Handy and inexpensive accessory...

[rpcrowe]

My wife was having a terrible time using her Canon Powershot ELPH 100 P&S camera because she cannot see the image in the LCD viewfinder when in the bright sun, especially if the sun is behind her.

I purchased this accessory to help her:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-8X-3-0-LCD...8AAOSwzJ5Xdpmk

The magnetic frame fits on her camera using double stick tape and the viewfinder extender snaps into place and stays there but, is easily removed without the use of tools. Sure it makes the camera a bit bigger which doesn't hurt at all as far as holding the camera steady goes. She seems to like the accessory.

Using the viewfinder really helps me view my images on the LCD of my DSLR cameras. I don't add the magnetic frame. I simply point my camera down and place the accessory on top of the LCD.

Hoodman has been marketing a hood like this for years to fit on DSLR cameras. However, the price has been around $80 USD or so. The viewfinder that I bought my wife for her camera cost $3.77 USD with free shipping from Hong Kong to the USA. The Hoodman hood is a bit more sophisticated but an eighty dollar hood for a fifty dollar camera is overkill

[Dave Humphries]

An interesting device Richard,

For UK members, a search on e-Bay here reveals you can get these for anything between 3 quid including P&P from Hong Kong to fifteen if you want to click and collect from Argos store.

From the pictures, they look identical, no idea if they are though.
Also, whether it would survive being posted from HK is anyone's guess.

Thanks, Dave

PS
I have a Hoodman eye-cup for my regular DSLR viewfinder; the large size because I wear glasses when shooting, but it seriously gets in the way of my fixed LCD screen
... but is good at its intended job.
That wasn't cheap either.

[NorthernFocus]

Looks just like a Hoodman "loupe" that fits over the LCD effectively turning it into a viewfinder. But the Hoodman costs about 20x the one in the link. I bought one years ago but unlike many people I never took to it. I finally sold it a few months back for half what I paid. I don't recommend that as an investment strategy...

[Donald]

Looks just like a Hoodman "loupe" that fits over the LCD effectively turning it into a viewfinder. But the Hoodman costs about 20x the one in the link. I bought one years ago but unlike many people I never took to it. I finally sold it a few months back for half what I paid. I don't recommend that as an investment strategy...

I have a Hoodman as well. I used it a couple of times on my recent trip to Yosemite, but have to confess it is in the category of 'okay, but not essential'.

[rpcrowe]

I have to agree that this hood item is certainly "not essential". This hood is probably not even the ideal thing for shooting video with a DSLR camera that has an articulating LCD.

However, we are speaking of a four dollar (eBay USA) purchase which is less expensive than many of the Starbucks Coffee Drinks that Americans (and many other people) guzzle down by the millions. I will use it to check my images on replay...

I do use a Hoodman OEM shade to shade the LCD of my dedicated Panasonic video camera: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/con...C&A=details&Q=

This works quite well and allows me to see my LCD screen when the sun might have obliterated the picture! It can fold up into quiote a small package when I am not using it and it weighs next to nothing...

On the down side $24.99 USD is fairly expensive but, when measured against how much I have invested in my photo gear overall; it is probably not that pricey. I would guess that the Chinese might come up with a knockoff (they may have already).

A DIY hood is always a possibility: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yr9o7ZClSY0