Viewfinder a big plus for me

Viewfinders are becoming a thing of the past in digital cameras, replaced by increased LCD screen size and smaller camera bodies. Since I like viewfinders for many uses, I was really disappointed during fairly extensive camera shopping.

Most cameras with viewfinders have such small ones as to be useless for composition, and also have gone to electronic viewfinders with poor resolution. To "see" and preview an artistic shot through them is nearly impossible.

I wanted a sizable viewfinder in my digital camera, not just a LCD screen, and the H5 was the best in its class. You're still looking through an electronic viewfinder rather than an optical one—a definate step down—but the H5's is easily the clearest resolution among its competitors.

It took me a while to find the adjustment wheel under the eyepiece (at first, I thought my camera was defective), and occasionally have had to re-adjust it (takes just an instant). But I'm generally very happy with it, given its poor competition from other cameras of its class and virtually all camera brands and models cheaper than it.

On a bright day, it's the viewfinder that is my first choice. And with my eyesight no longer 20-20, I don't have to hold the camera a ways away to focus on the LCD screen, particularly if I'm taking a lot of photos.

I still use the LCD for many shots, and it's terrific as well, both for shooting and for review.

The steady shot feature has also been very successful for me. I've just returned from a vacation in Asia, and I'm stunned at how clear my telephoto shots are, or my regular shots when I zoom in on them on the computer.

Like some users, I have experienced my thumb nudging the zoom button every so often when I have the photo framed just so, and it's annoying. But the zoom works very fast, so to re-correct the setting only takes a second. It's a learned behavior to keep the thumb off, I suppose.

When traveling, I found just about all camera cases cumbersome, since I like to have my camera with me nearly all the time while on vacation. I used to like my small digital camera which would fit on my belt and I wouldn't have to have something dangling from my shoulder all the time. For the trip, I finally settled on a snug fanny pack, which I padded with a sock in the bottom. It kept the camera secure, quick to retrieve, and kept me hands free. I don't imagine my method to be great for everyone, and I do have a camera case for when the camera is not going to be on a day-long outing, but it was perfect for my use. Worked good the day we bicycled, too.