Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

35mm SLR's all had split screen viewfinders that made manual focusing quick and exact. I don't know of any digital cameras that do. I know there are split screens that can be installed to do this but reviews I have read indicate that it causes less light to enter the view finder and the lcd screen, which can be problematic in low light. Also once installed I read that they can make your autofocus less efficient.
I've got a bunch of manual focus Nikkor lenses which I can only use with the lcd screen and the magnify button, because my eyesight can't manually focus through the viewfinder.
Does anyone know if any dslrs in the past or present had built in split screen viewfinders,
and why they were eliminated?

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I'm guessing that standard split-screen is one of several conveniences that were done away with {as no longer being "necessary"} when auto-focus was implemented {even before digital replaced film}.

If I hold the shutter button partway down {as I would to pre-focus} while performing manual focusing on my Pentax, the "focus achieved" light flashes when the camera thinks focus is right. Does your camera do something like that to help out?

letmedance Loc: Walnut, Ca.

Which Nikon interchangeable lens camera that uses standard Nikon lenses does not have an optical viewfinder? I am puzzeled.

RichardTaylor Loc: Sydney, Australia

My Canon EOS 1000 (C1990-1992) a 35mm film SLR did not have a split image rangefinder in the viewfinder. It did have auto focus and and area of ground glass around the centre of the viewfinder to make manual focussing a bit easier.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Split screens etc are no longer needed. Auto focus is way more accurate than any of us can be, especially if you shoot anything that moves faster than a mountain. And for those that think they need to focus manually there is LV with 10x magnification or more!!
If you're a bug chaser, I think that's why they make focusing rails!!! ;-)
SS

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

No, my dslr's are Nikons. I've read that some cameras have autofocusing aids for manual focusing lenses but Nikon isn't one of them to the best of my knowledge.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

You need to focus manually with manual only focus lenses, which most of my lenses are. No question that autofocus is better for me but I only have three auto focus lenses and about a dozen manual focus ones. But I imagine when the first DSLR's came out many people had manual focus lenses. So why did the DSLR market abandon that feature? To force everyone to buy autofocus lenses?

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

Just about every 35mm slr accomodated autofocus through the viewfinder with some sort of aid to make autofocusing easier. Both my Nikon and Zeizz SLR's had very sharp split screen manual focus. For some reason no digital slr that I know of did.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

They all have viewfinders except for the Nikon 1 J series which only has an LCD screen. But none of them have a split screen focusing aid that makes autofocus easy and accurate through the viewfinder.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

Bob, there are some bodies in which you can replace the stock screen with a more manual focus friendly screen. Don't know which bodies in Nikon, but if it's a must, you might look into one if you're gonna be focusing predominately manual. But it seems that as we go further, those too are starting to go away.
One would think that with all those old Nikon lenses around, Nikon bodies would have at least a few screens available. Good luck with that! ;-)
SS

twowindsbear

First off - not ALL 35mm film SLR cameras had a split image focusing screen.

My WAG for why they were eliminated is that the split image is not compatible with the AF 'mechanism' in AF cameras.

Another WAG - the split image screen is more expensive than the 'plain' screen used in AF cameras.

mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey

Actually a top quality manual focusing lens like the Zeiss Otus with a long throw 250 degree focus ring is capable of quite precise manual focus. Manual focusing however is still a learned skill that takes time to perfect.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

With the high price of the earliest digital cameras (I have a Kodak Pro 14N FF digital with the Nikon mount that I got a couple of years ago for $400 that was about $4,000 new in 2003 which is about $5200 in 2016 dollars) I don't see the cost of the screen as being a factor. In fact, the 14N doesn't even have live view. It does have a 1" x 1-1/2" lcd for reviewing pics taken and menu items. Yet it doesn't have split screen focusing although it was based on the Nikon F80. I have a Nikon F70 which does have a split screen viewfinder for manual focusing.
Also, Kodak didn't even make lenses for that camera as it used Nikon lenses, which were mostly manual focus at the time. The 14N with 14MP was considered the most advance digital at the time and was intended to lure film photographers into the digital world.
For some reason, a conscious decision was made to abandon the split screen on the earliest digital cameras, and it stuck.
Maybe we need a camera historian or circa 2000 digital camera designer to give an answer. I haven't been able to find any mention of it anywhere online.

Bob

Pablo8 Loc: Nottingham UK.

I have three Nikon DSLR's..They all have the green ( solid dot ) in the viewfinder. As one manualy focusses, the solid dot lights-up, when sharp focus is achieved. Works for me on all of my 1960's Nikon manual lenses...from 20mm to 500mm. Also works with the Sigma lenses.

Bobspez Loc: Southern NJ, USA

Which Nikon dslr's do you have? I have the d3100 and the d7000 (and a Nikon1 J1 without a viewfinder). I havent noticed a green dot in the viewfinder on the D3100 or the D7000. Is there a special setting to activate it? What mode do you shoot in?

Thanks,

Bob