What is so good about a B&W viewfinder?

[Joel Ruggiero]

I have noticed that the dvcams like the pd 150 and 170 have B&w viewfinders. I know they have higher resolution but I cant see why someone would want a black and white viewfinder. I shoot 90% of my footy with the viewfinder with my gl2 and if it wasn't color I don't think I could get my settings right to get the true color and other things. This might be a weird question but I am thinking about getting a pd170 this upcoming summer (just ot be sure i get a good serial #) and was wondering if the vf is a benefit or not.

[Frank Granovski]

B&W viewfinders are easier to focus with.

[Nicholi Brossia]

I, as well as many professionals, prefer the b&w viewfinder for two reasons, both specific to lighting. Color tends to trick your eye into seeing improper lighting. Yellow looks substantially brighter than dark blue even though their exposures may be equal. With a b&w viewfinder, the colors don't distract your eye for light balance.
A b&w viewfinder also allows for a more crisp focus. From what I understand this is also due to how our eyes see, and tend to not distinguish between, colors. So the b&w tone provides a more distinguishable difference between objects on screen.

Keep in mind this is just the way I see it, but there are probably a handful of others who will agree as well as disagree. You make a good point with using the color viewfinder to properly adjust color, which is a very big part of picture quality. Many times, professionals use an additional, calibrated video monitor to keep track of color. Using a monitor is way too expensive for me, so I would love to see a camcorder with color lcd and b&w viewfinder.

[Ken Tanaka]

See my FU-1000 review for some additional remarks.

[Charles Papert]

B&W viewfinders are CRT's, while color viewfinders are LCD's. CRT's inherently have better resolution and contrast than LCD's, particularly in this application. If you were to turn the color off of your color LCD (making it black and white), it wouldn't improve either of these factors. It's the CRT that makes the difference.

[Jean-Philippe Archibald]

If you were to turn the color off of your color LCD (making it black and white), it wouldn't improve either of these factors. It's the CRT that makes the difference.

Based on this, is there exist color CRT viewfinder? Perhaps on higher end cameras?

[Robert Knecht Schmidt]

A color CRT would defeat the purpose, since in a color CRT twice the number of phosphors are dedicated to rendering chrominance as luminance--a major sacrifice of sharpness.

If you're not using a manual-focus lens, a B&W viewfinder won't benefit you any.

I think Nicholi is making the argument that LCD viewfinders don't have the luminance dynamic range that a CRT has. I'm not sure how particularly important that is since the recorded luminance dynamic range of DV is not larger than that of an LCD display.

[Nicholi Brossia]

I've heard that from a couple news videographers. I do prefer b&w for lighting, but sometimes I end up trying so hard to get it perfect, I imagine things. That's why I added that disclaimer at the bottom. Either way, I'll stick to it.

[Shawn Mielke]

I just like to have the choice of being able to see my image in either color or b/w. For me, it has more to do with being able to see something a couple of different ways, that's useful.

[Joel Ruggiero]

thanks for the info guys

[Mike Rehmus]

The B&W viewfinder has around 800 or more lines of resolution and is fed from the front-end of the camera, not post the recording electronics (called E to E in Sony-Speak). It also has a Peaking circuit that really lets you know when the image is in focus. Even in poor conditions. Plus a brightness and frequently a contrast control.

Typically, the CRT in a pro finder is also much larger than that of a LCD display in an amateur or prosumer camera. A good pro viewfinder will have at least a 1 inch CRT and many have 1.5" or larger. This makes a great difference.

The B&W displays in the PD150/170 are LCD panels without the RGB filters. So they, in theory, have 3 X the resolution. Certainly they are easier to focus with (and more accurate) than attempting to focus with the LCD side panels.

Once you have tried a pro finder, it will be difficult to go back to the LCD variety.

Oh, and Zebra patterns are easier to use too. With a high-res finder, having both a 70 and 100 percent zebra displayed concurrently is very useable.

[Dave Largent]

I've used both the VX2000 finder and the PD170.
Without comparing side-by-side, I didn't see much
advantage to the PD B&W. I don't know if anyone
else has noticed this, but it seems that the
increased magnification of the 170 finder
seems to bounce more light around inside
the finder, decreasing contrast.
A bigger advantage to the PD over the VX
is that the cam isn't constantly powering
down.

[Dan Uneken]

I have had MAJOR problems finding a red flower in a green field using a BW viewfinder. If I'm shooting color I need to see the image in color just as it will be recorded, otherwise I'm missing tons of important information needed to make important decisions. I guess it depends also how much time you have to set up your shot. If I have to get rolling fast, I want to see color.

[Charles Papert]

It's an excellent point, Dan. Many years ago I shot a gardening video in which I had to follow the host around with Steadicam as she pointed out various perennials, dromedaries and xylophones (then as now, I know nothing about varieties of flora!) My best guesses were listening to her color description, and as I would be zooming in to area she seemed to be pointing I would have to look up, locate the flower that I hoped was the right one by eye (so I could see the color), take a sort of of mental snapshot of the shape and textures of the surrounding area and then switch my gaze back to the monochrome monitor as the zoom continued and steer it to the matching area. My accuracy was acceptable, but not uncanny. Color viewing would certainly have helped in this instance.

However, all good TV-style shooters gain the ability to "find focus" as they are zooming in on a given shot, taking their cues from the high-res B&W viewfinder; as the shot begins to soften in the zoom, they will start focusing, watching to see if they go slightly too far the other way and adjusting accordingly. If done properly, the slight "buzzing" is imperceptible and the shot appears to maintain focus all the way through (this assumes that one was unable to do the standard zoom in/focus/zoom out before the shot started due to run and gun shooting conditions). I personally have found that color LCD's, whether flip out or viewfinder (even worse), do not deliver enough resolution for the above method; you don't get enough instant feedback about the subtlety of focus to make instaneous, minute adjustments.

The BEST of all situations is a good quality optical viewfinder such as does not exist in the DV world, sadly! Those who have grown up with 35mm SLR still cameras can attest to the delights of full color viewing coupled with the fine resolution afforded by a good ground glass. That's what you get with motion picture cameras, and fortunately the very latest crop of HD cameras (the Arri Metavision D-20 for one) retains this important feature.

[Dan Uneken]

I'm a stills guy originally. Nothing beats the stereoscopic view of the naked ground glass on a Hasselblad or a Mamiya! You always have to shut one eye to come back down to the 2-dimensional world of photography.
Charles, do you think, when all film will have disappeared, they will make optical viewfinders on high-end digital cameras? Suppose so...