Monday 25 February 2019

live view - How bad is the EVF/LCD lag on the Sony A37?



While searching for info about Sony SLT-A37 shutter lag (good results btw), I also read this question: Disadvantages of electronic viewfinders. There Itai said in a comment about the lag between action in front of camera and seeing it in EVF:



As stated, the lag is only a concern for action photography. Some are better than others. (...) Again, we are talking in the 10ths of a second, so not problematic for mostly still subjects.



So, my question is about this Viewfinder / Live View lag. Is there an internet site that has tested this lag? A search found the shutter lag test results easily enough, but no luck with this other kind of lag.



Answer



I own a Sony A77 SLT camera.
I am an 'avid' photographer. As well as well composed and static shots I enjoy pushing the camera to its limits in various ways including situations where correct timing of shutter release is critical. Overall I am happy with the tradeoffs that come from the EVF system.


I am long accustomed to taking action shots with motion in them - either of moving objects, or photos from vehicles and similar. On occasions after taking a photo I notice that the image captured and what I was 'frozen' on the EVF display vary noticeably - there can be a distinct and sudden "jump" in the displayed image a small fraction of a second post capture. I do not know what conditions cause this to happen and I have been unable to replicate it in simple tests. I do not think it is a predominantly low light phenomena.


Despite the above, I do not ever feel that I am losing shots due to display lag or other similar aspects. I do not recall the above post capture jump ever resulting in a lost shot that would have otherwise succeeded. I'll keep a 'watching brief' on this, and if I learn more that's useful will update this answer.



Overall I am extremely happy with the abilities of the A700 as a "picture making system". I also use a Nikon D700 whose low light capabilities are significantly superior to those of the A77. Despite this, my camera of choice if I have to take only one with me is the A77. This is not related to the 12 vs 24 megapixel difference but essentially solely due to the ability of the constant live view (rear LCD & viewfinder), display reflecting actual result (unless disabled) and general responsiveness to better allow me to capture the photos I want to how I want them in dynamic real-life situations. (THe A77's articulating viewfinder is a very nice bonus). If there are viewfinder lag effects at work they do not diminish the overall experience to the extent that what was at one time essentially Nikon's flagship camera (now dated) becomes the better choice for me.


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