p.1 #1 · Feeling better about focusing after EsS focus screen
I recently bought a Super-Takumar 50/1.4 and a Zuiko 28mm.
I enjoyed playing with these manual focus lenses once the adapters arrived. But my enthusiasm was tempered by the large amount of out of focus shots I was getting with my 5D. The ratio of good shots was disappointing. Yesterday I went for a walk with the 28mm and a Canon 20D and I was still not that happy.
After reading many pro and con reports on the merits of all kinds of focusing screen options I thought I would try the Canon 5D EsS screen. During my Pentax LX days I would swap screens all the time so this was a familiar procedure.
What a noticeable difference. I shot a bunch with the Tak wide open and voila: in focus images!
I will next try the 24-105/4 L as its my slowest lens. All my other glass is 2.8 or faster.
I wish I had tried this screen a long time ago.
Here is a quick test of our "hate posing for photos" cat indoors wide open at 1.4
p.1 #3 · Feeling better about focusing after EsS focus screen
Just got an EC-S myself for my 1v and it seems to work great. Needs about 1/3 to 2/3 stop exposure compensation I think, but otherwise seems to work great.
p.1 #5 · Feeling better about focusing after EsS focus screen
I haven't felt a need to change screens up until now.
As I've written before, I put the Brightsceen mag-eyepiece on my 5D, and focusing is fairly easy with the stock Ee-a. I shoot a LOT at night, so I like the brightness.
However, I have recently been a little bothered by the inaccurate DOF that the stock screen gives when stopped wider than f/2.5 I'm a HUGE proponent of working with the true DOF / aperture selected so this is troublesome.
I'm considering one of the laser-treated (brightened) Ee-s screens. (around $125) However, I'm also now wondering what the 5DII might bring. Supposedly, it uses a similar sized screen as the 5D, but the transparency is different. I'm going to wait and see if the new "Ee-s" is brighter than the old one. It might actually be darker, but it's certainly worth waiting a month or two to find out. They are 2X the price of the old ones, so maybe they are better built:
