Focus Screen

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Edward Holt - 08 Jan 2005 15:42 GMT

I've got a Canon EOS300D / Digital Rebel and a Tamron 28mm-300mm zoom.
I've had it for one year now and I'm starting not too like it.

I miss not having a focusing screen that I'm used to in regular SLR cameras
(I come from an old Olympus and Nikon heritage). Things like split-image
With microprism etc.

I am also thinking about buying the EF-S 10-22mm that has just come out but
I'm thinking that a camera with a full size censor might be a better bet.

I'm at the point of trading the camera in for a new one in order to get
those factilities.

What's the cheapest Digital SLR (Canon or Nikon) with both the traditional
focusing screen that also has a full size censor?

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Mike Coon - 08 Jan 2005 17:16 GMT

> I miss not having a focusing screen that I'm used to in regular SLR
> cameras (I come from an old Olympus and Nikon heritage). Things like
> split-image With microprism etc.

I'm on my second 35mm Canon 300 and contemplating digital. But I too miss
the old focusing aids in the screen. So often the autofocus is just not good
enough especially for wildlife shots through vegetation that the camera
would rather focus on. But I find manual focus difficult partly because of
the plain screen but also the short travel of the focus ring. I know some
old 35mm SLR cameras had exchangable screens...

Mike.

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Helen Edith Stephenson - 09 Jan 2005 09:22 GMT

>> I miss not having a focusing screen that I'm used to in regular SLR
>> cameras (I come from an old Olympus and Nikon heritage). Things like
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
>Mike.

The new Pentax *ist DS is supposed to have interchangeable focussing
screens, but it depends on whose site you visit as to whether any of
those screens is a split image screen. I will be looking into it
further, even if I have to source one from North America, as I will be
using a lot of manual focus lenses on my DS and I would really prefer a
split image screen.

The *ist DS doesn't have a full-frame CCD sensor, though, only the APS-
sized one that is so common on affordable DSLRs.

Helen

Helen Edith Stephenson <helen at baronmoss dot demon dot co dot uk>
--
(I'm sure you can figure out what I mean!)
http://www.baronmoss.demon.co.uk

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John Bean - 09 Jan 2005 09:58 GMT

>>> I miss not having a focusing screen that I'm used to in regular SLR
>>> cameras (I come from an old Olympus and Nikon heritage). Things like
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> using a lot of manual focus lenses on my DS and I would really prefer a
> split image screen.

None are. There are three: the standard screen, a similar one with an added
grid, and a third that has gunsight-style crosshears. None have any focusing
aids.

There's a guy in Germany who sells a cut-down LX screen for 80 euros or so
because nothing is available from Pentax.

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John Bean

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Erik Persson - 08 Jan 2005 17:58 GMT

> I've got a Canon EOS300D / Digital Rebel and a Tamron 28mm-300mm zoom.
> I've had it for one year now and I'm starting not too like it.
>
> I miss not having a focusing screen that I'm used to in regular SLR cameras
> (I come from an old Olympus and Nikon heritage). Things like split-image
> With microprism etc.

When it comes to analog SLRs I have never used an AF SLR, but only
non-AF SLRs, and they all have it. Do they have this stuff on analog AF
SLRs?? I was under the suspicion they didn't. But I don't really know.
Just an impression I got from
http://medfmt.8k.com/third/af.html

I don't know of any digital SLRs with that kind of nice stuff. My D70
does not have it.
As far as I can tell - by only looking at the pictures of the viewfinder
at www.dpreview.com - neither does Canon 1Ds, Canon 1D Mark II, Nikon
D2H or Nikon D100. This for the same reason as stated in the link above.
But I'm certainly no camera expert and have never even touched those
more expensive digital SLRs mentioned above.

Maybe there is a digital back for your analog SLR?

/erik

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Siddhartha Jain - 08 Jan 2005 20:09 GMT

> When it comes to analog SLRs I have never used an AF SLR, but only
> non-AF SLRs, and they all have it. Do they have this stuff on analog AF
> SLRs?? I was under the suspicion they didn't. But I don't really know.
> Just an impression I got from

Yes, AF-SLRs have interchangeable focussing screens.
Btw, whats an analog SLR? ;)

- Siddhartha

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Ken Tough - 11 Jan 2005 12:44 GMT

>Yes, AF-SLRs have interchangeable focussing screens.

