DSLR Live View: pros, cons and how to use it for sharp photos

So you’ve got a DSLR and it has this great feature called Live View. Have you ever really got to know how to use your DSLR Live View or when is a good time to use it for sharp photos?

That’s what we’re looking at today.

Benefits and disadvantages of DSLR Live View

I’ll be honest, Live View is something that I completely overlooked for a long time. I was used to looking through the optical viewfinder of my camera, so couldn’t see the benefits of using it.

But I’ve found that sometimes using Live View is the better option. The first time I used it I was photographing  in low light and my camera was struggling to lock focus when composing through the viewfinder. I changed to Live View and boom, it locked focus no problem!

So after that I decided to get to know how to use my DSLR Live View better. I figured if it worked better in low light, there must be other things that Live View could do better than the standard way of shooting with a DSLR.

I’m not saying Live View is the only way to go. Far from it and I cover the disadvantages of Live View as well, after my list of benefits.

What is Live View on a DSLR?

Live View is the alternative (electronic) viewfinder to using the (optical) viewfinder on a DSLR camera you’d normally use.

Even though Live View is different, you can still do what you would normally do when using your optical viewfinder. You can:

• Alter exposure settings
• Compose an image
• Take the photo

The difference is that you do it by viewing the LCD screen on the back of a DSLR, the electronic viewfinder, versus the optical viewfinder you’d usually use. So, with Live View, you can also:

• Preview the image to see what it will look like BEFORE you take the photo

Sounds good? Well there are pros and cons to using a DSLR’s electronic viewfinder vs optical viewfinder, so let’s take a closer look.

BENEFITS of using DSLR Live View

The benefits of the electronic viewfinder of a DSLR can be split into two categories:

1. Focus
2. Image preview

Let’s look at them in detail. When and why would you use an electronic viewfinder vs optical viewfinder?

1. Focus in Live View

This is the main reason why Live View can sometimes be better.

DSLR cameras with Live View have two ways of focusing. Without getting all technical (I’ll save that for another article on focus), they are:

• Phase detection – how your DSLR focuses when you shoot using the viewfinder
• Contrast detection – how your DSLR focuses in Live View

I mentioned earlier about switching to Live View in low light to lock focus. That’s because contrast detection literally is that – the camera detects contrast between light and dark and uses that to focus.

6 benefits of focusing in Live View:

a) Zooming
b) Tap to focus
c) Focus anywhere
d) Sharp focus
e) Capture unusual angles
f) You’re not hidden behind the camera

a) Zooming in to part of the image

Live View is great for being able to zoom in on a part of the scene to ensure that it’s in sharp focus. 

On DSLRs with touch screen capability it is really easy as it works just like it would on your phone.

On others you can use the menu to set a button to enable zooming right in in one click during Live View, or you can zoom in incrementally the usual way you would.

Photography that benefits from close ups in Live View

Macro – you can use 5x or 10x zoom easily to get in close and make sure that your subject is sharp and the focus is where you want it.

b) Tap to focus

Speaking of touch screens, on DSLRs with touch screens you can simply tap the screen to focus where you want.

If you don’t have a touch screen DSLR, you can still move the focus point around the same way you would if you were using the viewfinder to compose a shot.

c) Focus anywhere

A huge benefit of using Live View is that you’re not restricted to where in the image you can focus. In Live View you can place your focus point right at the edge of the screen!

d) Sharp focus

Because the mirror is locked up, there’s less vibration when you push the shutter, so you cut down on camera shake. 

To help further, on some DSLRs you can set an exposure delay and also electronic front curtain shutter to completely cut out camera movement when photographing with your DSLR mounted on a tripod.

You can adjust both these settings via the menu.

When to use mirror lock

Use the mirror lock live view feature for landscape photography to achieve sharp focus without the need for a remote release.

e) Capture unusual angles

Using Live View helps you to photograph from really low down while still being able to see the screen. You can get an even lower viewpoint if you have a flip screen. 

In fact, if you have a flip screen you can use Live View to get shots from all kinds of angles that wouldn’t be possible if shooting through the viewfinder (without just shooting and praying that you get a good shot).

f) You’re not hidden behind the camera

If you use Live View you can get out from behind the camera, which is great for maintaining a connection with your subject. Or even if you just need to see what’s going on around you while you photograph.

Photography that benefits from viewing the LCD

Portraiture (especially headshots) – with face detection turned on in matrix metering mode (Nikon) or evaluative metering mode (Canon).

Obviously, if this is the case, you’d need to mount your camera on a tripod to keep it in position.

2. Image preview in Live View

Aside from focus, the ability to preview your image is a huge benefit of using Live View on a DSLR. There are 7 image preview benefits:

a) Depth of field is easy to see
b) Composition preview
c) Exposure preview
d) Exposure compensation visible
e) Black and white photography view
f) White balance settings are visible
g) Crop ratio is visible

a) Depth of field is easy to see

Live view is much better when using the depth of field preview button than with your camera’s viewfinder. In Live View mode you can actually see if your depth of field is as narrow or deep as you’d want.

As you change the settings, you’ll see the depth of field change.

