Viewfinder Coverage
The percentage of the recorded image that is visible through the viewfinder.
Formula / rule
Coverage = finder area / frame area × 100
Measured in
%
In depth
Anything less than 100 per cent means the file contains more than was seen, so unwanted objects can appear at the edges of a carefully composed frame. Professional bodies offer full coverage; entry-level ones typically 95 to 98 per cent. Electronic viewfinders are inherently 100 per cent because they display the sensor's own output.
Examples in practice
At 95 per cent coverage, a lamp post just outside the finder's edge turns up in the corner of the final file.