their images glare-free out in the field. Checking composition, focus and your histogram outdoors is easy with a HoodLoupe. HoodLoupe is worn around your neck. To review images, glare-free, place HoodLoupe over your (up to 3.2 inch) LCD. HoodLoupe"s + 3 diopter adjustment accommodates those with less than perfect vision; turn the eyepiece in or out to set for your vision. Precise glass optics give you a bright, clear and non-pixelated image to view.

The new 3 lens optical module accepts multiple mounting bases. Should our LCD size change, you just need to buy the HoodLoupe base that fits your new LCD. To save space, the optical module separates from the base which will nest over the optical module and fit snuggly in its carry bag. HoodLoupe integrates with all HoodLoupe live view mounting plates for hands-free use. The neck lanyard provided can be upgraded to a Link retractable lanyard that clips to your belt.

In addition, all LCDVF models now come with built-in 37mm or 46mm metal thread that can accommodate diopter correction lenses (to be purchased separately)

AMIRA and ALEXA Mini are equipped with a multi-viewfinder that makes life easy for single-operator users, combining a high-resolution OLED eyepiece with a fold-away LCD monitor. Together, these two viewing options allow operating and instant access to important camera controls. New peaking functions, with zebra and false color tools, facilitate accurate focus and exposure. Many functions can be made accessible via easy-access buttons on the viewfinder.

The bright, high-resolution eyepiece offers the best possible color rendition and optical performance, making for a comfortable operating experience. Mounted to a strong, lightweight sliding bar, its position can be altered to suit any shooter in any situation, moving forward and back, as well as side to side. Vital camera information can be displayed in the viewfinder according to the needs of the individual.

The fold-away 3.2" monitor serves a number of purposes, displaying a live image for the camera operator when this is more convenient than using the eyepiece, or acting as a monitor for the director or other crew members while shooting. It also allows playback of recorded images and serves as the main camera interface, providing full access to camera status and menus.

Its ergonomic design allows that the display information and configurable user buttons can be used without the need to remove the camera from the operator"s shoulder. With superb daylight visibility and an up-and-down tilt function, the monitor is useable under various shooting conditions.

The Hoodman HoodLoupe Optical Viewfinder for 3.2" LCD Displays is used to make a close inspection of images as you review them on your DSLR camera"s LCD display. The LCD screen ...

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Whether you"re shooting with a DSLR or a mirrorless camera, there are times when it"s easier to use the camera"s viewfinder rather than the LCD screen, and vice versa. For example, it"s usually easier to hold the camera steady when it"s held to your eye because it"s braced against your face. It"s also easier to follow a moving subject in a viewfinder than it is on a screen with the camera at arm"s length.

However, when you"re shooting landscape, still life, macro or architectural photography with the camera mounted on a tripod, the larger view provided by the LCD screen is extremely helpful. Similarly, when you want to shoot from above or below head height or at an angle, it"s very convenient to frame the image on a tilting or vari-angle screen instead of trying to use the viewfinder.

It"s also very helpful to use the LCD screen when you"re focusing manually because the Live View image can be zoomed in to 5x or 10x magnification. This provides a very detailed view of any part of the image, making critical focus adjustments much easier.

On the EOS 90D in Live View mode and on mirrorless cameras including the EOS R5, EOS R6, EOS R, EOS RP, EOS M6 Mark II and EOS M50 Mark II, you can also enable Manual Focus Peaking (MF Peaking), a visual aid to show which parts of the image are in sharpest focus. In theory, areas in focus will coincide with the greatest contrast, so the image is evaluated for contrast and these areas are highlighted on the display in a bright colour of your choice. You can see the highlighted areas of the scene change as you change the focus.

Bear in mind, however, that using your camera"s rear screen for extended periods will have an impact on battery life. Using Live View on a DSLR is also not recommended when you want to take fast bursts of shots, because it will usually reduce the continuous shooting speed. At the other extreme, if you"re shooting an exposure that lasts for multiple seconds or minutes, an optical viewfinder can cause a particular problem: stray light can enter the viewfinder and interfere with the exposure. To prevent this, use the eyepiece cover provided on your DSLR"s strap.

EOS cameras with an EVF have a proximity sensor that will automatically switch from the rear screen to the viewfinder when you raise the camera to your eye (although you can optionally disable this).

An articulating or vari-angle LCD – commonly called a flip screen – is a useful addition to a camera. The screen is mounted on a swivel, allowing you to flip the screen away from the camera body and rotate the LCD 360 degrees.

