An articulating screen is a built-in small electronic visual display which is not fixed, but rather can be repositioned using a hinge or pivot. The articulating screen is known under different other names such as flip-out screen, flip screen, adjustable screen, articulated screen, or hinged screen. According to the way it moves, there are five main types:The display moves around one axis, so that it only tilts. It is called tilting screen or tiltable screen.
The display tilts horizontally both up and down and also vertically. This type is called double-hinged tilting screen, two-axis tilting screen, three-direction tilting screen or screen with 3-way tilt.
The display moves around two axes which are at a right angle to each other, so that the screen both tilts and swivels. This type is called swivel screen. Other names for this type are vari-angle screen, fully articulated screen, fully articulating screen, rotating screen, multi-angle screen, variable angle screen, flip-out-and-twist screen, twist-and-tilt screen and swing-and-tilt screen.
The display is mounted on a fully-articulating hinge that itself is attached to a tilting plate. Such display can be extended out from the back of the camera, ensuring it stays clear of the camera's left-mounted ports when flipping it out to the side. This type of articulating screen is called tilt-and-articulating screen.
The display moves into a variety of angles; it tilts horizontally and vertically and also rotates to a certain extent while staying aligned with the lens axis. It still can not be turned all the way up, down or to the side to be seen from the front of the camera for self-portraits. This type of articulating screen is called cross-tilt screen, flexible-tilt screen or flex-tilt screen.
An articulating screen in the Olympus E-620.
A camcorder is a self-contained portable electronic device with video and recording as its primary function. It is typically equipped with an articulating screen mounted on the left side, a belt to facilitate holding on the right side, hot-swappable battery facing towards the user, hot-swappable recording media, and an internally contained quiet optical zoom lens.
A Canon VIXIA HF10 camcorder; this is one of Canon's first AVCHD format Flash Memory Full HD camcorders
Prior to the camcorder, a portable recorder and camera would be required. This is a Sony SL-F1 Betamax recorder and video camera.
Sony Betamovie BMC-110 (BMC-100P in PAL markets) is the first consumer camcorder. Released in 1983 for the Betamax format. It has no playback functionality and is only capable of recording.
Camcorders using standard DVD media like this (or more commonly MiniDVD) were marketed in the 2000s