Katz Eye focusing screen for D80 - any good?

theory

theory

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Martyn
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I really like the idea of this but are they any good and how difficult are they to fit? I do have a steady hand and am fairly competent when it comes to this kind of stuff but I'm not quite sure how it works? Is it a glass prism that fits on the mirror?

Anyway, for $95 I think it could be well worth presuming it works as well as an OE part would if it were fitted as standard.

I know it over-exposes slightly sometimes when you spot meter but I can handle that.

Any thoughts ppl?

http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/item--Katz-Eye-Focusing-Screen-for-the-Nikon-D80--prod_D80.html
 
Well I've been reading up and I reckon I can install this fairly simply - it doesn't look too bad and it seems that the optibrite option is worth paying for so, in for a penny etc!

I'll let you know what I think when I get it just incase anyone searches this out.
 
It's basically a small focusing screen with a prism that helps you see when your subject is perfectly in focus... Because of the heavy reliance on auto focus these days I guess manufacturers tend to like their screen to be as bright as possible to let the function do it's thing and the most cost effective way of doing that is not have anything on the screen.

I really like manually focusing, I tend to be quicker to get what I want in focus (so if I point at the nose I can still get the eyes nice and sharp at bigger apertures) and also it means that my camera is ready to take pictures as soon as I click the shutter button.

If you use an older film camera you'll know what I mean :)

Here's a good link with pictures of what you could expect to see through the viewfinder http://forums.dpreview.com/forums/read.asp?forum=1034&message=23092384&q=katz+eye&qf=m
 
I got it today and installed it and wowzers, already I love it!

I found installing it was really quite easy. Removing the original screen was a doddle and replacing it was certainly the hardest part but I used two very small screwdrivers which made things much easier so unless you're a bit clumsy or have sausage fingers then I wouldn't let the installation put anyone off. It took me about 15 minutes from start to finish including all the stalling and worrying.

Anyway, the main thing is that once installed its amazing! Just like an old film camera and really nice quality... aside from the main circle (which is split in two) there is a matte or gridded area which helps the fine tune and it's a really nice small resolution so really helps you nail the focus at open wide...

I've not used it that much yet but the metering seems unaffected so far (even center spot metering) and I can't wait to see how it helps with macro shots.

Already I've to some great shots of people on the move! I'm pretty chuffed.

The only downside I can think of is that I got stung by customs for tax at the cost of £27!
 
Yeah i'm thinking of getting one of those for my 40D, I take it you reccomend it theory?
 
:bonk: Its so long since I had a film SLR that I had forgotten what the focussing screen was like until I saw those pics in Theory's link, and it all came flooding back! I can see now why manual focus-ites would want one. I do use manual occasionally, but not often enough I think to justify a katz-eye, but well done on getting it sorted Theory, glas you are enjoying it (y)
 
Thanks people, especially dizzledazzle who is my non-homosexual man lover! hehe

Yeah so far I've been using it quite a bit with my 58mm 1.4 and it's lovely! I've noticed that it's easier to use when focusing at distance but whatever you're trying to focus on it makes it easier... I've actually been using it on my 70-200VR and in auto mode if I aim at the nose tip it gets the eyes in focus best so it's actually focusing ever-so slightly incorrectly. Pretty neat to know and as such I can probably get better shots because of it.

It's an addition I'm amazed isn't an option from factory, I can't see why anyone would want to go without so yeah it's pretty safe to say I think it's a jolly good upgrade!
 
I can deffo see why its a good thing to have but would still rather gain experience using MF through trial and error, i just feel it would be more of a personal achievment doing it myself rather than relying on an extra to do the hard work for me!

I just wished i had known about this when i was younger, my dads pentax had one and i never knew what it was for!
 
8utters said:
Yeah i'm thinking of getting one of those for my 40D, I take it you reccomend it theory?
Click to expand...

I fitted the EF-D focus screen (the one with the grid) about a week ago. Not really used it much apart from a few test shots but so far I'm liking it. I was worried the lines would be too distracting but they aren't.

Fitting it is very easy (about 10 seconds) and requires no screwdrivers.

Retails for £20 which I think is reasonable.
 
It still takes trial and error, and it doesn't do it for you - just helps you to be sure you have got the bit you need to be sharp, in focus. I don't think it could be considered cheating to have one. :)
 
Just thought I should update this thread as I've now transfered the screen from my D80 to my D300. It appears it would fit straight into a D200 also... Handy to know for some people I expect.

The D300 retainer clip is a bit of a pain in that you need to press it twards the focusing screen and then dwn toward the mirror so sweaty hands and heavy breathing are evn harder to avoid but as with the D80, once you've done it once it's a doddle anyway...

No metering problems that I can see - the same lenses still behave in the same way with the same flaws (ie: my fast lenses over expose a tad usually)
 
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