On Fri, 20 Dec 2002 18:32:26 GMT, stephen.edgar1@ntlworld.com (Stephen Edgar) wrote:

>I recently re-discovered my 'old' Olympus OM2 SLR, and I was amazed
>at how 'big' and 'bright' the image was in the viewfinder. A real
>contrast (excuse the pun!) to the viewfinder on my Minolta Dynax 5.
>Which modern SLR cameras have the the highest viewfinder magnification
>and provides the greatest frame coverage?

Viewfinder characteristics I value (in order) are sharpness
(including both edge/corner sharpness), image contrast,
framing accuracy (including not just percentage of coverage,
but centering and rotation), freedom from linear distortion,
freedom from distracting elements (overlayed info, "focus
aids", patterning, etc.), brightness, isolation from ambient
light and reflections, magnification, and ease of viewing
with glasses... The only camera that satisfies all of the
above is the Nikon F3 with the "low-eyepoint" viewfinder,
though all of the Nikon "F" series (including the F100 [and
I like the finder of the 8008, also]), have excellent
viewfinders - though all look quite different from the
Olympus OM finders...;-)