cogitech wrote:
Works identically. In fact, your EF lenses will also be easier to manual focus, of course, and AF is not affected at all by the screen.
But wouldn't autofocus suffer in low light with the darker EF consumer lenses?
No. Not in the least. You could install a pure black piece of plastic in there and the AF system would work exactly the same as it would with any other screen. The AF sensors are completely unrelated to the screen, and sit on the bottom of the mirror box (which is why there is a sub-mirror behind the main mirror that reflects light down into the AF sensors.
shirozina wrote:
Ee-S is only a little better than the standard screen - you realy need to try a modded series 1 screen to see manual focus accuracy in action.
I find this statement odd, because I am nearly 100% accurate with the Ee-S as opposed to about 60% accurate with the shite screen.
Can you elaborate on how a 1-series screen would improve my accuracy over the Ee-S?
It just snaps in and out of focus much more distinctly - it's a coarser grain and is darker than the Ee-s which makes it tricky with lenses slower than 2.8 but that's not an issue for me.
I just installed the Ee-S screen this week after reading all the posts related to this issue for the last couple of weeks. It makes a world of difference over the standard screen. I can't believe I waited this long.
hate to complicate matters - but what about if I have a 1D Mark II? what's the recommendation for a mostly-EF and mostly-AF user, who occasionally would like to MF?
glenn, get the Ec-IV. it's the new one for the Mk III's but it fits the other 1-series perfectly. i have it in my 1-series and recommend it highly. --mike
shirozina wrote:
It just snaps in and out of focus much more distinctly - it's a coarser grain and is darker than the Ee-s which makes it tricky with lenses slower than 2.8 but that's not an issue for me.
The same goes for the Leica R8/R9 grid screen, which can easily be modified to fit into the 5D:
I recently switched to the ees, and am very pleased with it, it does make manual focusing a great deal easier, but i don't have and lenses slower than 2.8.
gazzajagman wrote:
Does anyone know of a Ee-S / Ee-D hybrid? Does anyone post etch screens?
I'd love to get a Ee-s screen with the Ee-D grid lines.
Katzeye offers an etched screen, but sadly not for the 5D. I don't know anyone that just etches a screen for you, but I bet you could do it yourself with a metal straight-edge & a thin marker. (and cast-iron cahones)
- But would you mark the front or the back? Probably on the backside, for less difraction.
Does anyone with a D-screen know which side is marked?
According to Rachel Katz (Katzeye optics) the materials & technology used to make focus screens should, theoretically, continuously improve over time. That means, for instance, that the 5DII matte screen may well be brighter than the Ee-s.
There's no guarantee of this, and no guarantee that these will just drop into a 5D, but there's a decent chance for both. I've been patiently waiting, just in case. I imagine we'll know pretty soon.
In the meantime, this seems to sum up the current choices, unless I'm missing something:
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Canon Ee-s: Plain matte. Dark after f/2.8
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KatzEye - http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/ (Rachel Katz)
Katz Eye™ Optics Massachusetts 413.743.2523
expensive, and none for the 5D.
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## Ec-L: Laser Matte with Microprism & Crossed Split image
. - Dark, but not as bad as the Ee-s. "Superior matte area vs the Ee-s."
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Bill Maxwell's HI-LUX Enhanced Ee-S $75, & you send the Ee-s
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Self-Modified 1Ds screen. - More contrast than the Ee-S, but even darker.
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Brightscreen's "Proscreen." -very bright, but had to align, evidently. Expensive.
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Nikon FM3a K3 (split, microprism, grid) -good compromise, but very cluttered in the viewfinder.
"-for me the best compromise to date, but it's stupidly busy in the viewfinder with the split, microprism collar, etched circle around that, and finally a grid (2 horizontal, 2 vertical lines), then plus all the 5D's etched focus boxes, but it's not dark. It's a bit darker than the stock screen, just a bit."
But, you can practically make any 1D screen fit in the 5D using some sand paper and a lot of patience. The key is to sand off a bit at the time and alternate to the next edge. Once a while I rested the sand paper on the edge of the table to make sure the middle of the screen edges were sanded evenly as the areas near the corners. Also, to get the circles aligned right, don't sand the front edge (which will be mounted toward the back of 5D).
Those are modded 35mm screens. I wonder if they're glass?
It looks like they've dropped the price on their 5D screens to $125. That's still a lot, if you are experimenting. Also, they don't seem to offer a plain matte screen, which I sort of think I want.
If I ever win the lottery, I'll just try all three....
Cableaddict wrote:
Nikon FM3a K3 (split, microprism, grid) -good compromise, but very cluttered in the viewfinder.
"-for me the best compromise to date, but it's stupidly busy in the viewfinder with the split, microprism collar, etched circle around that, and finally a grid (2 horizontal, 2 vertical lines), then plus all the 5D's etched focus boxes, but it's not dark. It's a bit darker than the stock screen, just a bit.
Did the K3 fit in 5D without much effort? If so, I don't mind trying their B3 or E3.
From B&H literature: "The Nikon Type B3 Clear Matte IIa Focusing Screen is an interchangeable focusing screen compatible with the Nikon FM3A camera. This Matte/Fresnel screen features a 3mm circular clear rangefinder spot and a 12mm reference circle. Ideal for general use, and especially with lenses having small apertures."
