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View Full Version : Split focusing screens?

El Kiwi
Dec-01-2006, 10:22 AM
After my less than successful thread hijack over in the back focusing thread, I thought I'd start my own instead...

I wish they would bring back those split screens like they used to have on the old film cameras.

Which leads me nicely on to a question I was planning to post here anyway... I saw one of these for the first time recently, on my stepdad's old film camera. I looked around a bit, and there are a couple of companies that sell them for DSLRs:

Katz Eye (http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/cat--Canon-DSLRs--cat_canon.html)

Haoda Fu (http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/screen4DSLR)

Does anyone here have any experience with these? I'd like to try one. I guess using these screens that you can only focus on something in the centre of the frame, correct? So you have to use focus-recompose if the point you want to focus on is off to the side. I'd appreciate any feedback... is it distracting having such a full viewfinder?
erich6
Dec-02-2006, 11:30 AM
After my less than successful thread hijack over in the back focusing thread, I thought I'd start my own instead...



Which leads me nicely on to a question I was planning to post here anyway... I saw one of these for the first time recently, on my stepdad's old film camera. I looked around a bit, and there are a couple of companies that sell them for DSLRs:

Katz Eye (http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/cat--Canon-DSLRs--cat_canon.html)

Haoda Fu (http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/screen4DSLR)

Does anyone here have any experience with these? I'd like to try one. I guess using these screens that you can only focus on something in the centre of the frame, correct? So you have to use focus-recompose if the point you want to focus on is off to the side. I'd appreciate any feedback... is it distracting having such a full viewfinder?

Those Katz Eye screens look pretty good! I also would like to know if anyone else has any experience with these.

Erich
claudermilk
Dec-02-2006, 11:33 AM
I have the Kats Eye in my 20D and it's great. Really helps with manual focus & is a 2nd check that the AF worked. With the 20D metering is basically unaffected. The screen is well-made & looks OEM.
:thumb
erich6
Dec-02-2006, 11:38 AM
Found this thread with additional info:

http://www.dgrin.com/showthread.php?t=34784&highlight=katz

I like that Katz Eye offers etched lines to help in composition. I'm torn between the Rule-of-thirds and the panoramic lines....

I've got a 20D...I think I'm going to get one of these.

Did you install it yourself? Was it difficult?

Erich
Shay Stephens
Dec-02-2006, 12:24 PM
Oh sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow

Thank you thank you thank you

:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap

I just ordered one with 8x10 etching marks. As soon as I get it, I will provide a full review!
El Kiwi
Dec-02-2006, 06:42 PM
Brilliant! I'm looking forward to the review. Specifically, my questions are:

1) is it a PITA having the viewfinder really busy?

2) does it help focusing on off-centre subjects?

3) I see Haoda now offers a diagonal focusing ring, the idea being that if your scene contains only horizontal lines it'll help. Thoughts about whether this is useful?

New toys - just when I'd told myself I have enough to learn all I need to :-)
erich6
Dec-03-2006, 09:09 PM
Oh sweet!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow:bow

Thank you thank you thank you

:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap:clap

I just ordered one with 8x10 etching marks. As soon as I get it, I will provide a full review!

I'm sure the 8x10 lines will come in handy with your wedding portraits! :thumb
Shay Stephens
Dec-03-2006, 10:06 PM
I'm sure the 8x10 lines will come in handy with your wedding portraits! :thumb

That crop is the most restrictive, so knowing where the limits are at a glance is a real life saver for me :D

I got an order confirmation, and the lady who responded sounded like she was as excited about this product as I was hehehe. It may take two weeks or so before I get it...and I can't wait :barb
claudermilk
Dec-04-2006, 07:54 AM
Installation is not all that hard, just takes some care & patience.


THe viewfinder isn't "busy"...at least to those of use who grew up on manual SLRs and are accustomed to having the prism. I actually missed it in the digital cameras, now things look normal to me. Really the only difference is around the central focus point with a couple of smaller concentric circles within the standard one found on the 20D. When you're focussed, there's almost no difference.
Shay Stephens
Dec-13-2006, 03:40 PM
I made a review of it here:
http://www.digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?p=441104
erich6
Dec-13-2006, 04:00 PM
I made a review of it here:
http://www.digitalgrin.com/showthread.php?p=441104

Awesome review Shay! Did you notice any difference in the viewfinder brightness? How about any blackout at small apertures?

Erich
Shay Stephens
Dec-13-2006, 04:17 PM
Awesome review Shay! Did you notice any difference in the viewfinder brightness? How about any blackout at small apertures?

Erich
I didn't notice any apparent darkening of the viewfinder. If there is any, I can't tell. And at least with the 20D, the viewfinder operates at the widest aperture of the lens regardless of what your aperture setting is.

The only way I could get the screen dark with small apertures was to use the preview button. Instead of being uniformly dark, I noticed the central area with the prism was nearly as bright as at wide aperture. Interesting, but I don't think it will be of much use to me as I mainly shoot at full wide most of the time anyway.
El Kiwi
Dec-14-2006, 02:15 AM
Looks fantastic! I'll be picking one of those up when I'm back in the States.

BTW Shay - I've not used one of these screens before, are they useful for focusing on off-centre subjects? Obviously the split prism is in the centre of the frame, but in a lot of cases where manual focus is going to be most useful you don't want to be recomposing (i.e. with a fine DOF).
Shay Stephens
Dec-14-2006, 12:32 PM
Looks fantastic! I'll be picking one of those up when I'm back in the States.

BTW Shay - I've not used one of these screens before, are they useful for focusing on off-centre subjects? Obviously the split prism is in the centre of the frame, but in a lot of cases where manual focus is going to be most useful you don't want to be recomposing (i.e. with a fine DOF).

The micro-prism ring extends out a ways beyond the split prism area, it can be helpful in off center focusing.
TOF guy
Dec-17-2006, 06:52 PM
Does anyone here have any experience with these? I'd like to try one. I guess using these screens that you can only focus on something in the centre of the frame, correct? So you have to use focus-recompose if the point you want to focus on is off to the side. I'd appreciate any feedback... is it distracting having such a full viewfinder?

I've been using one (KatzEyes) for several months.

You can focus off-center since it has a laser-matte polish. But this requires a bit more practice compared to the microprism collar and center split prism. A fast lens helps to use it that way.

Is it distracting? Some people hate it and remove it very quickly. This is not an issue for many others (incl. me). So I suppose the answer is that it depends on whom you ask. Be aware that if you use it on a camera with good AF (mine is a Nikon D200). all you're going to see is that AF focuses very accurately and the screen is useless as such. The rationale to have it on the D200 is 1) it allows to focus with manual lenses, and 2) the improved snap (better evaluation of DOF).

Thierry