EOS 450D, 500D, 1000D (XS, XSi T1i) Focusing screens?

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

I'm looking to replace the focusing screen in my XS (1000D) with one that will provide me with better focusing accuracy when I use fast mf lenses. But I'd like to find out from folks here who might have bought these screens which ones work best. Here's a couple I found on eBay:

Click here to see on Ebay

Click here to see on Ebay

The first one uses a "double-45-degree" split image, which I find somewhat interesting, but I'm curious just how well it works. I'm sure there are others available besides just these two models, but I'm most interested in how well the split image works with your 450D/500D/1000D/XS/XSi/T1i/T2i.

And I'm also curious about how well it works or how annoying it is when you're using a slow lens, like say an f/5.6 telephoto?

Thanks!

-halli- · Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 9:34 pm Post subject:

I have a single 45 degree focussing screen in my 400D (eBay) and it is excellent for using with my fast manual focus lenses. It gets dark after about f6 and is unusable at f11+ (though I just focus at wide open and then stop down where possible.) Slow lenses are very difficult to use, so I don't Wink

Metering is off (it overexposes) and I have to compensate (with both native AF and more so with MF lenses on adapters)

However, the positives outweigh the negatives by far. Before I put the screen in I couldn't manual focus at all as the screen was out of focus when the camera was focussed perfectly. See the following images as an illustration

Original screen, manual focus. Looks perfect in the viewfinder (taken with a compact through the viewfinder), but OOF photo taken by camera.

Original screen, auto focus (confirm chip on adapter). Looks OOF in viewfinder, but photo taken was pin sharp

With the screen, the following was manually focussed on the "N" and looked exactly the same in the viewfinder as in the photograph.

focus just "snaps" into place now.

I read somewhere that the dual 45 degree screens are more difficult to use at wide apertures where the DOF is very short as one prism can be lined up when the other is not, but I have no evidence of this other than a quote on a forum.

I'm happy I made the swap. But as it is so easy to swap back, it is really not an issue. If I want to use a slow lens for a specific task I could swap over in about 5 minutes.

For the price, it is worth the punt Smile

cooltouch · Joined: 15 Jan 2009 Posts: 9096 Location: Houston, Texas

Thanks for the feedback! So would you say that your screen is similar to this one?

Click here to see on Ebay

-halli- · Posted: Tue Oct 12, 2010 8:53 pm Post subject:

Hi, it was this one, from this seller. item 290474882566

The photo on the listing shows a dual 45 degree prism, but the listing is for a single one. I'd double check with the seller before purchasing though if I was you.

I'm not recommending the seller. I had no problems, but buyer beware as they say.