Flip screens have traditionally been useful for taking photos at unusual angles. For instance, framing a bug’s-eye view from ground level used to mean setting your camera down low and awkwardly trying to see through the optical viewfinder. There was usually a lot of guesswork involved.

With a vari-angle, or flip screen, you can now set the camera up at ground level and angle the articulating LCD up towards you and frame the scene in live view.

Despite all these advantages for shooting stills, it’s probably the rise of vlogging that has seen the popularity of cameras with flip screens soar. Like shooting self-portraiture, vlogging requires placing yourself on the other side of the camera, and before flip screens were a thing this required a lot of careful setup and trial and error.

But swivel LCD touchscreens mean you can now place your camera in front of you, frame your shot accordingly and simply tap the screen to take a picture or start recording. If you have even modest ambitions to post videos on YouTube, a camera with an articulating screen will undoubtedly be the best option for you. In this guide we’ll round up the best cameras with flip screens.

Metering: 384-zone metering with Evaluative metering (linked to All AF points), Partial metering (approx. 6.1% of viewfinder at centre), Spot metering: Centre spot metering (approx. 3.1% viewfinder at centre), Centre weighted average metering

The Canon EOS R5 leaves little doubt that Canon is now serious about the mirrorless camera market. It has phenomenal specification with features like a 45Mp full-frame sensor, phase detection autofocusing that covers the whole frame, eye AF for humans and animals that works in video and stills mode and a class-leading viewfinder paired with a vari-angle touchscreen.

While the R6’s viewfinder is the same size as the R5’s (it’s a 0.5-inch type), its resolution is lower at 3.69million dots instead of 5.76million. That’s the same as in the EOS R and on par with the electronic viewfinders in the Sony A9 and Nikon Z7. It’s a great EVF specification for a camera of this level.

If the display performance is set to ‘Power saving’ in the Shoot8 section of the menu, fast-moving subjects look a bit jerky when you shoot them. Switching to the ‘Smooth’ setting makes the movement look more natural.

There’s also a 3-inch vari-angle touchscreen with 1.62million dots. We’re a fan of vari-angle screens because they make shooting portrait or landscape format images from above or below head-height much easier than a fixed screen. And a tilting screen is only of help with landscape format images.

Both the viewfinder and the screen provide an accurate preview of the image as it will be captured. Overall, Canon’s control arrangement on the R6 and use of touch control is excellent and the vari-angle screen is a real asset.

After we reviewed the Sony A7 III, a flip-out touchscreen was at the top of our wishlist for improvements we’d like to see on the next iteration of Sony’s full-frame all-rounder. Sure enough, Sony has given the A7 IV a vari-angle screen that can be flipped face forward or be angled to help compose low- or high-level shots in either landscape of portrait orientation.

What’s more, the A7 IV’s 3-inch 1,036,800-dot screen is touch-sensitive and users can now navigate the menus and settings with a tap. In previous Sony touchscreen LCDs, you were limited to setting the AF point via touch.

OM System has given the OM-1 a very bright 1.62-million dot vari-angle touchscreen. It’s a 3-inch screen and like on the OM-D E-M1 III and OM-D E-M1X and it’s mounted on a vari-angle hinge. This vari-angle hinge means the screen can be angled for clear visibility whether you’re shooting in landscape or portrait orientation.

In overcast conditions and indoors, the OM-1’s screen gives an excellent view it also performs well in brighter conditions. my toughest test for this was when skiing on a bright sunny day trying to video my companions ahead of me. Keeping them framed as we all moved over the piste was challenging, but thankfully, I was able to see them on the screen.

Key video specifications: 4K (3840x2160) 4:2:2 10-bit LongGOP H.264 29.97/23.98p/25p and 150Mbps for up to 30mins, 4K (3840x2160) 4:2:0 8-bit LongGOP H.264 29.97/23.98p/25p and 100Mbps unlimited, Full HD (1920x1080) 4:2:2 10-bit LongGOP H.264 59.94/29.97/23.98p/50/25p and 100Mbps unlimited

Despite the shrinkage in size and weight, the Panasonic Lumix s5 has both a 3-inch 1,840,000-dot vari-angle touchscreen and a 2,360,000-dot OLED electronic viewfinder built-in.