Rats, I tried MF on my D70 since the low-light AF isn't great
and hunts an awful lot (I came into it knowing that), but was
defeated at trying to do decent focus on that screen. I was
a bit stunned how bad my MF was (after downloading the pics)
to be honest. I do wish it had a split screen, or at least
the option of changing.

>Btw, whats an analog SLR? ;)

A retronym.

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Ken Tough

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Siddhartha Jain - 08 Jan 2005 19:48 GMT

> What's the cheapest Digital SLR (Canon or Nikon) with both the traditional
> focusing screen that also has a full size censor?

Canon 1Ds Mark-II
==================
Image sensor
Type: 36 x 24 mm CMOS (full 35 mm frame)
Focusing Screen: Interchangeable (9 types). Standard Focusing Screen
Ec-CIII
Viewfinder: Eye-level pentaprism
Price: $8000 approx

The cheapest full-frame dSLR with interchangeable focussing screens
would probably be the Canon 1Ds, however, priced at around $7000.

One of the Kodak's full-frame could be cheaper than the Canon 1Ds but I
am not sure about the interchangeable screens.

The cheapest non-full-frame dSLR with interchangeable focussing screens
is probably the Konica Minolta Maxxum 7D at $1600. I know it has
interchangeable screens but not sure if anything's priced lower or not.
Nikon has no dSLR with a 35mm full-frame sensor?

- Siddhartha

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Dave R knows who - 12 Jan 2005 17:54 GMT

>> What's the cheapest Digital SLR (Canon or Nikon) with both the
> traditional
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> Viewfinder: Eye-level pentaprism
> Price: $8000 approx

Or the older 1Ds for about $3500 used.

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Ed Avis - 12 Jan 2005 22:21 GMT

Canon make about a dozen different focusing screens for their 1 series
bodies. Do people have any recommendations about which one to get?
Yes, I know: it depends what you want to do. Suppose I would simply
like to make it easier to see whether the centre of the picture is in
focus when manually focusing (no need for grid/crosshairs/etc).

<http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?A=search&ci=4662&Q=&O=NavBar>
shows some with a microprism and some with 'horizontal split image'.
I have not used a manual focus camera so I am not sure of the relative
usefulness of these. The microprism helps more when you're using a
fast lens, and the split-image otherwise? I had a look with Google
and in the terminology section of photozone.de but didn't find an
explanation.

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Ed Avis <ed@membled.com

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Dave R knows who - 12 Jan 2005 23:27 GMT

> Canon make about a dozen different focusing screens for their 1 series
> bodies. Do people have any recommendations about which one to get?
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> and in the terminology section of photozone.de but didn't find an
> explanation.

I'd like to know, are these things someone you upload or do you take the
camera apart? I've got a 1D and I don't recall a place to stick in a
different screen. Whatadummy!

Off to search goolge for the answer.....

Later... couldn't find it and the 1D manual only shows how to select it via
the menu so I guess it is software.

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Mike Coon - 13 Jan 2005 23:10 GMT

> Whatadummy!
>
> Later... couldn't find it and the 1D manual only shows how to select
> it via the menu so I guess it is software.

Cannot comment about the dummy, but microprism and split image are optical
devices and not something that can be changed by software.

Mike (who's still chemical).

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Hils - 14 Jan 2005 19:07 GMT

>I'd like to know, are these things someone you upload or do you take the
>camera apart? I've got a 1D and I don't recall a place to stick in a
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
>Later... couldn't find it and the 1D manual only shows how to select it via
>the menu so I guess it is software.

Instructions are supplied with a new focusing screen. I can't find one
right now, but you take the lens off, press a catch to lower the screen
carrier, lift out the current screen, replace it with the new one, and
press the carrier back up until it locks, doing it all with a tool
supplied with the new screen. It's almost identical to changing the
screen in an Olympus OM-1/2/3/4, and easier than it sounds. :)

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Hil

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Siddhartha Jain - 14 Jan 2005 19:12 GMT

I had a look with Google

> and in the terminology section of photozone.de but didn't find an
> explanation.

http://www.star.ucl.ac.uk/~rwesson/esif/om-sif/findergroup/focusingscreens.htm
http://photonotes.org/articles/split-circle-screen/

HTH,

Siddhartha

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