Viewfinder camera
| ||
|
While virtually all cameras offer some form of viewfinder, viewfinder camera is the common term used to distinguish simpler camera models whose finders lack either reflex viewing or a rangefinder focus device. Instead, a viewfinder camera is one in which an eye-level viewfinder is used only for composing the photo (perhaps with the aid of parallax correction marks for close-ups).
The absence of focusing aids in viewfinder cameras means by necessity they must either be fixed focus or employ guess focusing.
A viewfinder camera that employs autofocus would typically be classed as a point-and-shoot camera. A camera with a waist-level brilliant finder, such as a pseudo TLR, would not typically be grouped with viewfinder cameras, despite the absence of focusing devices.
