OM SYSTEM OLYMPUS VF-4 ViewFinder (Black)

I bought the VF-4 for an Olympus Pen E-P3: updated camera firmware to 1.7, slid on the VF-4 and was propelled into eyeball Nirvana! The 2.36MP display is a knockout: remarkable clarity and the 1.48x magnification is huge, nipping at the heels of a full frame DSLR viewfinder. The clarity of the VF-4 makes it wonderful for stealthy reviewing of images through the viewfinder, e.g., in a dark theatre where you don't want to cause a distraction. The big breakthrough is vastly improved panning performance: the smearing and jumpiness of the VF-2 is mostly gone! I assume this remarkable improvement is due to a faster refresh rate and is a game changer for those interested in panning sports.I love the tilting eyepiece: ideal for shooting in tight spaces, ground level or for stealth. I can see the entire image with sun glasses on, so plenty of eye relief for most eye glass wearers. The knurled diopter adjustment wheel is large and sits on the top right: a quick turn and the viewfinder is tack sharp (I'm nearsighted). The click stops are tight so inadvertent adjustment should be rare. It comes standard with a rubber eyecup, albeit not as deep or comfy as the accessary EP-9 Eyecup for the VF-2.The VF-4 mounts on the hotshot and locks in place. Squeeze a wee button to release it. The lock feels secure although a heavy blow might knock it southbound. To use the VF-4, press the button below the eyepiece to toggle between EVF and LCD. If you have an E-P5, you can use your eye to control toggling! The body shell of the VF-4 is plastic and well finished in a grippy flat black finish. It's so light the camera feels the same with or without it. It is a bit bulky, protruding 3 cm from the top deck and is 20% larger than the VF-2.After a few weeks of use I found a few minor shortcomings. In bright sunlight, performance is similar to the older VF-2: sharp but too contrasty and shadows tend to block up. In dim light it yields a brighter view than reality but at the cost of noise and texture artifacts.The VF-4 is a big step up in image quality over prior EVFs from Olympus and Panasonic. EVF shortfalls are diminishing with each redesign and the current takeaways are inconsequential to most users. It's the best Olympus accessory EVF of 2013 and better than any EVF used in prior camera designs. The VF-4 greatly enhanced performance, enjoyment and ease of use with my E-P3, and that's what counts.

It is expensive and it is contrasty, giving significantly lower image quality than an optical viewfinder. However I find it infinitely preferable to using an LCD screen because it excludes extraneous light and (most importantly) because the dioptric adjustment allows me a clear, sharp image without having to put reading glasses on. I take better pictures with this mounted than I do without it. Some other drawbacks: the swivel adjustment gets floppy after a while, so it won't stay put in any position except locked down. Even that is sort of floppy, there isn't any lock. The rubber eyecup is easy to pull off and hard to put back on. When mounted, this thing makes the camera significantly more bulky; no more putting it in your pocket or even using the Olympus case. And it uses up the camera's only accessory port, so you can't mount a flash, ringlight, wifi transmitter, or any other powered Olympus accessory. But, the camera with viewfinder is still substantially smaller and lighter than any alternative, if you insist on having a viewfinder with dioptric adjustment (which I do).

I have to start this review with a WOW! This viewfinder is amazing!I upgraded my e-pm2 (pen mini 2nd gen) to the latest firmware because I read it needed it. Popped the viewfinder on and that was it! I have a D600 full frame camera and I have easier time getting critical focus with this thing (when manually focusing) than with the optical viewfinder on my D600.This thing has turned my e-pm2 into a serious piece of photography gear, or at least that's the feeling I got when I started using the viewfinder. I often shoot in bright sun and the e-pm2 was sometimes pretty difficult to use despite a decent screen, due to glare and bright sun, with the VF-4 on I can't get enough of composing photos with it.The ability to articulate the viewfinder upwards is marvelous as well, all of a sudden I feel like I am using a Hasselblad! Of all the photography accessories I've purchased over the years, this is by far the most impressive one.The display is bright, sharp and it actually represents great colors, which are true to what the image is like once "developed" in Lightroom. This is a clear advantage EVFs have over OVFs, and that is to represent the image preview in the same medium as the target medium.Some reviews complain about slow update time, I experienced no such issues, I think those are dependent on the camera this EVF is paired with. I was able to track birds in flight with a 300mm lens with no issues. E-PM2 is a quick little performer which has no issues driving this EVF.Couldn't be happier. Highly recommend this to any m4/3 user looking for a ViewFinder.

Product was rated as something like “Very Good” (if memory serves) - could have easily, and truthfully, been rated as ”Like New.” Functions perfectly on my Olympus E-P5 camera and is invaluable in certain shooting situations. Product was delivered in the exact time frame promised.