I've had many people ask me what the difference between a crop DX and an FX viewfinder is. The difference is easy - full frame is automatically 1.5x larger - in comparison to the viewfinder, however, it's not as easy to understand. I took some time to try to demonstrate what the difference is via an animated GIF. The image is not actual screen scale size - but it is relatively accurate - it's just to show others who have this question about what the viewfinder size difference is between DX and FX. This is a D300 vs. a D700 demonstration. D3 viewfinder is slightly larger - ~1.Xmm+ or so.
The image you see is set approx. at eye level/distance (what your eye would see via a D700 eye piece with DK-17m). The D300 is close to what you actually see relative to the D700's point of view. It's close enough to visually discern. Of course, this is not to scale (on your monitor) - but a relative comparison only.
Tech Specs:
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D300 VF is .95x @DX crop sensor size
D700 VF is .72x @FX sensor size and equipped with a 20% DK-17m. It's BIG, COMFORTABLE, and easy to see thru an FX body viewfinder - you can see the difference in frame size.
Hope this helps out some of ya'll. PS - vignetting of the viewfinder is due to the the P&S camera's lens against the viewfinder. I got it as close as I could without distorting and getting too much vignetting. You won't get that if you press your eye against the viewfinder.
Happy Shooting,
The General
Edited on Aug 19, 2008 at 03:49 AM
Aug 19, 2008 at 03:47 AM
Andre Labonte Offline • • • • • • Upload & Sell: Off
Yeah, like I've described before, coming from a D300 the D700's viewfinder was like going from a 40" standard def TV to a 16:9 70" high def screen. Just looks vast by comparison, and without question brighter. I can finally confidently manual focus with 100% reliable results. Could NOT do that on a D300 or lessor body.
Hope this helps out some of ya'll. PS - vignetting of the viewfinder is due to the the P&S camera's lens against the viewfinder. I got it as close as I could without distorting and getting too much vignetting. You won't get that if you press your eye against the viewfinder.
I have the DK-17M mod on my D300 and think it's ever so slightly bigger than the D700. This was with a side by side comparison. Of course, the D700 should be a bit brighter and the D700 can have a DK-17M too, but letting folks know that the D300 doesn't have to be *that* small.
The D700's viewfinder is comparable to the Canon 5D and 1Ds. It's actually BRIGHTER than a 5D. The D300's viewfinder is much dimmer (also dependant on which f/stop lens you mount) and SMALLER - though visibly a tad bigger than a canon 40D.
The stock D700 viewfinder is large - much larger than the D300. With the DK-17m mounted, there is no distortion and very minimal vignetting (depending on how your eye is pressed against the eye cup circle). For me, I have zero problems and zero issues with vignetting. For some eye glass wearing photogs, you will not want the DK-17m on your D700.
With a 20% increase in magnification, the D700's VF is effectively .86x (FULL FRAME). That's larger than any stock 35mm DSLR VF. The only DSLR is the 1DsMK3 that has a .76x VF magnification at stock.
Even with the DK-17m on the D300, the VF will still be smaller than the D700's. It will seem like it's close but still will be smaller than the stock VF. There's no comparison at all if both have the DK-17m installed, the D700 will be much larger.
There's a price you pay for FF. Viewfinder size is one of the premiums you pay and well worth it. I just wish they would make a 30% magnifier. Of course the 3.0" LCD is the largest VF period
