The GetDPI Photography Forum

Great to see you here. Join our insightful photographic forum today and start tapping into a huge wealth of photographic knowledge. Completing our simple registration process will allow you to gain access to exclusive content, add your own topics and posts, share your work and connect with other members through your own private inbox! And don’t forget to say hi!

Focusing Screen M Type

edwardkaraa

New member
Just wondering if anyone here is using this screen and opinion? I decided to try manual focusing with the A900 but I'm not sure if this screen would be any better than the standard G screen, except for the lack of AF black squares that can be annoying for MF.

Thanks,
Edward
 

Oren Grad

Active member
I put an M screen in my new A900 just the other day. I wanted to play with a bunch of M42 lenses, and I found the standard screen to be pretty hopeless - its brightness is definitely achieved at the expense of focusing acuity.

Some observations after a few days of snapshooting with the M screen:

* The AF marks are still there.

* Focusing acuity is distinctly better, but the screen won't solve all focusing problems by itself. Focusing a 35mm f/3.5 on the go is still a challenge, even under bright light; 35mm f/2.8 is easier, 35mm f/2 is easier still, and 50mm f/1.4 is quite nice. (I haven't tried anything longer than 50 or shorter than 35 so far.) Where critical focus matters, I still have to put the camera on a tripod and use the Sony viewfinder focus magnifier to take full advantage of the extra acuity. Of course, my judgments here are colored by the limitations of my own eyesight.

* To state the obvious, to get the most out of it make sure you have your finder diopter setting tuned.

* It's much dimmer than the standard screen. It's very dark with a 35mm f/3.5 indoors under my usual moderately dim interior lighting. Still fine for composing, I think, but many may disagree, and I can see why Sony recommends nothing slower than f/2.8. Outdoors in bright daylight, f/3.5 is fine.

I expect that I will leave the M screen in, even if I end up using mostly AF lenses. Decent focusing acuity is much more important to me than extreme screen brightness.
 

edwardkaraa

New member
I have to say that I have no problems focusing manually with the standard screen. It is much better than what I have previously used with Canon, as I find its circular pattern to act like a microprism. The M type should be even better, but if the AF marks are still there, that's a big disappointment, as I find them too disturbing for composition.
 

fotografz

Well-known member
Perhaps we need to lobby Bright Screen as a group to get them to make a manual Screen for the A900?

I had one of their diagonal split microprism screens in a D700 ... it was a quite large circle and simply amazing. Helen Keller could have manually focused that camera ;)

Nikon also makes a viewfinder mag that magnifies just enough to still see all the info ... so it can be used handheld all of the time. Something like that could also help.
 

douglasf13

New member
Edward, the af marks are separate from the actual screen, so, unfortunately, they will be there no matter what screen is used, I believe.
 

Oren Grad

Active member
Edward, the af marks are separate from the actual screen, so, unfortunately, they will be there no matter what screen is used, I believe.
Yes, they're in the camera, not on the screen. The screen itself is just full-field matte with no markings.
 

edwardkaraa

New member
Thanks for the info, Douglas, Oren. Too bad that the AF marks are probably etched on a secondary screen or even in the glass prism.
 

douglasf13

New member
I received my M screen, and I'm pretty happy with it. I'm getting a much higher hit rate with manual focusing. Sweet :)
 

douglasf13

New member
At first, I thought the M screen difference was subtle, but I just spent the last half hour walking around the house shooting and checking focus, and I'm now pretty excited about the M screen. My hit rate is much, much higher, and I don't even need my glasses. I finally feel as confident manual focusing the A900 as I do with my Hassleblads. Dang, I should've bought this thing 8 months ago. Duh!
 

Terry

New member
How easy was it to make the change? How much darker does it make the viewfinder (I thought that is why they recommend it with fast lenses)?
 

douglasf13

New member
I'd say Oren's description above pretty much sums things up. I didn't have too many issues with my 35mm 2.8, but I didn't spend much time with it. My 50mm 1.4 and 135mm 3.5 worked great, and, personally, the VF doesn't really seem outrageously darker to me. I noticed a jump in darkness happening around f4, but I haven't tested it in dark conditions yet, so I'm sure Oren is correct about indoors. I'm working on more fine art stuff right now, rather than commercial, so AF isn't necessary for me at the moment, but I've been having a hard time committing to manual focus, because I wasn't nailing focus consistently enough. This M screen seems to be solving all of that. Now I have to resist the temptation of buying more manual lenses. Dang! :) I have yet to try my adapted Hasselblad lenses with the new screen, but I have a feeling it'll be good news.

Terry, it is super simple to switch screens. I have all three screens now, so I've changed them a few times, and I'd say it takes me about 30 seconds to do it now. Granted, it's probably not something that you want to do out in the field.

p.s. I managed to buy the M screen used from Adorama with an EX+ rating for around $25, and it looks great, so you may keep an eye out for used ones.
 

Terry

New member
Thanks,
I'm all packed up and heading out the door in a couple of hours. Definitely something to think about on my return. The little always live view e-p1 and G1 spoil you for manual focus ease!
 

douglasf13

New member
Absolutely, the live view manual focusing is a great option. Since the Sony screens are so easy to change, it's probably worth checking one out. Have a good trip!
 

edwardkaraa

New member
Thanks Douglas for the additional info. I honestly have no problem focusing with the standard screen, and a few tests this weekend have indicated that my manual focusing is more accurate than focusing-recomposing with the AF points. I also like the brightness of the standard screen. However, since you indicate that focusing becomes a lot easier with the M screen, I am going to get it for sure, even if only to spare some eye strain :)
 

douglasf13

New member
Yeah, my eyes are getting a bit worse, and I'm constantly switching back and forth between wearing and not wearing my glasses while I shoot. The M screen helps me quite a bit, but YMMV.
 
Top