Perfect if blurring the background is important to you. Or conversely, if you want to make sure that everything’s sharp from front to back.

b) Composition preview

Just like when using the viewfinder to view a scene, you can have grids overlayed on the scene in Live View feed to help with photography composition, particularly the rule of thirds.

Grids are a great way of ensuring that your camera is straight too so that you don’t have a wonky horizon. 

Being able to see the image in the viewfinder you often see what you might miss when looking through the optical viewfinder.

c) Exposure preview

In live view you can see what your image will look like, so you can judge if the exposure is right before you take the shot and make the necessary changes if needed.

d) Exposure compensation is visible

Live View is also really handy for using exposure compensation (for example when photographing in snow or on a sandy beach)! 

Instead of guessing how much exposure compensation you need to set, you can see it in Live View and make the necessary adjustments.

e) Black and white photography view

Did you know you can actually view a scene in black and white on your camera’s live view?

This makes it so much easier if you’re not used to thinking in black and white. In fact, it’s a great way to get used to seeing in black and white so that you can learn black and white photography.

Just remember to shoot in RAW if you do this so that your DSLR records all the color information as well. This will give you the option later on the computer to use either black and white or color versions of your images.

If your camera is set to JPEG format instead, the image will be captured in black and white, stripped of color.

f) White balance settings are visible

The same goes for white balance settings. Save yourself some time and see ahead of taking the shot what the image will look like.

On some cameras there may be an extra step to seeing the image in Live View as it would be recorded with your settings. For my Nikon, Live View preview is simply a matter of pressing the OK button while in Live View to switch previewing on and off.

g) Crop ratio is visible

On some cameras you can also set the photo’s crop ratio, which is really handy if you can set it to square for example. This way you know that you’ve got the image you want, rather than shooting wide and then cropping in afterwards on the computer (and hoping that you got it right).

Basically, you’re cutting out the guesswork using Live View on a DSLR.

That’s a lot of benefits! It’s enough to make you wonder why you’re not already using Live View all the time!

DISADVANTAGES of DSLR Live View

But hold on a minute. There are some disadvantages to using Live View as well. So let’s take a look at them before you completely change how you photograph.

Admittedly, the disadvantages list shorter than the benefits list, but these 5 points are enough to significantly reduce how often I used Live View. They are:

a) Battery life is shorter
b) Capturing moving subjects is more difficult
c) Focus can be slow
d) Camera shake
e) Difficulty seeing the screen

a) Battery life is shorter

Live View uses up batteries faster than when shooting the standard way on a DSLR. 

If you’re not planning on a long shoot, or on taking lots of photos, then this shouldn’t be a problem. Just be aware of it and make sure that your battery is fully charged before setting out.

b) Capturing moving subjects is more difficult

In Live View the mirror is locked in the up position and only drops down when you take a shot. After taking a photo it’ll lock up again and go back to Live View.

This is fine if the subject isn’t moving, but can be difficult if it is. Live View therefore makes tracking fast moving subjects tricky at best.

c) Focus can be slow

While Live View is great for focusing in low light and for ensuring that your image is sharp, locking focus takes longer than when composing through the optical viewfinder. 

The electronic viewfinder can sometimes hunt before locking on.

d) Camera shake

Speaking of movement, because of how you hold a DSLR when using Live View (i.e. holding the camera with your arms stretched out) your camera isn’t supported. 

This could result in camera shake. It certainly would with me as I need all the help I can get to support my camera. When composing through the optical viewfinder, having your arms close to your body and the camera resting against your forehead as well offers much more stability.

This is the biggest reason I don’t use Live View much. It would be impractical for me during a portrait shoot, because of how I photograph.

For a headshot session where the subject doesn’t move around a lot, it’s different. In fact, Live View would be ideal with the camera mounted on a tripod.

e) Difficulty seeing the screen

Indoors it’s easy to see the screen. Outside in bright sunlight, however, it can be very difficult to see the display screen on a DSLR. 

In bright sunshine you lose all the benefits of Live View as you’ll struggle to see the screen clearly to make the exposure decisions required. You can, however, fix this by buying an LCD hood to fit to the back of the camera to view the screen.

How to switch to Live View

The thing about Live View is that it varies so much from brand to brand, even within brands the different models seem to function differently. Nikon Live View in particular varies hugely from camera to camera.

One thing they all have in common though, is that it is an easy switch – usually just a matter of selecting the Live View button on your DSLR.

Sometimes the Live View button is just a button. Other times it’s a button and a switch. It will either:

• Be a button or switch labelled “live view” or “Lv”
• or have a picture of a camera and may also have a button saying “start stop” or “live view” or “Lv”.

If you can’t see a Live View button or switch on the back or top of your DSLR,  look in your manual for the Live View settings for your particular camera.

It’s really easy to use once you have Live View switched on. Aside from looking at the scene in a different way and being able to zoom in and maybe focus by touching the screen, operating your camera is the same as normal.

Leave a comment

If you have any questions about DSLR Live View, let us know in the comments.

Also, I love good news, so if my Live View camera tips have helped you to understand using an electronic viewfinder vs optical viewfinder, share that too.