The Panasonic GH5 has a vari-angle screen and it was high on the request list for the S-series camera when their development announcement was made. However, the S1 and S1R have 3-way tilting screens. These are useful if you’re shooting in landscape and portrait format images, but they’re not as intuitive or flexible to use as a vari-angle screen and they can’t be seen from in front of the camera.

Happily, the Lumix S5’s screen delivers what many were hoping for and it can be flipped around to face forwards. It means that the S5 could also be a good full-frame vlogging camera.

Further good news is that, like the viewfinder, the S5’s screen provides an excellent preview of the image. If you’re shooting outdoors in bright conditions it’s worth activating the Live View Boost to brighten screen to make the scene easier to see. The screen is also very responsive to touch.

Key video specs: 5.8K (5760x4320) (4:3) at 29.97p, 200Mbps (4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP) (H.265/HEVC, LPCM), 5.7K (5728x3024) (17:9) at 59.94p, 300Mbps (4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP) (H.265/HEVC, LPCM), 4.4K (4352x3264) (4:3) at 59.94p, 300Mbps (4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP) (H.265/HEVC, LPCM), 4.4K (4352x3264) (4:3) at 59.94p, 300Mbps (4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP) (H.265/HEVC, LPCM), 4K (3840x2160) at 119.88p, 300Mbps (4:2:0 10-bit LongGOP) (H.265/HEVC, LPCM), FHD (1920x1080) t 239.76p, 800Mbps (4:2:2 10-bit ALL-Intra) / 200Mbps (4:2:2 10-bit LongGOP) (H.264/MPEG-4 AVC, LPCM

The Panasonic GH6 has a 3.0-inch 1,840K-dot tilt and free-angle touchscreen with an aspect ratio of 3:2 on its rear. The tilting aspect of the screen isn’t immediately obvious, but pressing the button underneath the monitor’s bottom left corner releases the mechanism so the screen can be tilted up from the bottom.

There are two stop points in the screen’s tilt movement. The first one is at the right point to enable the screen to be flipped out to the side of the camera without catching on the viewfinder while the second one at about 45° gives a more comfortable viewing able when shooting at waist-height.

To the uninitiated, the tilt and free-angle combination may seem a bit over the top but it means that the screen can be flipped out and twisted to face forwards, up or down, without fouling on any of the cables that may be connected to the ports on the left side of the camera (mic, USB-C and full-size HDMI).

With 1.84-million dots, the 3-inch screen gives a good view of the scene and doesn’t suffer to badly from reflections even in sunny conditions (at least not in March in the UK). However, even when shooting video, there are times when it’s preferable to use the 3,680k-dot 0.76x OLED viewfinder. This has a contrast ratio of 10,000:1 and gives a sharp, accurate preview of the scene.

The GH5 is Panasonic’s flagship compact system or mirrorless camera and it has a mini-DSLR design, featuring a high-quality electronic viewfinder and vari-angle touch-screen. As a Micro Four Thirds camera it’s compatible with an extensive collection of Micro Four Thirds mount lenses from Panasonic and Olympus as well as third-party manufacturers.

While its viewfinder is still a 21mm OLED device, its resolution has been bumped up from 2,360,000 dots to 3,680,000 dots from the GH4 and the magnification is 0.76x rather than 0.67x. It provides a very clear and detailed view of the scene.

Panasonic has also upgraded the rear screen and it now measures 3.2-inches across the diagonal and has 1,620,000 dots. It’s still a vari-angle unit but instead of an OLED screen it’s an RGBW LCD. It provides a nice sharp view and the revised menu, which has fewer pages but more lines, is clear. The screen also responds quickly to tap of your finger.

The GH5 is a complex camera and it will take some getting to know, but all the main controls that you want on a shot-by-shot basis, for example to adjust exposure and white balance or to set the AF point are within easy reach. There are also plenty of customisable buttons to help you get it working as you want.

Autofocus system: Hybrid with 759 phase detection points and 425 contrast detection points, Real Time Eye AF (Human and Animal for stills, Human for video)

Maximum continuous shooting rate: 10fps with mechanical or electronic shutter for up to 1000 uncompressed raw files when a CFexpress Type 1 card is used

As well as a host of improvements to its video specification, the Sony A7S III introduces the highest-resolution electronic viewfinder we’ve seen to date and it’s the first Sony A7-series camera to feature a vari-angle screen.

According to Sony, the 3-inch vari-angle screen wasn’t a request for the A7S III, it was a demand. It’s certainly something I’ve mentioned on many occasions.

