cancel
Showing results for 
Show  only  | Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Will Canon offer a tilt screen for photographers?

jborel
Contributor

I have tried the flip out screen that content creators and vloggers rave about and can say that I am completely turned off by this design. My camera is now wider when flipped out, I have extra steps to take when positioning the screen for viewing, gets in the way of my strap, etc. It's just awkward and fiddly. The tilt screen on my Sony RX100iv is quick, easy, and non-obtrusive. I find this much better for someone who uses a camera from behind the lens. I own Canon DSLRs and L lenses so it's safe to say I am invested in this brand. Mirrorless cameras are becoming appealing but the screen Canon offers is a major turn-off. Is Canon planning to offer a high-end camera specifically for photographers that will have a tilting screen? Sony is out the question but the Z9 and the soon to be released Z8 is looking better and better. I will definitly change brands over this one issue. Some can call it petty but a small annoyance eventually becomes a big problem.

22 REPLIES 22

shadowsports
Legend
Legend

Greetings,

I don't know if Canon will ever offer the limited function of Nikon's delicate hinge articulating "Whatchamacallit" LCD.   I sure hope not.  🤣  Its 4 axis, except for the one you need - front.  I am not a vlogger. 

This is the Z9, their "flagship"

shadowsports_0-1682800539309.png

My wife would get her hair so tangled up in that mess.  Its not for me, neither is a G-Master.

Canon does have the worlds market share for camera sales for the last 20 yrs. I'm sure they know what they're doing.  I was hooked the very first time I used a camera with an articulating LCD.  Maybe they aren't for everyone, but their design works well for me.  

I use my EVF 75% of the time.  Rarely am I flipped out to the side.  I don't use live view often either, except for video.  But....  Every once in a while I shoot from a funky angle and then I can stand or squat down comfortably, tilt or angle my screen and compose my shot without having to contort my neck or head to see the screen.  It's easy and I am relaxed.  I could never buy a camera without a fully articulating LCD now.  It has built in screen protection too.

shadowsports_0-1682802997541.png

Nikon has been trying to catch up for years.  It took them forever, and I mean forever and a day to finally make a camera with an articulating screen.  Today they still have this janky hinge thingy.  It's ultra caveman, but hey they're trying.  I have seen so many Nikons whose flip out screens no longer sit flush on the back of their cameras because the hinges wear out, get lose or bent.  I prefer the flip out and tilt, tucked in flush or closed design of a Canon body personally.  I also won't need a mirror the one time a year I might need to see myself, nor will I have to deal with a LCD that doesn't sit flush on the back of my camera.

My straps... those connect to the bottom of my body.  There is no interference.  Flip in or out in a fraction of a second.  I'll take the Canon advantage over the Nikon hingey contraption.  If that's innovation Nikon wins.  Maybe try a new carry system?  I know several Nikon owners and almost all of them say the same thing to me.  Man, I really like the way you can flip and tilt your screen.  Nikon innovation.  A screen that is susceptible to bumps, scratches, hinge issues and fingerprints 100% of the time.  Make sure you get a good screen protector.

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


~R5 C (1.0.9.1) ~RF Trinity, ~RF 100 Macro, ~RF 100~400, ~RF 100~500, ~RF 200-800 +RF 1.4x TC, BG-R10, 430EX III-RT ~DxO PhotoLab Elite ~DaVinci Resolve Studio ~ImageClass MF644Cdw/MF656Cdw ~Pixel 8 ~CarePaks Are Worth It

jborel
Contributor

I do not need a front facing screen and the rare time I would want one I can use a remote monitor, or my smartphone as a monitor. I do need quick and ease of use, the arcticulating screen (floppy screen) will always add an extra step or two to do the same thing.

Thankfully my wife doesn't use my camera, she prefers her iphone.

I don't really care about who owns the most market share, this isn't the best indicator of what's best for me. Wasn't Nikon the King back in the 80s when EOS came out? Isn't Sony set to out do Canon despite ergonomics, color science, and having a tilt-screen!

I haven't tried the Z9 and can't speak to the functionality but I did use the Z7 for a brief moment. I did prefer the tilting screen and did not see a problem with it. 

It would be nice to know what the Canon R1 will have, you are probably right in that it will have the articulating screen. Such a pitty. 

