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Archive 2008 · which focusing screen for 20d
  
 
photosenior
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p.1 #1 · which focusing screen for 20d


Hi all,

Im looking to get a focusing screen for my 20d - but dont know which one to get. Which is the best screen for people photography- especially low light events!
Are there any down sides to the focusing screens?
Thanks for the help

Aug 15, 2008 at 06:07 PM
freaklikeme
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p.1 #2 · which focusing screen for 20d


I don't believe the 20D has interchangable focusing screens.

My mistake. Apparently there's a hack. Sorry, PS. No experience with these.

Edited on Aug 15, 2008 at 06:33 PM


Aug 15, 2008 at 06:30 PM
k10D
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p.1 #3 · which focusing screen for 20d


Here you go...

http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/

They put screens in 2 of my 20Ds - great improvement. And best customer service I've ever encountered in photography products.

Kevin


Aug 15, 2008 at 07:13 PM
Marcel VanEerd
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p.1 #4 · which focusing screen for 20d


Katzeye for me as well. I just ordered the screen and popped it in. Not difficult at all.

Aug 17, 2008 at 04:39 AM
Ray Simpson
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p.1 #5 · which focusing screen for 20d


I also have the KatzEye. Best investment I've made as I use many MF lenses. K10D is correct; they are a great group to work with.

Aug 17, 2008 at 10:53 PM
jrsubs
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p.1 #6 · which focusing screen for 20d


Can someone discourse on what advantages they find on a 20D with different screens? Are they suitable for manual focus i.e. split prism etc? I cannot focus well with my 30D on manual for critical long focal lengths and was wondering if a different screen might help.

Aug 18, 2008 at 09:10 AM
Ray Simpson
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p.1 #7 · which focusing screen for 20d


The Katzeye is a split prism focusing screen. I have many MF lenses I use with my camera and always struggled to get focus "dead-on" through the viewfinder. This was especially a problem when shooting a macro lens. Just like the old days, when the split prism aligns, that area is in focus. Additionally, as an option, Katzeye offers grid lines for aiding composition and an optical "brightener" to lighten up the viewfinder. I purchased the "brightener" but have to comparison point as it's the only non-Canon screen I have.

There are a couple of issues, however. Slower lenses result in a very dark viewfinder. Anything above f 5.6 is about my limit for accurate focusing, and that's usually on a tripod. F 4 and faster are fine. There may also be some metering issues. Spot metering is discouraged and is supposed to be a problem but I've not tried it as I use the histogram all the time. I do find that certain lenses require EC, but I'm not sure if it's a function of the screen or a result of using a MF lens on my EOS body.

My percentage of infocus photos using MF is probably 3 or 4 times higher than with the original screen now that I have the Katzeye. I have 50 year old eyes, so I'm sure that was a factor. In my case it's resulted in dramatic improvements. I use it on a 20D.

Aug 18, 2008 at 12:30 PM
photosenior
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p.1 #8 · which focusing screen for 20d


So is there a focusing screen that will not screw up the metering?
Thanks!

Aug 18, 2008 at 05:43 PM
Ray Simpson
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p.1 #9 · which focusing screen for 20d


I don't believe Canon makes an alternate focusing screen for the 20D. They do for the 30D and 5D, but that doesn't help you.

The two companies I am familiar with that do focusing screens for Canon cameras are KatzEye and Brightscreen. I am sure there are a couple of others, but I'm not familiar with them.

I think it's the split prism that causes the issue; not the manufacturer. I seem to recall that Canon's EF-S screen (or something real close-it could be EC-S or something similar) for the 5D also has an issue with viewfinder darkness and spot metering. If you do a seach in this forum or the Alternate Gear forum under "focusing screens" you should find many happy, and several unhappy owners of alternate Canon and non-Canon focusing screens.

