So What, Did FujiRumors Fall in Love with Fully Articulating Screens? Would a Fujifilm X-T5 with Selfie Screen be a Dealbreaker for You? POLL
3 Times I Loved the Selfie Screen
I lately shared a couple of posts on my Instagram page, showing images of myself making good use of the Selfie Screen on my Fujifilm X-T4.
So what, did I join the “dark side” and fell in love with fully articulating screens as some have suggested?
Well, not really.
The whole point of these posts was just to show that, in rare cases, a fully articulating screen really simplifies the composition of an image.
So here are 3 times I loved the fully articulating screen on my X-T4 as it allowed me to take a picture that would have been much more complicated and cumbersome to take with any other screen.
- This summer I was photographing my son who was sitting left of me on the table of the restaurant. The X-T4 screen allowed me to compose the shot by staying comfortably sitting on my chair and don’t make movements that would distract my son
- when taking the image you see here in Ferrara. I had no wider lens with me (my widest option was 18mm on my 18-135) and in order to compose the image the way I wanted I had to go put the camera down all the way to the floor
- for video when filming my online lessons during the first Covid lockdown at school the selfie screen was pure blessing
So we have to remain objective here and say that there are moments when, even for stills, a fully articulating screen comes in useful.
But here is the thing:
80% of the times (if not even more) I compose my images using the EVF anyway. And in those 20% of times I use the LCD screen, the times the fully articulating screen comes in handy are so rare compared to the times it annoys me (for the reasons I’ll list below), that I end up preferring every screen design over the fully articulating one.
So as of today, my favorite screen ranking would look like this:
- 3 way tilt screen (as on X-T3)
- 2 way flippy screen (as on X-T1)
- fixed screen (as on X-E3)
- Selfie Articulating Screen (as on X-T100, when flipped up or down the screen remains centered to the camera)
- hidden LCD (as on X-Pro3)
- flip up screen (as on X-E4)
- fully articulating screen (as on X-T4)
This list is pretty much valid also for video work, although there was one period in my life where the selfie screen on my X-T4 was a true blessing, and that’s when I had to record my lessons at home due to the Covid lockdown.
In short: the times the fully articulating screen annoys me are so dominant compared to the times I enjoy it, that I will never really grow fond of it.
And the Fujifilm X-T5
I am one of those guys putting the Fujifilm X-T5 on my to-buy list. The newer processor, the newer and higher resolution sensor and the better algorithms are reason enough for me to seriously consider to sell my X-T4 for the X-T5.
But what if the Fujifilm X-T5 would come with a selfie screen? Would that be a dealbreaker for me?
Well, considering that I almost always use the EVF anyway, no screen design would be a dealbreaker for me. I certainly would prefer some over others, but none would destroy my photographic experience to a point where I would not buy a camera because of it.
So no, if the Fujifilm X-T5 would come with a fully articulating screen, I’d get one anyway.
And what about you? Let us know in the comments and vote the survey below.
Loading ...Loves & Hates & Solutions
To quickly sum it up, here are loves, hates and solutions I have found in my relationship with fully articulating screens.
Loves
- in very rare occasions (for my type of shooting), having a fully articulating screen turned out very useful also just for photographic use
- keep it tilt inwards protects the screen
- keep it tilt inwards makes the camera look so wonderful vintage
- keep it tilt inwards and you’ll review images way less, like on X-Pro3
- keep it tilt inwards and you won’t accidentally activate the touch screen
- for my video lessons during lockdown, I just loved it
- unlike the X-T100 screen, the X-T4 can tilt also in portrait mode in a more “natural” way
Hates
- I used the Peak Design Leash camera strap and 99% of the time when I tilted the screen out, the strap covered the screen. Hence, not only it takes a bit more time to tilt out the screen (as opposed to just flip it out on X-T3), but then you also have to fiddle around with the strap
- when the screen is tilted out, you the LCD is not longer centered to the lens
- when I notice a potentially interesting image and I have to act fast, tilting out the screen, position the screen, removing the strap that is often covering the screen and then look sideways on the screen makes me lose precious time (something also Jonas Rask complaint heavily about)
- when adjusting the settings on the lens with my left hand, it can happen that I inadvertently move also the screen with my wrist, so I have to re-position the screen after I adjusted the settings on the lens
Solution to Some Hates
- I solved the problem of the strap covering the LCD screen by purchasing the Peak Design Cuff camera wrist strap, which is now always on my X-T4 (as you can see here)
- fiddling around with the screen can make me lose some precious time. But I use the EVF for the almost totality of my images, which basically solves the issue
A 3-way tilt screen is and remains the by far best option for me personally. And while I might love my X-T4 more than my GFX100S because of all the dedicated dials, every time I pick the GFX100S instead of my X-T4 I am so happy to have a 3 way tilt screen on it.
So that’s about it, my final take on the whole debate.
Feel free to let me your point of view in the comments down below.
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