Why is the Canon AE-1 Program's viewfinder so good?
And why aren't modern DSLRs' viewfinders just as good if not better? Is it an issue of parallax or something like that? I've been using my dad's old Canon AE-1 Program on and off (have some FD lenses whose modern equivalent I can't yet afford) and when I first compared the viewfinder of the AE-1 to that of a modern Canon Digital Rebel, I was amazed by how much better the AE-1's was -- much larger and clearer.
What surprised me even more is that apparently it is better than even the high end DSLRs' like the 5D, the following being taken from Ken Rockwell's site:
"Not only is the AE-1 Program a joy to use and makes great pictures, it has a huge, bright finder. Its finder is one of the largest, clearest and brightest finders ever made. Its finder is bigger than the finder of the Canon 5D Mark II, and much bigger and brighter than the finder of the Nikon D3X.(… )"
Most DSLRs cameras today have the crop sensor, giving you a smaller viewfinder and in most cases, less than 100% view (meaning that you don't see everything the camera sees).
Cameras like the 5D classic/MK II/MK III are full-frame cameras, like 35mm SLRs, so the larger sensor allows you to have a larger viewfinder.
Most 35mm SLR cameras had much bigger, clearer viewfinders. Much of this is to do with the fact that the viewfinder was used a lot more to focus the image (most of the older lenses used on film SLR's were not autofocus) as well as composing the image. You needed to be able to see clearly the split screen or prism for focusing.
These days in modern DSLR's the viewfinder is only really used for image composition - with the advent of AF lenses, there's much less manual focusing going on.
I agree it is a pain, especially if you are using old MF lenses on a DSLR - I resort to using the rangefinder to tell when I'm in focus!
A crop sensor modern DSLR has "some" effect, but it is NOT the reason for the awful viewfinders in modern digital cameras. I have had a Canon 1Ds and now have the 5D MkII, and the viewfinders in each of these "full frame" cameras are pitiful compared to the finder in my 1982 Minolta 35mm manual focus X700. I have also had some experience with the AE-1, and yes, it is wonderful also. The answer from Deep Blue is spot on. In the "old days", the viewfinder was a critical element to the camera, especially with manual focus. In the modern DSLR, it almost seems like an afterthought, and in fact, with the advent of "live view" in many DSLR cameras, there are people not even using the viewfinder, (though they SHOULD be). When I look through my old Minolta it is like looking through a giant picture window, … Compared to the 5D which is like looking through a mail slot in comparison. Sadly, it is just something that has to be accepted with modern cameras, but it is sure not something I like, and is just one of the reasons I still use old film cameras as much as, if not more, than digital.