Unless you use spot metering on your 20D, I wouldn't get to hung up on metering issues. In addition to my Canon lenses I use Olympus, Pentax K and several M42 mount lenses. It's these non-Canon lenses that I find I have the most difficulty with and it could very well be just a function of using someone else's lens and an adapter on a Canon body. I don't worry about it with my Canon lenses or with the one MF lens I own that's dedicated to the EF mount. The biggest concern I would have is lenses that are f 5.6 and slower.

The KatzEye and Brightscreen screens are not cheap. I use several MF non-Canon lenses on a regular basis and needed something to help me focus better. I spent nearly a year agonizing over what to do before I pulled the trigger. In my case, it was a year of many lost opportunities, but again, I shoot perhaps 50% of my shots with MF lenses. For only the occasional picture, I don't know that it's worth it.

You may want to keep an eye on the Buy and Sell forum. Every once in a while I'll see a screen that someone's selling and you can save a few bucks.

Aug 18, 2008 at 07:25 PM
 



Gil_W
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p.1 #10 · which focusing screen for 20d


Have Katzeye on my 20D and 40D wich I could get them for my 1 series. Really makes everything jump out at you and you will know when you got focus.

Ray Simpson: you have 50 year old eyes, you're just a kid

Gil

Aug 18, 2008 at 08:05 PM
photosenior
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p.1 #11 · which focusing screen for 20d


So for low light events using auto focus canon lenses would these make a big difference?

Does it screw with the metering that much?
Thanks

Aug 18, 2008 at 08:42 PM
Marcel VanEerd
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p.1 #12 · which focusing screen for 20d


It has not affected metering on my 20D at all. My seven MF lenses range from f1.4 to f4

Aug 18, 2008 at 08:47 PM
jrsubs
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p.1 #13 · which focusing screen for 20d


Thanks very much for that info. My main problem is with my 400/f5.6 lens with which I am having troubles with critical auto-focus on the 30D. (Currently in for recalibration or repair, again).

I interpret above info to say that a Katzeye screen might not be so useful on my f5.6 especially considering tiny dof at 400mm.

Aug 19, 2008 at 12:13 AM
Marcel VanEerd
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p.1 #14 · which focusing screen for 20d


It depends. What you have to consider is, that no matter how good the screen is, the VF is quite a bit smaller than you might have been used to from a regular SLR. I found that THAT factor made focusing more difficult than the f stop.

Aug 19, 2008 at 04:28 AM
craig_oz_land
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p.1 #15 · which focusing screen for 20d


2 more suppliers.

http://www.slrdaren.com/index.php?main_page=index&language=en

http://www.focusingscreen.com/

Aug 19, 2008 at 07:58 AM
Ray Simpson
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p.1 #16 · which focusing screen for 20d


If your biggest problem seems to be your 400 5.6 in darker situations I agree with you, a new screen won't be a big improvement. If it wasn't for my MF lenses, I wouldn't have changed screens.

Aug 19, 2008 at 12:21 PM
wilt
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p.1 #17 · which focusing screen for 20d


Aftermarket screens from Katz Eye or Haoda definitely have as much as -2EV detrimental affect on the accuracy of exposure, as proven by owners of those screens. If you use relatively fast (f/2.8 lenses) affects are minimal, and if you use Evaluative metering again affects are minimual. But if you have slower lenses or you use Spot metering, the bad affect on exposure is proven. In fact, one onwer reports 2EV and another owner reports as much as 3EV difference from correct exposure! The web sites for Katz or Haoda USED TO mention specific changes in what situations, but within the past 12 months those facts have been removed from the web site!

Aug 22, 2008 at 04:14 AM
wilt
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p.1 #18 · which focusing screen for 20d


Just found the following comment posted in another forum only a short time ago...

"Thanks again for your answers. I spoke to Rachel at Katz, and it looks like evaluative and centre weighted average are ok, but the partial needs exposure compensation, with spot not really working unless using very fast lenses < F2.0. "


Edited on Aug 22, 2008 at 03:28 PM


Aug 22, 2008 at 03:28 PM
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