That wonderful LCD screen on the back of your camera is just about useless if you’re shooting outdoors in daylight. Last week during my first location shoot in Santa Fe, I would take a shot, look at the LCD and just laugh because it was so washed out with sunlight you really couldn’t see if there was a photo there or not.
On Friday’s shoot (at Pecos National Historical Park), I remembered that I had been traveling (for the past month or so), with a Hoodman Loupe in my bag, but I had never tried it (since I hadn’t tried it, I kept forgetting I had it). It works like a regular loupe (it hangs from a cord around your neck), but out in the field (in the daylight), you put it over your LCD, and it covers the entire screen; blocking out the light so you can see your screen perfectly. It worked WAY better than than I expected and everybody in my class who tried it out fell in love with it, so I thought I’d pass on my experience with it. (By the way, the Loupe itself is about the same size as a normal loupe and it’s very lightweight–you forget you’re even wearing it).
So, now that I’m sold on it, I have a new philosophy; either I take this Hoodman Loupe with me outdoors, or I turn off my LCD altogether and save the battery life. Here’s the link to their site for more info. Kudos to the people at Hoodman for coming up with such a clever gadget.
