It' the primary reason I bought the 60D vs. the 7D ... very useful when doing self portrait work. I wish I had when I was shooting the cover art for my last CD project. I also like pop flashes too ... not that I use it very often, but when I do need it ... it can save a magic moment case in point:
Jay Strange wrote: Yep,
The field monitors have been around for a while now...just about any camera with an HDMI port can use them and they usually offer a choice of power supplies...
common video batteries,AA packs and even A/c adapters.
They DO have great displays and impact for group viewing BUT,
most of the opponents of tilt screens here have been mentioning bulk,weight
and fragility...and field monitors have all those things...by the truckload!!!
They DO look professional as shit but...
To me, it's a matter of having the right tool for the right job (only) when you need it. Both field monitors and tablets can offer much more usable viewing area than a swivel screen when you need that larger preview and aren't shooting tethered to a computer. If you only have that need 10% of the time, then you use one 10% of the time and the rest of the time you leave it on a shelf in the studio.
As for weight or bulk during use, you're not limited to having a field monitor mounted on the camera. You can mount it, or tablet, to a tripod or hand it to an assistant to hold. Again, when you don't need it, you don't have to deal with it at all. And, if a sub-$500 field monitor or tablet breaks, you replace it. You don't have to worry about being without your main camera body while it's in for repair. You don't have that weak point on the camera body to worry about.
It's great that there are cameras with swivel screens for those who like them and find them useful, but I am not one of those people and I don't want a camera with one. I would rather use a field monitor or tablet when it's on location and leave it on the shelf when it's not. For me, it's not needed all that often.
SayCheeZ! wrote: Autofocus and Image Stabilization are two things that I find totally unnecessary for studio work, but damned if I can find a pro camera without 'em.
Try any Canon or Nikon DSLR. No IS. Only in specific lenses if neeeded.
Let There Be Light wrote: Try any Canon or Nikon DSLR. No IS. Only in specific lenses if neeeded.
I just purchased a new non-IS lens for my Canon a few days ago and am a happy camper.
Gary Melton wrote: edit: IMHO, a more professional alternative would be to add a feature to pro DSLR's where you could purchase an external LCD display that you could plug into the camera for times when you need to, for example, hold the camera over your head to take shots.
It could turn off the normal LCD display when plugged in to the camera to save power, and/or there could be an optional battery pack to power it with.
An additional posibility with this would be for the external LCD screen to be somewhat oversize...like 4"-5".
Kevin Connery
Posts: 15,387
Fullerton, California, US
Jay Strange wrote: Yep,
The field monitors have been around for a while now...just about any camera with an HDMI port can use them and they usually offer a choice of power supplies...
common video batteries,AA packs and even A/c adapters.
They DO have great displays and impact for group viewing BUT,
most of the opponents of tilt screens here have been mentioning bulk,weight
and fragility...and field monitors have all those things...by the truckload!!!
They DO look professional as shit but...
A key difference is that they don't have to be attached. If you don't need the functionality, you can avoid the bulk.
I can think of a few instances where the swivel LCD would be handy, IE shooting over a crowd, self portraits, low angle work, etc. However, I really don't need one, they don't fit the way I prefer to work, since I almost never use the lcd to frame the image, preferring to use the viewfinder.
I can't even think of a situation where I would want to use a tilt/swivel. I don't shoot video. And when I'm taking photos I like to look through an optical viewfinder at what's in front of me when I'm shooting.
What still images would I be shooting that I'm off to the side of the camera and needing a tilt/swivel to see what I'm doing?
I don't even use Live View unless I'm taking casual pictures for fun.
Michael Pandolfo wrote: I can't even think of a situation where I would want to use a tilt/swivel. I don't shoot video. And when I'm taking photos I like to look through an optical viewfinder at what's in front of me when I'm shooting.
What still images would I be shooting that I'm off to the side of the camera and needing a tilt/swivel to see what I'm doing?
I don't even use Live View unless I'm taking casual pictures for fun.
Its for above and below....I've shot pics with the camera right on my foot and others from on a monopod over my head. I have both a 7D and 60D and anything outdoors I use the 60, anything indoors i use the 7D. It is invaluable for wildlife shoot out of a blind, above your head into a nest or while doing time lapse photos at an add angle.
Its a tool like anything else. Some people need stuff some don't. The guys here passing it off as an amateur feature have obviously never used it. Some call AF an amateur feature or shooting in Av amateur. My grandfather still calls anyone who uses automatic transmissions, 'idiot drivers'.
I love tilt / pivot live preview LCD screens. I, too, wish that all (my) cameras have one.
I do have this Zigview gadget, but I wouldn't recommend it. In short, it connects to your camera's viewfinder & transmits the viewfinder's view onto an LCD screen that can tilt & pivot. Even better -- you can detach the LCD screen from the attatched-to-the-veiwfinder part, connecting it with a long ~10' wire, and there is a button on the LCD screen that can be used as your camera's cable release. That can be very handy.
As I mentioned, however, I wouldn't recommend it:
... It is very, very expensive.
... It is a bit flimsy & fragile.
... It is difficult to detach & reattached the LCD screen, using teeny, tiny pins.
... The image on the LCD screen is not always good, especially in low light.
... It is awfully awkward to use the LCD in "detached model" while holding the camera;
you basically should put the camera on a tripod to use it this way.
... The battery life doesn't last through one of my short sessions. You can plug
the thing into an outlet, but then that's another wire you can trip on.
But kudos for the concept -- I would love to see a better version that addresses these problems.
... not that I use it very often, but when I do need it ... it can save a magic moment case in point:
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