@chuck_wolf
Playing devil’s advocate and just asking; why is it necessary to preview image at all?
5D MKIV and I’m all viewfinder whether it’s landscapes, weddings or real estate. When I flip to video projects, 100% LCD (no option, the auto-focus for video is on the touchscreen, lol). Got first SLR in '85, never will be rear LCD guy. I need a viewfinder on my iPhone, lol.
They make hoods that somehow attach to your LCD, probably with a sticky frame. This were popular when the video craze hit like a tsunami. Just found this one on Adorama. 
If I am considering intentionally under or over exposing the subject or if I think the particular lighting might fool the meter, then it is sometimes helpful to see a preview of how the image is going to look at a particular setting.
I use the viewfinder to review images, especially outside.
Except when shooting ground-level subjects I never use the LCD, then the articulating LCD is handy and better than laying in mud or water. In bright light it’s almost impossible for me to see anything on an LCD, besides which with my aging eyes I can’t focus on the LCD without my trifocals and I can’t walk in the woods with them on. How anyone can find a distant subject through a telephoto lens when handholding while using an LCD is beyond me.
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I would have to say I use the viewfinder more than the LCD, but I definitely use both. I use the viewfinder whenever possible. I find that it is helpful in eliminating all other distractions when composing and I feel I have a better connection to the scene when composing in this manner. The LCD comes in handy when fine tuning focus with the magnification feature after mounting on the tripod (much like popping out the magnifying glass on some medium format slr or tlr viewers). I also rely on the LCD when photographing at night (starry landscapes and such). Like a lot of the responders here, I got started on 35mm SLRs, so I’ve been accustomed to viewfinders from the beginning. I’m sure that sways my opinion in some way, opposed to someone who started with digital and always had the option. In that case, I can see how using the LCD would be very comparable to veiwing the ground glass on a LF field camera, minus the dark cloth of course.
I use neither the view finder nor the lcd. I use the iPhone as a portable frame in evaluating compositions. Once found I set up the camera at that exact position. That’s primary because the camera has become too heavy.
I’m late to the party (as usual) and haven’t posted on here in so long I can’t remember, but this is a very good question. I actually had to stop and think, and realized that since I always shoot a range of exposures (changing shutter speed as many do), I never look at the LCD for the image since I’ve already got it composed using the viewfinder. However, I gawk at the LCD with each exposure to look at the Histogram in RGB mode to make sure I’ve not missed the exposure I was after. RGB mode isn’t terribly important with landscape images, but it’s when I do the odd portrait session that the red channel becomes crucial. Good question, made me have to think!
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Hi PaulD, Thanks for responding. Thanks for saying it’s a good question. It’s funny but about the only time I use the LCD is to compose a shot when I’m shooting portraits and I only do it then if shooting in a studio environment.
Being an older (age) non-digital shooter I am just used to using the viewfinder and since I use Sony A99M2 and A77M2 (translucent mirror) I have capability of display the histogram in the EVF if I wish. However, I don’t often even do that because I rely on the old film rules of thumb for setting exposure. I also don’t chimp much either because I still like waiting to see the frame after it’s developed (imported) into Lightroom Classic or sometimes viewed first in ACR or Bridge prior to import to Lightroom Classic. It’s like waiting for the prints to come back from the lab. Theres just something about the anticipation waiting to see if I captured the correct exposure and composition. I like the surprise of it all. Hope I made sense.
Sincere Regards
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I only use the Viewfinder. I can’t see enough detail on the LCD to compose a shot particularly in bright light. I will likely always and forever use the viewfinder. It’s WAY more intimate and I feel like I’m immersing myself in the image. Even after I take the shot I look at it through the viewfinder.
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I use both. Usually find the composition in the viewfinder, but then open the LCD and check the composition again. I find both give slightly different visual information. In my Canon 5d IV, the autofocus is more accurate in the LCD than the viewfinder and I love just touching the spot I want to be the focus point rather than fiddling with a dial to move the focus point.
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I use both but for landscapes the LCD is really great as it allows me to just touch focus points and make it very easy to do a focus stack when needed.
I will use the LCD for checking exposure after a photograph but I always use the view finder when shooting. I am just old fashioned I guess.
I always use the viewfinder for most highly active subjects. However, for wildflowers and resting insects, the LCD comes in handy because I can zoom in to check and refine focus. …Jim
I don’t have camera with touch screen. Probably wouldn’t use it much even if I did but I’m sure it’s useful.
I use the right tool for the job. Viewfinder when it makes sense, which it does for a lot of hand-holding and some tripod work, especially when there is reflection on the back panel. The screen when it makes sense, which it does for a lot of macro work, especially focus bracketing where the initial focus point is so critical. Using the touch screen and the pin-point focus area means I can be exact. Because it swivels and tilts, it also keeps me from having to hunch or lay down for these low angle shots. Ditto for any time the camera goes over my head - either on my giant Manfrotto or handheld - it tilts down so I can compose. I’ve also successfully composed images with the camera far to one side of me with the screen facing back - useful for putting the camera in a river or a stream and staying on a rock and dry. I also sometimes use the touch screen as a shutter button, which reduces vibration and is immediate if light is changing and I don’t have my cable release with me. Normally in tripod mode I have a 2-second shutter delay built into my settings, but if light or the subject is changing quickly, it can be an issue. The screen also has a virtual panel of function buttons that are useful for quick access to things like bracketing, DOF preview, curves adjustment and high-resolution capture.
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