Screen and viewfinder
Screen and viewfinder test
Show a plain colour full screen on a phone or laptop, point the camera at it and look at the image on the camera's screen and in its viewfinder. Stuck pixels, blotches and uneven backlight show right away.
Test screens
Click a screen to start with it. In full screen, a tap or the arrow key shows the next one, Esc or × closes.
White
Black
Red
Green
Blue
Grey
Grid
Siemens star
tap: next
How to check the camera's screen and viewfinder
- Start the screens in full screen and turn the phone's brightness all the way up.
- Turn on live view on the camera or look into the electronic viewfinder.
- Point the lens at the phone so the colour fills the frame, and defocus the lens by hand until the image is smooth.
- Switch colours and watch the camera's screen. A dot that looks the same on every colour is a faulty screen pixel.
What to look for
- White and grey: dark blotches, yellow or pink casts, darker corners.
- Black: glowing dots and backlight bleed at the edges.
- Red, green, blue: single pixels in a different colour.
- Grid: whether the lines are straight and evenly sharp across the frame.
- Siemens star: a quick focus check. Lay the phone on a table and take a photo from about a metre at the widest aperture. The centre of the star should be sharp.
For a thorough autofocus test, use the chart at a 45° angle.
Buyer pack (coming soon): every check for picking up a used camera, in one place on your phone. See what's inside →