A few months ago there was a thread about possibly adapting the popular Nikon DK-17M 1.2X magnifying eyepiece to fit Canon dslr’s . This is the magnifier that is supposed to allow full view rather than just the center section. As it basically just makes the viewing image larger, I decided I needed to try it. The finished result works quite well and the viewfinder is just a little dimmer with a slight amount of vignetting. The image is sharp and makes manual focusing a lot easier as it’s 20% larger. I did have to adjust the diopter adjustment a little even though I leave it on the center position without this eyepiece.

Unfortunately I wear glasses so rubber eyepiece hoods gets in the way. Without a rubber hood, I can just barely see the entire frame without moving my eye but I have to bring the eyepiece pretty close to my eye (there’s not much eye relief). Those that don’t wear glasses probably can see the entire frame without any problem. I’ll ask someone who doesn’t wear glasses to try it later. Overall, I am very happy with the end result and plan to keep it on my 20D. I’ll definitely use it on 5D as well when manual focusing.

Parts all available from B&H:

Nikon DK-17m magnifying eyepiece
Nikon DK-2 rubber eyepiece hood
Nikon 2370 eyepiece adapter

Here’s the Nikon DK-17M 1.2X eyepiece:

That looks like a winner, Vernon. Now just be prepared for the flood of orders.

DonH wrote:
That looks like a winner, Vernon. Now just be prepared for the flood of orders.

Thanks Don, but I'm really not interested in starting up an eyepiece buisness
So, to those that have emailed and PM'ed me, I'm sorry. The whole process is very straight forward as outlined. Anyone want to assemble these and make a buck ?. The problem right now is that the Nikon DK-17m is hard to find as supply hasn't caught up with demand yet. With the popularity of this eyepiece, Canon should design their own!

To answer another question, no the eyepiece doesn't crop any of the viewfinder image. I think that's why it's so popular. All it does is it makes the whole image 20% larger without much loss in brightness or sharpness. You can run a search for "dk-17m" in the nikon forums or nikonians for many reviews.

Hi Vernon,

Did you file away the thread on the Dk-17M? I'm halfway through the same project but am reluctant to file off the thread on the DK-17M.

Makron

rathman wrote:
A few months ago there was a thread about possibly adapting the popular Nikon DK-17M 1.2X magnifying eyepiece to fit Canon dslr’s . This is the magnifier that is supposed to allow full view rather than just the center section. As it basically just makes the viewing image larger, I decided I needed to try it. The finished result works quite well and the viewfinder is just a little dimmer with a slight amount of vignetting. The image is sharp and makes manual focusing a lot easier as it’s 20% larger. I did have to adjust the diopter adjustment a little even though I leave it on the center position without this eyepiece.

Unfortunately I wear glasses so rubber eyepiece hoods gets in the way. Without a rubber hood, I can just barely see the entire frame without moving my eye but I have to bring the eyepiece pretty close to my eye (there’s not much eye relief). Those that don’t wear glasses probably can see the entire frame without any problem. I’ll ask someone who doesn’t wear glasses to try it later. Overall, I am very happy with the end result and plan to keep it on my 20D. I’ll definitely use it on 5D as well when manual focusing.

Parts all available from B&H:

Nikon DK-17m magnifying eyepiece
Nikon DK-2 rubber eyepiece hood
Nikon 2370 eyepiece adapter

makron wrote:
Hi Vernon,

Did you file away the thread on the Dk-17M? I'm halfway through the same project but am reluctant to file off the thread on the DK-17M.

Makron

rathman wrote:
A few months ago there was a thread about possibly adapting the popular Nikon DK-17M 1.2X magnifying eyepiece to fit Canon dslr’s . This is the magnifier that is supposed to allow full view rather than just the center section. As it basically just makes the viewing image larger, I decided I needed to try it. The finished result works quite well and the viewfinder is just a little dimmer with a slight amount of vignetting. The image is sharp and makes manual focusing a lot easier as it’s 20% larger. I did have to adjust the diopter adjustment a little even though I leave it on the center position without this eyepiece.