Sony is also at pains to point out that the A7S III is for new videographers as well as experienced shooters and many of those people are unlikely to want to also lash out on a monitor.

After the 8K-capabilities of the Canon EOS R5, the Sony A7S III might seem a bit of an anti-climax. We’re sure some videographers were hoping for a big jump in resolution from the 12mp A7S II. However, Sony already has the 61Mp A7R IV and the 24Mp A7 III, so sticking with 12Mp means that the A7S III has even better low-light capability than its predecessor but with a much better autofocus system, a vari-angle screen and the highest-resolution viewfinder around.

As with Canon’s full-frame mirrorless cameras, including the flagship Canon EOS R3, the R7 has a vari-angle touchscreen. This is great for composing low- and high-level shots in landscape or portrait orientation. Because Canon has embraced full-touch control, it’s also useful for changing camera settings with a tap.

Although the 0.39-inch 2.36million-dot electric viewfinder on the Canon EOS RP doesn’t match those in recent high-end mirrorless cameras for resolution, it still provides a decent preview of images. And let’s not forget, the RP is much more affordable than other new full-frame mirrorless cameras.

We love that Canon has enabled the RP’s touchscreen to be used for browsing the Quick and main menu, selecting settings and browsing through images as well as setting the AF point. It really speeds using the camera and makes it more intuitive. It’s also good that this isn’t at the expense of physical buttons and dials.

Autofocus system: Intelligent Hybrid with up to 425 points plus subject detection for humans, animals, birds, automobiles, motorcycles, aeroplanes and trains

Max continuous shooting rate: Electronic shutter: 40fps for 184 jpegs, 170 lossless compressed raw or 140 uncompressed raw, Mechanical shutter: 15fps for 1000+ jpegs, lossless compressed raw or 1000 uncompressed raw

Viewfinder: 0.5 inch 5.76 million-dot OLED Color Viewfinder with 100% coverage Eyepoint: approx. 24mm Diopter adjustment: -5~+3m-1 Magnification: 0.8× with 50mm lens

Among the many improvements Fujifilm put into the X-H2S over the X-H1 is an upgrade of the LCD screen. Instead of the 3-way tilting screen of the X-H1, the X-H2S has a vari-angle screen that can be flipped out and rotated to face forward for vlogging. This means it’s useful when the camera is above or below head-height in landscape or portrait orientation.

The HoodLoupe Optical Viewfinder for 3.2" LCD Displays is used to make a close inspection of images as you review them on your DSLR camera"s LCD monitor. The viewfinder isolates the display from ambient light so you will not be distracted by reflections or shadows during use. It will provide full coverage of an LCD monitor up to 3.2" diagonally with a standard (3:2) aspect ratio.

This HoodLoupe is designed to fit the 3.2" LCD monitors of larger DSLR cameras, with a 1:1 magnification ratio. With the same 3:2 aspect ratio as your camera"s LCD, the HoodLoupe allows more of the screen to be used for photo and video display so you can clearly see what you"re shooting without the reflections and glare caused by ambient light.

The lanyard fits around your neck and has a quick-release fastener that allows you to easily remove it. It also comes with a protective carrying case for safe and easy storage, with a built-in belt clip for convenient carrying while on the job.

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The Sony A68 is a new interchangeable lens camera that uses Translucent Mirror Technology to offer high-speed shooting and a smaller body size. The 24.2 megapixel A68 features up to 8fps burst shooting, 1080p Full HD Movies in the XAVC Sv format, 79-point auto-focus system including 15 cross points and a dedicated F2.8 AF sensor point, in-body image stabilisation, a 2.7-inch tilting LCD, an XGA OLED electronic viewfinder with 2359k dot resolution, backlit top LCD display, Dynamic Range Optimizer and HDR, and an ISO range of 100-25600. Compared to a conventional DSLR camera, Translucent Mirror Technology has a fixed, translucent mirror that splits the optical pathway between the main image sensor and a separate phase-detection autofocus sensor, and offers a simplified mechanical design that enables the camera to be smaller. The Sony A68 costs $599 in the US and £480 in the UK for the body only.

