A top LCD can be very useful, especially for quick setting checks and changes. It gives you key exposure/status information at a glance with very low battery use, so you don’t need to wake the larger rear screen as often.

It’s particularly helpful when:

• the camera is on a tripod, especially at waist height or very low to the ground
• you want to work unobtrusively without raising the bright rear screen
• you shoot at night and want to preserve dark adaptation
• you find the top panel easier to read than the rear LCD at certain distances

Many photographers find it faster and more convenient than using the rear display for basic settings. Night shooters especially value it because the rear LCD can ruin night vision.

That said, it’s not essential for everyone. Cameras without a top LCD are still fully usable, and whether you miss it depends on how you shoot. But for tripod work, low-light shooting, and quick settings checks, it’s a genuinely useful feature.