Product review: Sony FDA-EV1S Electronic Viewfinder for NEX-5N Digital Camera

I purchased Sony NEX 5N this fall and overall enjoyed the camera (see my review for details). The one issue I had with the camera was ability to see the LCD screen in the sun, but I knew this OLED view finder was coming and hoped it would resolve the issue. I received it yesterday and I am very pleased!

Note that this viewfinder is only compatible with Sony NEX 5N, and it is not compatible with Sony NEX-3C.  I owned NEX-3C briefly and traded it in for NEX 5N for exactly this reason.

The OLED display is very clear. Not only does it help me to see the image perfectly, it also allows me to see text and numbers better as it has a control that allows you to adjust it to your eyesight. I am slightly far sighted and was able to get the display perfectly calibrated to my eyesight. The adjustment can go much higher and lower, so I know it will continue to work if my eyesight changes.

The OLED display has to be attached/removed to the camera while the camera is turned off. Once you connect it, there is a lock screw that holds it down. One of my concerns was that I could easily knock the viewfinder out of the connector while using the camera, but with a screw down mechanism there is no danger of that. The eyepiece if firmly in place while I pressed on it with my eye.

The eye piece can be adjust in many different positions so you can place it at different angles depending on how you need to hold the camera, so it works much better than the fixed position eye piece. I am attaching several photos showing the angles of the view finder to the camera. The two photos in this review show the different positions of the viewfinder. I left the camera's lens cap in the photo for size reference.

The OLED display comes with an end cap which protects the connector and soft cloth bag, which protects it from scratches.

The instructions recommend that the OLED view finder is always transported separately from the camera to avoid damage to the connectors.

There is a button which controls whether the LCD screen is on or off when the view finder is attached. The options are to have the display in both view finder and LCD screen or either of one of the two. I found having both on is handy when you want to use the screen to control the location of the focus. Auto focus prefers the center of the camera, and I often like off-center focused images for better composition. Even in the sun I can see the general area of where I want the focus to be, and then I look into the view finder for the final shot composition. Since the camera gives feedback to where the focus is located (the green square) I can confirm that my touch screen operation did what I wanted it to do. It is not a perfect solution for focus override but it works.

If you wear glasses it possible to remove the rubber eyepiece cup from the unit, but I did not find this to be an issue when I tried using the camera with my eyeglasses on.

OLED view finder is very sensitive to water. More sensitive the camera without the view finder. If you don't have a rain jacket for the camera, it is best not to use the view finder in the rain.

I LIKE

1. Clear image which I can see in the sun
2. Has diopter adjustment for perfect eyesight calibration
3. Lock screw holds it firmly in place
4. Allows me to control when I want LCD on (for touch screen focus control) and off (for battery power savings)

I DON'T LIKE

1. The price

Overall, it makes the camera much better for my use and I recommend it.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.


Ali Julia review ★★★★★