I didn’t know I’d miss the optical viewfinder until I lost it. When I moved from DSLR to mirrorless a few years ago, I thought the transition would be seamless. Similar lenses, better tech, smaller body. But losing that simple glass window into the world changed how I saw through the camera. The EVF never gave me the same connection. It felt clever, sure, but also strangely confining.
Now, I barely touch it. I compose almost everything on the rear screen. Not because the EVF isn’t good, modern ones are bright, sharp, and responsive, but because I see the frame better when my eye isn't pressed against a tiny rectangle. With the screen, I see the whole photograph at once, almost like looking at a print. I can stand back slightly, see edges, and balance the composition without darting my eye around the frame.
