Canon EOS M3 – Screen and viewfinder
The articulated touchscreen can tilt upwards, forwards, and 45° downwards
With no built-in viewfinder, most M3 owners will rely on the rear LCD. Thankfully, this is sharp and detailed, with pretty accurate colour rendition. The on-screen displays are clear and offer plenty of exposure information, and it’s possible to cycle through various levels of detail, along with an SLR-like control panel display showing the main settings on an otherwise-blank screen that works best when using the EVF.
At its standard brightness setting the screen is a bit too dim for shooting in bright sunlight, but turn it up to maximum and it works just fine. In low light you get the opposite problem, as the screen doesn’t adjust down in brightness, making images look brighter than they really are. It is therefore wise to pay heed to the live histogram as a guide to whether you should apply any exposure compensation. Unfortunately, while Canon includes a very useful RGB histogram display, it takes up so much on-screen real estate that your actual subject becomes difficult to see. This is a pity, as the histogram screen also displays a two-axis electronic level, which isn’t shown on any others.
The optional EVF-DC1 slides onto the hot shoe
For those who prefer an eye-level finder, it’s possible to use the EVF-DC1 that costs £250 separately or can be bought in kits with the EOS M3. It slots onto the hotshoe, can tilt 90° upwards and has an eye sensor for automatic switchover from the LCD. The 2.36-million-dot OLED panel is sharp and detailed, and the view is a decent enough size, similar to the optical finders of APS-C DSLRs or the built-in EVFs in mid-range CSCs. The deep, hard rubber eyecup is great at shielding the eyepiece if you don’t wear glasses, but can be a little awkward if you do.