Outwardly the Sony A68 looks very similar to the range-topping A77 II model. The A68 dispenses with an optical viewfinder in favour of an electronic version, and uses a fixed semi-translucent mirror instead of the moving non-translucent mirror of a DSLR. The translucency of the A68"s mirror means that enough light can pass through it to the sensor to allow it to remain fixed in place at all times, with the ability to reflect some of the light onto a phase-detection auto-focus array that sits in the top of the A68 body. This combination means that the A68 can offer full-time DSLR-like focusing speeds, even during video recording, plus an excellent Live View system with 100% scene coverage and a respectably fast continuous shooting rate of 8fps, whilst being physically smaller and lighter than a comparable DSLR.

The Sony A68 can shoot at up to 8fps, an impressively fast rate for such a relatively inexpensive camera. To achieve the full 8fps you need to set the exposure mode dial to the dedicated burst mode, which locks the exposure at the start of the sequence and crops into the centre of the frame to produce a 6 megapixel Fine JPEG image. If you want to shoot a sequence of full-size JPEG or RAW images, the standard Continuous Advance drive mode provides a burst rate of 5fps or a lower speed of 2.5fps with the ability to change the exposure as required between frames.

The A68 features a tilting rear 2.7-inch LCD with 406,800 dot resolution, which is rather behind the times in terms of its size and resolution. This is bracketed at the bottom and can be tilted up to 135 degrees upwards or 55 degrees downwards. The A68 also has a clever eye level sensor that switches off the rear screen"s info display as you bring your eye close to the excellent optical viewfinder, plus a facility that automatically flips the same display through 90° should you turn the camera on its side to shoot in portrait fashion.

One advantage that the Sony range has over either Canon or Nikon is that the A68 features built-in sensor shift image stabilization, hence no need to spend extra on specialist lenses to help combat camera shake. On the Sony A68 light sensitivity stretches from ISO 100 all the way up to ISO 25,600. Sony"s long-standing D-Range Optimizer and HDR functions help to even out tricky exposures, for example where a bright background would normally throw the foreground into deep shadow.

The A68 can record 1080p HD 1920 x 1280 pixel movies at either 50fps or 25fps (PAL), or 60fps and 24fps (NTSC) in the high bit-rate 50Mbps XAVC S format, and it also supports the AVCHD and MP4 formats. There"s a limitation of up to 29 minutes, or 9 minutes if SteadyShot is turned on, for the AVCHD format, and a 2Gb file size for MP4 video. Stereo sound with 16 steps is recorded during video capture, and you can fit an optional external stereo microphone to further improve the quality. The HDMI port allows you to output uncompressed footage to an external device or to connect the A68 to a high-def TV set, but only if you purchase the optional HDMI mini-cable.

Continuous phase-detection AF is possible whilst shooting movies on the A68, a distinct advantage over most DSLR cameras and fast enough to rival compact system cameras. It allows you to track fast-moving subjects without having to resort to manual focusing, ideal for users who are used to compacts that can auto-focus for both still and moving images. There are a few caveats - the focusing can be heard on the soundtrack, although using an external microphone gets around this, it sometimes struggles to keep up with the subject, and more notably the shallow depth of field that"s inherent to a large-sensor camera produces noticeable and often unwanted "jumps" as the AF system locks onto different subjects in the frame.

In addition to continuous AF and manual, the selected AF Area can be changed within the frame to easily create the professional "rack focus" effect, where the focus moves between the background and foreground subjects. Also pleasing is the ability to change the shutter speed or aperture during recording with Program, Aperture-priority, Shutter-priority, and fully Manual recording modes all on offer. Exposure compensation, creative styles, picture effects, white balance, AF area, tracking auto-focus and metering mode all apply equally to stills and moving images too.

As you"d expect, it"s also possible to focus manually with the Sony SLT-A68. When focusing manually, Sony offers two Focus Magnifier zoom levels to aid in determining the precise point of focus, either 5.9x or 11.7x. Also included is the "focus peaking" display which provides a level of hand-holding for manual focus users. When turned on to one of the three levels (low, mid, high), this essentially draws a coloured line (red, white or yellow) around the areas of highest contrast in the image when you"re manually focusing the camera. Used in conjunction with the magnified focus assist, this makes it a cinch to focus accurately on a specific part of the subject. It can also be used in the movie mode, again providing a real boon to your creativity.

From the front the Sony A68 looks unthreatening to the experienced DSLR user. Apart from a familiar ridge housing the pop-up flash above the Alpha lens mount, its most distinguishing feature is the traditional handgrip complete with leather-look rubberized covering that extends around the side of the camera. It"s easy to fit three fingers around the handgrip and makes it straight-forward to hold the camera steady for shooting handheld. Built into the grip itself is a narrow sliver of a window for the remote sensor, should use of one be required as an optional extra. Note that the A68 does not have a dedicated autofocus assist / self-timer lamp, instead relying on the pop-up flash to provide a burst of assist flash.

