The lists of best-selling cameras seem dominated by retro-styled digital models. But while there are plenty of SLR-inspired cameras, there’s one feature that I would really like to see return in a serious digital camera: the waist-level finder.
Waist-level finders or viewfinders aren’t completely non-existent on modern digital cameras. There’s the cheap toy camera Chuzhao. On the other end of the spectrum, the Hasselblad CFV 100C digital back can be used to convert some film cameras to digital, including some with waist-level finders. But I haven’t yet come across a modern digital camera with a waist-level finder that sits at a price somewhere between a toy and medium format.
Film-inspired digital cameras are among the trendiest cameras that range from high-end models to simple compacts. In a world where gorgeous cameras like the Nikon Zf, Fujifilm X100VI, OM System OM-3, and Fujifilm X Half exist, it seems entirely possible that there’s a market for a retro digital camera with a waist-level finder.
The reason that the camera I’m dreaming of doesn’t yet exist probably comes down to the fact that photographers can sort of replicate the waist-level shooting with any digital camera that has a tilting LCD screen. It’s possible to shoot from the waist by tilting the screen to face up on any number of tilt-screen digital cameras. Then there are the cameras with tilting viewfinders, like the Sony FX2, but these aren't really designed for use away from the eye like a waist-level finder.
Shooting from the waist isn’t just for nostalgia. When photographing children, I find many of them have a hard time looking my direction with a camera in front of my face – and the tilting LCD screens work for both interacting with kids and taking photos at their eye level.
Cheap hotshoe waist-level finders can be added to many cameras. But these are true optical viewfinders that need to be matched to a specific focal length and don’t always provide an accurate preview of what the camera sees.
A hybrid waist-level viewfinder would balance the best of both digital and classic cameras. Take the viewfinder on the Fujifilm X-Pro3, for example. The X-Pro3 viewfinder has an electronic mode, but it also has an optical viewfinder with digital overlays. The X-Pro’s hidden LCD screen is also designed for waist-level shooting. I can envision a waist-level finder with a hybrid design doing very well.
If the Chazhao twin-lens lookalike that reached Amazon bestseller status despite toy-like specs is any indication, there’s a market for a charming retro camera with a waist-level finder. Retro cameras like the Fujifilm X Half and Yashica FX-D series are more about the experience of shooting than the image quality. A waist-level finder would create an even more unique retro shooting experience.
Retro camera designers of the world, if you’re reading this, I’d love to see a retro digital camera inspired by the waist-level finder film cameras of the past.
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