What about slow lenses and split-prism screens? Any recommendations?
I would naturally assume that screens aimed at slower lenses is still very much useable with faster ones?
@Krosavcheg: are there screens aimed at slower lenses? You mean the brightened ones?
I'd assume they would work even better still with faster lenses. Physcially I don't think they are very different ...
Then again: I cannot tell from experience so I'd be happy to learn from others who do have.
Haavee: Sorry, I just don't have any experience with focusing screens on Canon DSLRs, and so I assume that when everybody recommends Ee-s screens for "faster lenses" (that would imply 1.2 and up to 3.6 perhaps?) the use an f4 or 5.6 max aperture lens would require some other kind of screen?
No worries Krosavcheg!
With any of the split-image screens focussing becomes practically impossible @f/5.6 irrespective of the lens' speed. It happens with the good old non-digital SLRs since at around f/5.6 one of the halfs of the split-image becomes black making it neigh on impossible to use it for focussing.
At f/4 it is still doable but typically the viewfinder image is already pretty darkened by then - I guess that "brightened" screens do help a bit in this situation. Still, focussing is, based on my experiences, still best done with the lens wide open ...
OTOH: it is a good reason for replcing your f/4 lenses with (way) faster ones
I use the Ee-S focusing screen on my 5D and prefer this set up to my OM-2SP SLR with split/micro prism focusing screen. I use the Ee-S to get very fast to the focus vicinity, and when the AF confirmation kicks in, I hit the trigger. For motion and moving subjects, this is a much better set-up plus you do not disturb the AF points and metering functions when you need to use AF lenses.
Haavee: I hear you. Perhaps opti-bright treatment will compensate somewhat...well..it is not possible with some lenses such as SMC 100/4 Macro or Zuikos 70-150/4 and 80/4 macro...
It depends on the given light in a scene. If you are shooting at ISO 100 or 200 then the matte screens can still be used at f8 or higher f stops. Split prism may be the same but I never liked being confined by the central focus point nor other aspects to use them to any significant degree. Now, indoors or in other low light situations then f4 might be the limits as the viewfinder becomes too dark. If cranking up ISO would have the same effect on the viewfinder then you could use them at small apertures. And in EVF that may be the case, but it isn't for conventional ones.
Ersatz: Yes, indeed increasing ISO does not affect vewfinder, unfortunately. I personally like split prism, but if that comes at a cost of reduced visibility, I will probably skip it.
In acceptable lighting situations outdoors I personally don't find it problematic to focus at f8 - f11. Though, of course it is much easier to do so wide open..