At the top of the handgrip, but still at the front, is the camera"s first control/command dial, situated beneath the main shutter release button and on/off switch, where it falls readily under the forefinger. Users can twist this to rapidly scroll through screen menu options and folders, a task also achieved by tabbing through the same using the control ring at the rear, as well as adjust apertures and shutter speeds. A small Depth-of-field Preview button is located at the bottom-left of the lens mount.

Over at the other side of the lens mount we find a comfortably large button to release the lens, adjacent to which is a very useful switch for alternating between manual and the three types of auto-focus. Sony has subtly incorporated instances of its Alpha trademark "cinnibar" (orange to the rest of us) colour on the camera, here only visible in the thin line encircling the lens surround. The Alpha mount also offers compatibility with A mount lenses from the legacy Minolta and Konica Minolta range.

The A68"s top plate features the aforementioned shutter release button encircled by an on/off switch. The shutter-release has a definite half-way point, with the focus points rapidly illuminating green in the viewfinder and a confirmation bleep signaling that focus and exposure has been determined and the user is free to go on and take the shot. The A68 has a class-leading choice of 79 AF points covering 40% of the frame, with 15 cross sensors to maximize precision for both vertical and horizontal subjects and an F/2.8 centre point to support fast lenses.

One of the reasons for choosing the A68 instead of the cheaper A58 model is the display panel, an LCD status screen that shows most of the important camera settings. In conjunction with the information displayed on the LCD screen and through the viewfinder, this panel makes it very easy to quickly see exactly how the camera is setup. There"s a small button alongside to illuminate the panel. Joining the display panel on top of the A68 are buttons for the self timer/bracketing and white balance options.

Next we come to the Finder/Monitor button alongside the pop-up flashgun and a curved grille for the built-in stereo microphone. If choosing "Finder" with the camera set to auto-focus, bringing your eye level with the viewfinder and sensor below will neatly prompt the camera to automatically focus on whatever it"s aiming at (you can turn this feature off by disabling the Eye-Start AF menu option). Pressing the same button again switches to the LCD, automatically blanking out the viewfinder with the rear screen bursting into life instead. The A68"s top plate also features Sony"s proprietary Multi-Interface shoe for an optional flash or accessory situated just above the electronic viewfinder, with a dedicated button to manually release the pop up flash situated just in front. The built-in flash can also trigger an optional wireless accessory flash.

Over at the far left of the A68"s top plate is a shooting mode dial that"s slightly sunk into the bodywork and has a lockable button, thus helping to prevent the dial accidentally slipping from one setting to another when placing into or retrieving the camera from a bag. Arranged around this are 12 selectable options, running from full Auto to the creative quartet of Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter priority and Manual, plus dedicated modes for the 8fps continuous shooting, Panorama and a Scene option which includes pre-optimised scene modes for common subjects such as portraits, landscapes, close ups (macro), sports, sunset, night, night portraits and handheld twilight. Three Custom modes make it easy to quickly switch between pre-configured camera setups, very useful for setting up the camera to suit different environments and uses.

At the rear of the A68 we find the tilting 2.7-inch LCD screen, which has a rather average resolution of 460,800-dots, 16:9 wideangle ratio and can be adjusted for brightness. While the ability to tilt the screen is very welcome, placing the bracket at the bottom does make it impossible to attain the video-friendly side-on position that some other rival models offer, a real shame considering the A68"s video capabilities.

Instead of the bulky optical viewfinder of a conventional DSLR, the Sony A68 has a smaller electronic viewfinder. It has 0.88x magnification, 100% field of view, and a 1,440,000 dot equivalent resolution. As the EVF is reading the same signal from the image sensor as the rear LCD screen, it can also display similar information, with a choice of five display modes. For example, you can view and operate the A68"s Function Menu, giving a true preview of the scene in front of you and quick access to all the key camera settings while it"s held up to your eye. The various icons used to represent the camera settings are clear and legible. The icing on the viewing cake is the clever built-in eye sensor, which automatically switches on the viewfinder when you look into it, then switches it off and turns on the LCD monitor when you look away.

