can't make up my mind

[coloneldebugger]

I really want my new DSLR to have a flip out screen, which really limits my choices. I find the flip out screen to be a huge advantage when using a tripod and in other situations.

I see the new Sony a33/a55 and more have them.

The Nikon options seem to be about none, except replaced models.

Canon has the 60D.


Am I missing something here in terms of the flip out screen? Is there a quality issue with them which keeps them so rare? I guess I'm wondering why so few cameras have this feature.

 

[princess-lola]

My camera has a flip out screen which I find to be a super great feature for many reasons; here is the link to it the website that describes it better than I could XD:

http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/suppo...as/other_powershot/powershot_sx10_is#Features

 

[zackiedawg]

They are an excellent feature for anyone intending to use the live view functions of their DSLRs - which is probably why there aren't too many models with one, since a majority of DSLR users stick with viewfinder most of the time. For those who occasionally use live view but don't have a tilting LCD, they simply don't know what they're missing and so don't make any demands for it.

I have been using DSLRs with tilting screens since my first one 3 years ago, and absolutely want one on all of my cameras if at all possible. Though I am a dedicated OVF shooter most of the time, I find live view plus tilt screen to be invaluable for occasional off-angle shots like down by my feet, through a fence, or overhead...and also for tripod shooting especially at night when doing long exposures.

Nikon had a few models with tilt screen - I don't know if future models will too. Canon has just the one, their first one with it. Sony has long had this feature on many models - going back to the A300/350, and continuing on the A500/550, as well as the new A560/580 and A33/55. Paired with what is truly the least-compromised live view system for regular shooting (full phase-detect AF, no performance degredation or lag, and gain up in main sensor mode for night shooting), I love Sony's DSLR implementation and would recommend those as worth a look for sure.

As far as quality issues - I can't think of any serious issues, having used tilt-screen LCDs on cameras since 1997, and having never suffered a failure of one. I suppose they could be broken if careless...and in some cases they stick out a bit more at the back of the camera which could make viewfinder use uncomfortable for someone with a larger nose or inset eyes. On my A550, the monitor sits almost flush with the viewfinder, so ergonomically, it's something each person needs to try and make sure it works for them - it doesn't hinder my view or comfort at all, being round-faced and small-nosed.

 

[coloneldebugger]

Great response.

I had one on an old K-M A200, or something, camera that bit the dust a couple years ago which had the flip out screen. Tiny as it was. It was replaced that with a Panasonic FZ35, which I think is a great PnS'er, but I really miss the flip out screen and especially the remote trigger.

To me it seems like such a valuable option I was starting to think there was some inherent problem with them which kept them off the DSLRs.

 

[LPZ_Stitch!]

Am I missing something here in terms of the flip out screen? Is there a quality issue with them which keeps them so rare? I guess I'm wondering why so few cameras have this feature.

From reading several other photography boards, it seems to me that DSLR users tend to be a stodgey and resistant-to-change bunch. When the 60D came out, there were dozens of threads (really long, vitriolic ones) deriding the LCD ... opposition appeared to fall into one of two camps:

1) you don't even need *LiveView* on a DLSR ... they've *not* inferior P&S pieces of crap ... let alone some silly flipping/flopping LCD!! *Real* photographers look through a viewfinder ... they don't hold their camera out at arms length!!
2) that thing will break right off from the hard use that DSLRs are put to!!

I recently traded up from a Canon PowerShot S3 to a Rebel T2i. It was a *big* step up in terms of performance and IQ, but one thing I *really* miss from the S3 is the flip-out-folding LCD!

 

[photo_chick]

I think with video fast becoming a standard feature with DSLR's we will see more articulated LCD screens. Before video rendered the viewfinder inoperable there really was no necessity for using the LCD screen in that manner for many photographers.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My Olympus E30 has a flip out screen. The entry level E620 also has one, and some of the other newer Olympus models might have them, too.

I don't think it would be a deal breaker, but it is nice to have.

 

[ukcatfan]

Back when I upgraded to a DSLR, live view was not even a dream. I was VERY used to using it on my Canon S1 and then S2 and really thought it was going to be a problem going to a viewfinder. I pretty much used the articulating screen on 75% of my shots. After four years now, I do not miss that screen one single bit. It would be near the bottom of my list of features I look for in a new DSLR. Unless you do a lot of ground level or above the crowd shooting, it just is not worth worrying about in my opinion.

 

[coloneldebugger]

gracias todos for the responses.

glad to hear it sounds more like the stick in the mud response of "change is bad" rather than some sort of technical reason.

 

[WDWAurora]

I have the Nikon D5000 and it has one-we are coming from the Canon S3IS, so we LOVED that screen. Now, I don't even want it or need it. I prefer shots without it.

 

[bob100]

I really want my new DSLR to have a flip out screen, which really limits my choices. I find the flip out screen to be a huge advantage when using a tripod and in other situations.

I see the new Sony a33/a55 and more have them.

The Nikon options seem to be about none, except replaced models.

Canon has the 60D.


Am I missing something here in terms of the flip out screen? Is there a quality issue with them which keeps them so rare? I guess I'm wondering why so few cameras have this feature.

The flip out screen is an advantage in some situations but I think it's rare because it's not that important. I used it with the Canon S5 but would probably not use it as much with a viewfinder DSLR.
I would get the Canon 60D for other reasons e.g. image quality, FPS rate, the price, etc.