D5000 Owners: How do you guys feel about...

[jusjee]

...the articulating screen?

After about 8 months owning my D5000, I've realized that I don't care much for it. I rarely ever use the articulating feature and would much prefer a larger screen.

Does anyone use Liveview for anything other than video?

 

[73Z1]

I use LiveView a lot and I think that I'd find good use for the articulating LCD on my D300. Pretty much ANY shot where I use a tripod I use LiveView. Focusing directly via the sensor is as accurate as it gets.

When the light is low, the AF system cannot get an accurate AF-lock and even the viewfinder is hard to use, LiveView allows for perfect focus. Makes possible both accurate focus and framing in really bad light. Even in good light, still life and macros shot with a tripod benefit greatly. With a macro or landscape shot where the camera is low to the ground and it is inconvenient to stoop or lie down to use the viewfinder, LiveView makes it lots easier to get perfect focus and framing.

A friend of mine with a D90 wanted to shoot video of a scene in town at night. It was too dark for accurate AF, so I had her use LiveView tripod mode to zoom in to where she wanted her focus point and manually focus. She then switched to video mode and shot the video in perfect focus.

Went into a building with an odd mix of incandescent and fluorescent lighting to shoot some images. Put the D300 into LiveView mode and selected White Balance of 5200K (daylight) using the Kelvin setting. Clicked down the K scale step-by-step until the WB and scene colors looked correct in the LCD. Then switched out of LV into my normal shooting mode and shot using that WB setting. Better and more consistent WB results than using AWB and no need to guess at it in PP later.

 

[jhfutch]

I love mine but not for the reasons you would think.

I carry my camera while hunting, so it goes in my hunting backpack. I like that the screen turns around and protects the LCD. Also with the screen turned around there is no light emitted when turned on, a lot of my shots are taken in the early morning and late evening and I do not want to be lit up just as I am about to take a photo. Deer and other wildlife don't like to stick around to find out what that glowing face is.

 

[iandroo888]

its useful for low angle shots without having to lay down or crouch. got a lot of nice shots that way. use it a lot in real estate photography too

 

[Glaudus]

I use it a lot and I like the fact that you can protect or hide the screen when turning it back.

 

[NateS]

I never use it because Nikon's design SUCKS. Seriously...they put the hinge on the bottom to where it's impossible to use the articulating screen while on the tripod? On a tripod is the only time I'd want to use it (self portraits seeing the screen/review without going to the back. If they had put the hinge on the side (like a recent canon) it would have been more useful for me.

I personally would rather have a larger screen over the articulating screen....but my D5k isn't my main camera so it doesn't bug me too much.

 

[TetonTom]

I like that the screen turns around and protects the LCD.

I hadn't even thought of that. That would be really cool. I don't use my LCD all that much, and half the time I'd like it to just "go away"...

 

[firemist2000]

D5500 ?

NR today first rumor of D5500 with a removable LCD screen, plus 16MP

Peter

 

[chipmaster]

Did use it much, then recently shooting some video and had D3s and wishing for that articulated screen.

I think a detachable one with cable will be just silly and asking for trouble. I'lll take a smart designed articulated like on the Canon.

Nikon copy shameless when someone has a better idea, please!

...the articulating screen?

After about 8 months owning my D5000, I've realized that I don't care much for it. I rarely ever use the articulating feature and would much prefer a larger screen.

Does anyone use Liveview for anything other than video?

 

[Big Hobbit]

Used it a lot when I first got the camera but now only use it for the odd shot, and for menu changes.

 

[prime55]

My favourite feature of it is that i can turn it round and protect the screen. I only ever use it when it's on a tripod really.

 

[oldcitybass]

I sold my D5000 but I used the articulating screen fairly often for framing up shots at ground level or other unusual angles. I agree that overall a hinged on the side design would be better. The protection aspect is nice. I'm curious as to why Nikon didn't include an articulating screen on the D7000.