I have an EOS 300 (Rebel 2000). It does not have a 100% viewfinder in that I get more on film than I see throught the viewfinder. This is a little annoying as I have been taking care to crop out unwanted stuff only to have them appear in the slide/print. I have 2 questions: 1. Is there a simple way of estimating what appears on the film? 2. What EOS bodies have a WYSIWYG viewfinder? Thanks Wei

-- Wen-Wei Chiang (wwchiang@singnet.com.sg), September 30, 1999

Answers

The only EOS cameras with 100% viewfinders are the EOS 1, EOS 1n and EOS 1n RS.

I believe all others have a 92% viewfinder. With a bit of practice you can estimate the amount of unseen information that will be included. But it is at best and estimation. And you're right, it's frustrating.

-- Joseph A. Dickerson (JADphoto@aol.com), September 30, 1999.

Don't let this minor inconvenience dampen your enthusiasm for taking pictures, for it is only a problem for tight or precise compositions where some otherwise distracting element should be avoided. In those cases, get in the habit of moving in a little closer (or zoom in just a bit more if using zoom lenses) to help ensure your desired composition. As others have said, practice with test shots to get an "eyeball" feel for how much you should move in or zoom in. Learn to use your camera "thusly", and you will be the better photographer for having done so (and you'll then have to break yourself of this compensatory habit when you are ready for a more expensive camera with greater viewfinder coverage).

-- kurt heintzelman (heintzelman.1@osu.edu), September 30, 1999.

FWIW, the rest of the EOS line isn't 92% coverage:

• Rebel 2000/G:  90%V    90%H @0.70X
• Elan II/E:         90%V & nbsp; 92%H @0.71X
• A2/E:          & nbsp;   94%V   92%H  @0.073X
• EOS 3:           &n bsp;97%V   97%H  @0.72X
• 1N/RS:            100%V  100%H @0.72X

-- Scott (bliorg@yahoo.com), October 01, 1999.