I could always just epoxy the screen shut and consider the problem solved, lol. I seriously contemplated this when I had the Fuji X-T4 but decided just to ditch Fuji all together.

shadowsports
Legend
Legend

Greetings,

I understand what you're saying.  I don't follow Nikon or Sony closely.  I just watched several z series videos, then visited Sony's website.  I just can't get excited about either.  When I think about their offerings vs. Canon, Canon has so many more home runs comparatively.  A colleague of mine got the D850 at release.  That was a nice camera.  Its since been eclipsed.  Nikon is no longer producing cameras in Japan.  Just Thailand now.  Sony is Canon's only competitor.  Canons cameras are not perfect, no camera is, but I prefer them over the other two.  I also have over 40 yrs with the brand.  

Gluing the screen.  Your the first person I've heard this from.  My only comment.  Not recommended.   

I keep reading articles that say they are going to put sensors into smart phones that will allow them to take photos as nice as a body and lens.  We'll see.  It took Google, Samsung and Apple half my life to somewhat rival the IQ of a point and shoot camera.  I'm sticking with my gear for the time being because photography is something I enjoy. 

I'll get another camera too.  Its going to be a Canon for sure.  

Good Luck and Cheers,

~Rick
Bay Area - CA


~R5 C (1.0.9.1) ~RF Trinity, ~RF 100 Macro, ~RF 100~400, ~RF 100~500, ~RF 200-800 +RF 1.4x TC, BG-R10, 430EX III-RT ~DxO PhotoLab Elite ~DaVinci Resolve Studio ~ImageClass MF644Cdw/MF656Cdw ~Pixel 8 ~CarePaks Are Worth It

pauld67
Apprentice

Completely agree with you, I can't express the level of frustration it brings to me not having at least one option other than the Canon M6 ii . D850 looks amazing except the weight of it although D780 a tad lighter. I have some good (expensive) Canon lenses I would like to keep but looking more now towards Sony who seem to have this covered. Infuriatingly for me Sony have just stuck a flip screen on the A7 iv when I was all set to go. 

I also have Canon L lenses that I would hate to let go and fortunately I won't have to. Fringer makes an adapter (Fringer EF-NZ (FR-NZ1)) that will allow Canon EF lenses to mount to Nikon Z cameras and according to reputable sources it works very well. Have you checked out the Nikon Z8? 

Tronhard
VIP
VIP

Given it appears that Canon have settled on a more standardized approach to their gear - common battery grips (so far), and all the models I see seem to have the fully-articulated screen except for the very cheapest R100 that is fixed.  While I recognize and respect your preference, and sympathize with you, I personally prefer the fully-articulated screen as I have it reversed to protect the LCD when I don't need it.  I have no issue with the current mechanism.
Honestly, if it really means that much to you, I would suggest going to Nikon or the Fuji X-T5, which is an excellent APS-C camera and has the tilt-shift screen you want.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

normadel
Authority
Authority

You twice said "Is Canon planning to offer a high-end camera specifically for photographers that will have a tilting screen?"

Umm....aren't we ALL photographers? 

I'd say that Canon, the market leader, must be satisfying the market. 

I interpreted that the OP sees a fully-articulated screen as being more inclined to videographers, but I agree, as a stills only photographer, I actually prefer that format over the tilt screen.  That said, I have bought numerous cameras that don't have that feature because, to me, it is not critical.  For example, all of the pro-grade DSLRs had a fixed screen: no articulation of any kind, and that never made me want to change brands - all cameras have their drawbacks and strengths, but I never considered that something like a screen articulation was critical enough to my photography to abandon a brand.  I value other features more - like dynamic range, resolution, control interface, buffer and card configuration.

I have watched the same passionate debate within the Fuji community - when the X-T4 came out there were screams of derision when it changed from the tilt screen to a fully articulated one. Now, the X-T5 has gone back to the original, and guess what - there are complaints.

The only way to avoid that may be to have the combined tilt + articulated screen, but then people will fear it is too fragile.

Still, each to their own...  Perhaps there is a type of photography that demands this feature, but I have yet to encounter it as a game-changer in any genre I have been involved with.


cheers, TREVOR

The mark of good photographer is less what they hold in their hand, it's more what they hold in their head;
"All the variety, all the charm, all the beauty of life is made up of light and shadow", Leo Tolstoy;
"Skill in photography is acquired by practice and not by purchase" Percy W. Harris

Same here. I have no real need for articulating, tilting, whatever. My EOS 60D's articulating screen has been acting-up, even though I never articulate it. It is always open flat, just like my T1i, 50D, 7D and 6D. It is just an unneeded potential point of failure to me.

Announcements