As above, transitioning from 2 decades of DSLR to Mirrorless underwater (have used Mirrorless on land for 6 or so years so comfortable).

Generally on my DSLR setup underwater and on land mirrorless i use the screen to shot the settings and menus but then look through the OVF/EVF to compose and take the image.

This isnt going to work now underwater as the face detection means i have the choice of screen OR EVF but not both or a different function on each.

What are people generally using? EVF for everything or screen?

Im aware i can map a button to toggle between but that sounds fiddly for each shot.

EVF 100% of the time. It is a huge win of the mirrorless designs.

• At least on Nikon, the EVF has two modes

  • Enhanced view - basically night vision that boosts the exposure of what you SEE (default)

  • Effect of Settings - WYSIWYG for cameras. Shows the effect of shutter and ISO on ambient lights. Amazing for wide angle natural light and exposing for the background water.

• After taking a shot the Preview is in the EVF, not the screen.

  • Shoot

  • Review

  • You don't need to move your head, rig, or disturb the subject or environment to look at the screen

These two things alone make the Mirrorless upgrade worth the cost. Add a 45deg viewfinder and it's perfection.

If i remember you started using the Canon R7 I have assigned the star button on the camera very easy to toggle from view finder to rear screen .

On my Sony there is a lever on the housing that selects VF or screen. I bought a used 45 degree Nauticam VF and used it for a couple of years until one day I realized I care nothing about macro and prefer the screen. Yes, I agree, especially for macro, a VF allows more precise framing and focus check. But, I do not care. I sold the 45 degree VF and my new Canon rig is screen only. The VF also seems to use more battery, noticeably so on the Sony IMO. I do not have auto-review set on either of my cameras. I prefer to just press the review button. I may not review every shot.

Edited 6 hours ago6 hr by Nemrod

Don't need the rear screen UW, most models have a programmable time that it will display the shot you just took through the EVF and you can instantly get back to live view with a half press of shutter. So it flashes up the photo taken and you can very quickly see if the strobes hit etc. all without taking your eye from the viewfinder. Mine is programmed to show the previous shot for 1/2 second, enough to see the strobes went off and were bright enough. You hit the review button for a closer look.

I use the EVF for WA and macro. If you use a 45° viewfinder you have an adjustable diopter - don't know what your eyesight is like but if you use reading glasses I find the rear screen pretty useless as I can't focus on it properly. I don't need glasses yet to be able to read computer and gauges etc, but telling if a pic is sharp or not isn't easy on the screen but straight forward on the EVF.

EVF plusses generally outweigh the minuses, but it’s an adjustment. Dynamic range for one, auto-adjusting so you can’t ballpark how bright it actually is without taking your face off the camera for another. On the 5d4 I could see that it was dark through the viewfinder but could usually still see the thing I was focusing in, and make a judgement of how much to crank the exposure. I hear the R5ii is better, but I have the original flavor. But on balance it’s better and having instant playback in the VF is worth the adjustment.