In article
>I wouldn't be so concerned about not having one. It's extremely >difficult to critically judge DOF visually through the viewfinder.
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You are correct. But there are other uses for the DOF preview:
In addition to "Phearless Photog"'s comment about evaluating lighting
(it is easy, when viewing with the lens stopped down, to get an idea of what parts of the photo will drop into blackness in the photo, and
what parts may have a problem with overexposure), it is useful to
view through the stopped down lens to judge the image graphic characteristics (design), and (at various apertures) to see what kind
of textural quality out of focus areas of the photo have. Photos look
different at different apertures, and the only useful ways to make
decisions about how you want the photo to look is either by taking
a bunch of photos at different apertures, or by using the DOF preview.
(The DOF button choice is easier ;-)
Hope This Helps