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Articulating screen in EM1mkii + handheld use - Why?


Don Kotlos
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FYI if you use mic and/or headphones, you might have problem adjusting the screen.

I got these pictures from a review at amateurphotographer:

Screen Shot 2016-11-06 at 1.25.45 PM.png

Screen Shot 2016-11-06 at 1.24.52 PM.png

I typically shoot looking down on the screen and moving the camera up to eye level, with one hand adjusting focus and aperture and a mic always plugged in:

IMG_20161106_130534.jpg

Yes, for tripod use it makes more sense. But for a camera that is supposed to be used handheld I just cannot see the reason. When I tried the E-M5mkii it was a painful experience to have to flip the LCD every single time that I have to use the camera. Now that I use the mic I will not be able to adjust the screen rotation unless the LCD is not fully extended and you have to bend your neck while shooting. Not to mention when using headphones. 

I know some people really like articulating  screens but personally this is a reason against getting this camera for handheld video. 

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5 hours ago, Don Kotlos said:

Yes, for tripod use it makes more sense. But for a camera that is supposed to be used handheld...

I've never owned a camera I've only used one way. Like it or not, fully articulating screens are more versatile. Besides, even when just viewing from above, the screen can be seen more clearly and from more angles when it's out away from the camera body.

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31 minutes ago, TheRenaissanceMan said:

I've never owned a camera I've only used one way. Like it or not, fully articulating screens are more versatile. Besides, even when just viewing from above, the screen can be seen more clearly and from more angles when it's out away from the camera body.

Yeah I get that but why not make it actually work by placing the ports lower that the pivot point of the LCD? As is now, when using mic and/or headphones it moves from being an inconvenience (to me) to unusable.

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Port placement/interference and screen articulation type are two separate issues. Obviously the ports should be placed to not interfere with what the screen type is, this is even an issue on the GH4 for the headphone and HDMI ports. The 80D looks like it got it right, at least for mic and headphone as I recall.

Personally I greatly prefer the pivot style (GH's, G85, D5500, 80D etc) to the tilt-only (Sonys). Especially because I prefer a large rubber eyecup for my EVF, which makes the tilt style pretty much useless from above.

I think the choice of port location probably has to do with the internal PCB design, and not wanting to add the expense/complexity of moving the ports off the PCB. Doing so probably makes assembly more difficult, and introduces reliability and interference issues to deal with... not that that's a good enough excuse. I'd love to see the mic input on the right side of the "prism" hump, then you could have a super short cord up to the mic.

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I prefer the screens on cameras like the NK1 and the a7 series, because usually when using an articulated screen I want to hold it at waist level for improved stability, then look down at the screen to monitor what is on screen. With the full articulated design that Panasonic uses this forces you to have the screen sticking out to the side, which is awkward. I can see that if you were doing selfies the screen on the GH4 would be better, but for most other things the flip up/down type is superior IMO.

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6 hours ago, Franz Schuier said:

Sorry for the OT question, but were did you get that audio cable for your mic? Looks like a flatpatch cable in 3,5mm I would love to have one.

As Cinegain correctly noticed, I made it myself. I spent hours trying to find the smallest possible cable on Ebay with the flattest connector profile but no luck. At the end I trimmed the edges of two connectors to the bare minimum,  soldered the cable back and used epoxy to stabilize and shield the connection. Soldering was a b*tch but definitely worth the trouble. Now I can use the EVF with the mic attached!

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