To the left of the viewfinder is a button marked Menu. Press this and a number of shooting and set up folders appear on screen, with white text on a black background aiding visibility. To the right of the viewfinder is a small wheel for dioptric adjustment that isn"t too stiff and rigid. Just below and to the right of this is a welcome dedicated button for one-touch movie recording. A second marked AEL locks the exposure, while the C1 button toggles between manual focus and the current auto-focus mode and also doubles up as a means of zooming into images and magnifying detail when in playback mode. Underneath this button is the A68"s circular control wheel, which in combination with the fore-finger operated one makes it easy to operate the camera in full manual mode.

Creative Styles are pre-optimised user selectable settings which run from the default of "standard" through the self-explanatory vivid, portrait, landscape, sunset and black and white. For each of these creative options, contrast, saturation and sharpness can be individually adjusted. Picture Effects are a range of 13 creative effects that can be previewed on the LCD screen or electronic viewfinder and applied to both JPEG stills and movies.

Completing the rear controls are the Playback button and the trash can button for deleting images on the fly, which also doubles up as the new customisable C2 button.

On the left of the A68 is a HDMI output in order to hook the camera up to an HD TV (the cable is once again an additional purchase) alongside the Multi Interface port and the Mic port, all protected by the same rubber flap, and a seperate DC In port. On the right is a dedicated memory card slot with a choice of either SD or Memory Stick to save images to. Two metal eyelets on either side of the body allow the supplied camera strap to be attached. On the bottom of the camera is a compartment for the lithium-ion battery that supplies a life-span of up to 580 images, plus a metal tripod socket that"s in-line with the centre of the lens mount.

The Sony A68 produced images of very good quality during the review period. The Sony A68"s has an extensive ISO range of 100-25600. ISO 100-800 is noise-free, whilst ISO 1600 and 3200 produce more than acceptable results, with ISO 12800 and 25600 OK for emergency use. The RAW samples illustrate just how much processing the camera does by default, though, as they"re much noisier at all ISO values than their JPEG counterparts. The night photograph was excellent, with the maximum shutter speed of 30 seconds and the Bulb mode offering lots of scope for creative night photography. The built-in SteadyShot anti-shake system works well when hand-holding the camera at slower shutter speeds.

The effective Dynamic Range Optimizer function extracts more detail from the shadow and highlight areas in an image, without introducing any unwanted noise or other artifacts. The High Dynamic Range mode combines two shots taken at different exposures to produce one image with greater dynamic range than a single image would produce. It only works for JPEGs and for still subjects, but does produce some very effective results. Sony"s now tried-and-trusted Sweep Panorama is still a joy to use. The Creative Styles quickly produce special looks that would otherwise require you to spend a lot of time in the digital darkroom, while the Picture Effects provide a quick and easy way to tweak the camera"s JPEG images.

The Sony A68"s maximum shutter speed is 30 seconds and there"s also a Bulb mode for even longer exposures, which is excellent news if you"re seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 20 seconds at ISO 100.

High Dynamic Range Optimiser (HDR) is Sony"s solution for capturing more contrast than a single exposure can handle by combining two exposures into one image. There are 6 different EV settings and an Auto option.

The Sony A68 allows you to take panoramic images very easily, by "sweeping" with the camera while keeping the shutter release depressed. The camera does all the processing and stitching and even successfully compensates for moving subjects. The main catch is that the resulting image is of fairly low resolution.

The Sony A68 enables users to capture RAW and JPEG format files. We"ve provided some Sony RAW (ARW) samples for you to download (thumbnail images shown below are not 100% representative).

The Sony A68 is an excellent alternative to a mid-range DSLR, offering the same excellent auto-focusing performance as the top-of-the-range A77 II camera.

Image quality from the 24.2 APS-C sensor is also very good. Noise doesn"t rear its ugly head until ISO 1600 for JPEGs and even the faster settings prove eminently usable, although the A68 does apply some pretty aggressive noise reduction to keep the files clean, as shown by the much noisier RAW images. The myriad of creative effects such as HDR, Dynamic Range Optimisation, creative styles, picture effects and the proven sweep panorama mode help to get the most out of the A68.

Compared to the more expensive A77 II model, the plastic-bodied A68 is clearly built to a more aggressive price-point, with the low-res LCD screen one of the main concessions. It also doesn"t have a magnesium body, 12fps burst mode, 3-way swiveling LCD screen, flash sync socket, or a vertical grip. But if you can live without those features and want to pocket the rather substantial cash saving instead, the A68 is a great SLT camera at a very competitive price.

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