Backlight component used by camera LCD displays

Question

Do DSLR and mirrorless cameras use LEDs or CCFL as backlight for their LCD displays?

I'm interested in the modern cameras like nikon D3500, D7500, sony a6500, nikon d780 etc.

Answer 1

It is likely that LED backlighting will be used rather than CCFLs for a number of reasons.

Firstly, CCFLs require a driver circuit which steps up the input voltage to around ~1000V and oscillates it to create alternating current (AC) rather than the direct current (DC) of a battery pack. Existing circuits are only ~80% efficient and create heat. Heat is a direct enemy of modern cameras, so it makes sense that it should be minimised.

LEDs are smaller and more compact - they exist in footprints as small (and smaller than) 6x3mm. Laptop CCFLs tend to be thicker than the entire fold-out portion of my camera.

In fact, look at this comparison:

This image compares the thickness of a modern (2019) laptop that uses an LED backlight to an older (2007) laptop that uses a CCFL backlight. This is the tablet version, but the non-tablet version is not significantly thinner.

Other benefits include lower power consumption and extended longevity. The only main reason to stick with CCFL backlighting would be cost, that stock would have been used years ago, as most laptops, handheld devices and TVs made the switch around 2010.

Ultimately, the only way to know for sure is to take the camera apart, but it's a pretty safe bet to assume that cameras use LEDs for backlighting.