Unfortunately I wear glasses so rubber eyepiece hoods gets in the way. Without a rubber hood, I can just barely see the entire frame without moving my eye but I have to bring the eyepiece pretty close to my eye (there’s not much eye relief). Those that don’t wear glasses probably can see the entire frame without any problem. I’ll ask someone who doesn’t wear glasses to try it later. Overall, I am very happy with the end result and plan to keep it on my 20D. I’ll definitely use it on 5D as well when manual focusing.

Parts all available from B&H:

Nikon DK-17m magnifying eyepiece
Nikon DK-2 rubber eyepiece hood
Nikon 2370 eyepiece adapter



No, leave the thread and just file away on the plastic adapter to the point where you can screw the magnifer in, You can remove (file off) the extended "knubs" that are on the threads if you want to position the magnifier closer to the eyepiece (deeper in the plastic adapter). I did this as I wanted the most eye relief since I wear glasses.

great write up.....i'll probably do this as well

Great idea - thanks so much for posting it. Time to do some damage with my Dremel I guess...

Tag.. I like it..

I just finished making this
I love it
the bigger viewfinder image is a welcome addition

I didn't use any epoxy to affix the two pieces
instead i just made the hole big enough for a friction fit
I also had to adjust my diopter 4 clicks

this mod fixed three things i didn't like about the camera

1. it extended the viewfinder away from the camera, My nose no longer pushes the buttons on the camera

2. The OEM hood for the viewfinder is horrible, ambient light gets in too easily, and makes it harder to see, the nikon hood is far superior

3. it makes the viewfinder image larger, an added bonus is that the settings seen thru the viewfinder are larger as well

There are people not satisifed with the 5D's FF viewfinder ?

ever look thru a medium format viewfinder :o

Will this fit on 1Ds series bodies?

Which directon did you move the diopter adjuster?

Dan GSR wrote:
I just finished making this
I love it
the bigger viewfinder image is a welcome addition

I didn't use any epoxy to affix the two pieces
instead i just made the hole big enough for a friction fit
I also had to adjust my diopter 4 clicks

Dan,
That was quick! You were just thinking about putting one together earlier and now you have the whole thing assembled. Where did you get the parts so fast? Glad you like it. When it comes to viewfinders- bigger is better!

Vernon

lamonica66 wrote:
Which directon did you move the diopter adjuster?




4 clicks counter clockwise

rathman wrote:
Dan,
That was quick! You were just thinking about putting one together earlier and now you have the whole thing assembled. Where did you get the parts so fast? Glad you like it. When it comes to viewfinders- bigger is better!

Vernon

My local camera shop had all the parts in stock
thanks for starting this thread
i can't wait to give this thing a good workout

Please let me know if anyone finds the parts for this eyepiece.. I would like to try one..

Thanks In Advance..


Matt

OEM canon eyepiece cover vs. Completed magnifier

Dan,

The rubber eyecup can slide all the way to the base of the adapter if you want (see my last picture on the 1st post). I actually put the eyecup onto the magnifier before screwing it onto the adapter. No reason to make any changes unless you're having a problem seeing the entire image . Looks good.

Great info! A new project. Just what I needed :-)

A

I used the supplied metal ring that keeps the hood in place
only way that the metal ring will fit
Not necessary...but
The way i have it now works fine for me

I originally thought that this idea was new but running a search shows that the same procedure has been done for many different cameras in many different ways. No sense in re-inventing the wheel like I did. Here are some links.

On an Olympus E-1:
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~SL7K-KWMR/_e1/e1_dk17m.html

On a D70:
http://blog.webs-tv.net/f717man/article/615572

20D:
http://www.knock.ne.jp/~moly/Photo/equip/DK-17M/
E300:
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~SL7K-KWMR/_e1/e1_dk17m.html

localandbitter wrote:
There are people not satisifed with the 5D's FF viewfinder ?

I used to use a magnifier on my large Hasselblad screen, for every shot. The one thing I really miss about MF, and might even be reason enough to make me switch once MF prices have sunk some more.

If anyone in the København/Malmö area has this device, I'd love to come and see it