
It was the year 2003, and a feature on my first digital camera changed the way I take pictures. I had purchased a Canon PowerShot G3 digital camera to use on a location scout for a film. I was one of the foolhardy who thought I’d never “go digital” but could not resist giving this model a try, which offered a relatively fast lens, a lot of new features, and actually kinda looked like a “camera.” The model had an optical viewfinder but also a 1.8" LCD screen on the back, which could tilt, twist, and swivel, allowing for accurate image composition without bringing the camera to your eye. Boom!
I started shooting from all angles, primarily from my belly, where the camera rested while hanging from my neck, but also from waist level or from as far as my arm could reach—up, down, and out. The LCD could be placed at an infinite number of angles and while glare could be a problem, not having to put the camera to my eye enabled a kind of freedom and furtive shooting style that reinvigorated my street photography. And while I have not given up DSLRs (I immediately bought the Nikon D750, partly because it was Nikon’s first full-frame DSLR with a tilting LCD) and I still use a camera’s viewfinder, having an articulating LCD is now a must for me.
While it seems that any camera, especially one that takes video, should have the functionality of an articulating screen, many do not, and there are good reasons for that, but it’s not wrong to ask, why don’t they all have the most versatile of possibilities, which to me would be a fully articulating swivel LCD?
Since most camera blogs have addressed this issue relentlessly and without a consensus, I’ll throw in my two cents, which is simply that a swivel type is most vulnerable to breaking, which means it’s just not best suited for some applications. However, there are many glaring exceptions to this theory, even within the same brand, so let’s take a look at which cameras have which type of LCD and, while we’re at it, mention a few pros and cons of each style.
Perhaps it’s best to start with clarifying nomenclature, so let’s call any LCD that is not fixed to the camera back an articulating screen and let’s not worry much about manufacturer’s proprietary names, such as “Vari-angle,” etc. We will also not address screen size, resolution or touchscreen capability, although they are clearly important factors when considering a camera purchase.
Let’s simply explore the type of movements these various screens can do. Generally, there are two types of articulating screens on the majority of cameras, the “tilt” screen and the “swivel” or “flip-out” screen. The swivel type swings (or “flips”) out to the side of the camera and then can twist completely around so the screen can face backward, forward, up, and down and can also flip back into the camera with the LCD facing out or facing the camera, protected. The tilt type maneuvers on one axis, sometimes with multiple hinges, but it does not flip to the side of the camera. The more common tilt variety will just pull back from the camera and angle up or down; more complicated versions can lift up above or below the camera body, tilting 180 degrees and facing forward and few that tilt in two, horizontally and vertically, such as the FUJIFILM X-T3 Mirrorless Camera and the Panasonic Lumix S1R.
Of course, Pentax does its own thing with the “Cross-Tilt LCD” on the Pentax K1 Mark II DSLR, which enables alignment with the optical center of the camera when tilting down and up, or left to right. It’s worth checking out, if just for the rods that maneuver it.
As far as the most popular DSLR and mirrorless cameras, we can make very few accurate generalizations in terms of which type of articulation is considered better, more reliable, or more “professional;” even within a specific camera line, it’s hard to figure which they consider a higher-end function. The aforementioned FUJIFILM X-T3 offers a tilt screen, but its successor, the X-T4, has a swivel-type LCD.
If we can make one definitive assessment it’s that the flagship DSLRs from Canon and Nikon, certainly their most robust cameras, the 1Dx Mark III and the D6, respectively, do not have articulating screens at all. There sure is a lot of real estate filled with buttons, dials, and secondary screens on the back of those cameras, so maybe there’s no space for a moving screen, but it’s reasonable to conclude that these workhorse cameras must minimize the chance for damage and therefore keep the screen built into the body. However, the entry level Nikon D3500 DSLR also does not have an articulating screen, while the D5600 DSLR offers a swivel and the intermediate and prosumer DSLR models and each of the three Z-mount mirrorless Nikons, have tilting screens.
Canon
Canon is often considered the brand associated with a swivel design, and from the Rebel SL3 DSLR to the 90D DSLR to the EOS R and EOS RP full-frame mirrorless cameras, this is the case. However, the G series point-and-shoots have gone back and forth over the years, the current PowerShot G5 X Mark II uses a 180° upward tilting design, ideal for front facing vlogging and selfie needs and each of the current Canon 5D models do not have articulating screens at all.
SONY
The Sony APS-C mirrorless cameras are another example of how the designers go back and forth with their LCD designs, the latest Alpha a6600 Mirrorless Digital Camera has a multi-hinged tilt screen that extends above the camera, again, good for vlogging, but the Alpha a6500 has just a basic tilt screen, and the older Alpha a6100 utilizes a multi-hinged design, like the a6600 Go figure. All of the Alpha a7 models, including the Alpha a7R IV, utilize a one-axis tilt LCD.
What is interesting here? If you look to the very underappreciated Sony DSLRs, you’ll find the Sony Alpha a99 II DSLR, with its very complex and multi-faceted LCD design that both tilts up and down and swivels.
FUJIFILM
As mentioned earlier, the X-T3 had a dual-hinged tilt design and the X-T4 switched to a flip-out swivel. The X-Pro3, a gem for street shooting, has one of the more unique tilting designs with a single bottom hinge, with the LCD screen remaining hidden during general use; it can then be revealed for playback or waist-level shooting, but FUJIFILM intuits will want to stick to the viewfinder for this camera. As you go toward the more consumer-friendly mirrorless models, you’ll see that X-T30 has a tilt-screen design and the new (and gorgeous) X-T200 has a flip-out swivel design. Each of these cameras has its rear buttons and controls on the right side of the screen, so one could ask if FUJIFILM just hasn’t figured out what works best or is simply giving its customers welcomed options.
Panasonic
The Panasonic LUMIX GH line of cameras is one of the first great still/video hybrid camera series and one of the current models, the DC-GH5S Micro Four Thirds Mirrorless Digital Camera, maintains the flip-out swivel design. A recent and popular full-frame DC-S1R has a tilt screen that tilts up in both the horizontal and vertical orientations, similar to the FUJIFILM X-T3 and GFX 50S. As mentioned, it is often suggested that the swivel design is for entry-level models, but the Panasonic LUMIX DC-GX9 disrupts that argument, sporting a tilt screen.
Olympus
From flagship to compact, Olympus seems to be the most consistent in its choice of articulating screens. The Olympus OM-D E-M1X, which is a large professional camera, uses a swivel design, as does the Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III and even the sleek and wonderful PEN-F.
We’d love to hear from our readers about this topic—it really does seem hard to know exactly why manufacturers choose the types of screens for their various models and which types photographers prefer. For selecting the right articulating screen, there are obvious factors to help one decide, such as how much video or solo vlogging you shoot or whether you shoot portraits on a tripod or macros of bugs, or astrophotography, each of which would be benefitted by a screen with as many positions as possible. Obviously, as mentioned, resolution, size, touchscreen, live-view focus, and potential accessorizing should all be factors in your decision, too.
As for me, while my two current cameras have tilt screens and I use their viewfinders more often than not, I still prefer an LCD that flips to the side and allows me to swivel it into convenient positions, particularly when photographing discreetly in the streets. Yes, a tilt screen will allow me to glance down to waist level to compose, but I don’t like how the screen bumps into my belly when opened, often getting pushed into an awkward position. I do recognize that having a screen flipped to the side of a very expensive camera is a structural weak point that could compromise the whole system, but I’ve yet to break a camera that way. Give me time, though.
Let us know your thoughts on articulating screens in the Comments section, below.
7 Comments
"fully articulated" is industry scam!
It is reminiscing of '80. camcorders...
No real usage for it! It is simply better to have one than don't... But it terrible.
Tilting it up or down is all one could possibly need (vloggers excluded).
Nikon gets this!
Even Sony gets this.
But Canon has got no clue (or willingness to admit the mistake and give their customers better option and FULL SIZE HDMI).
Spoken like someone who has never had to shoot anything but horizonal images. Just because you only shoot images standing straight up and down with the camera held perfectly parallel with the ground does not mean that everyone takes pictures that way. I want you to try taking a low angle shot in a vertical orientation and then tell me how a flip screen is the only screen you will ever need...
I purchased my first DSLR in 2011, a Canon 60D, and still use it. I love the swivel screen, and like to use it for overhead shots and getting low and under objects, usually flowers. Most importantly, I can turn the screen inward and carry the camera in my purse, with full confidence that the screen won't be scratched. It's still works as well as it did when I got it, and is the first thing I look for when perusing new cameras.
Thanks for the comment Kim... I agree, I always look for the swivel design when possible...and am patiently awaiting a pro or semi-pro Nikon DSLR with such a feature. And yes, it really protects the LCD when stored that way.
But you would be better (and quicker) served by "only" tilting screen!
Olympus had a tilt on my first digital, the C-8080 and on my second, the E-M1. A sturdy device, convenient for overhead, waist level, and ground level shots. When the E-M1 Mk II came out with a swivel I rushed out and bought a second "Mk l". For me, the potential for damage that could befall the flimsy "rear view mirror like device" (I had just had a much sturdier one knocked off my car) far out-weighed the Mk II's advantages. As an amateur I can see only negative value in swivels. What do commercial photographers think?
Thanks for the comment John H. (and no, I am not padding the comments, there is another one of us out there)... I think its an advantage to have the swivel LCD in its "rear view mirror" position almost all the time, especially when taing street photos, but I agree its a risk.