penguinpete

Has anyone used this combination? I have a Vivitar 13mm f2.8 manual focus lens, and can't be sure if the lens is soft or my 61-year old eyes. While attempting to focus, DOF, even wide open, makes everything look sharp in the viewfinder.

The Katz Eyes website claims that the focusing prism remains usable, even stopped down to f11 and sometimes down to f22, but I am inviting comments supporting or refuting that claim. If I'm going to have to lose the use of the camera (they offer installation service), I want to be sure that the cost and temporary inconvenience is worthwhile.

Thanks in advance for any input.

-- penguinpete

PrairieSeasons Loc: Red River of the North

Every lens and camera is somewhat different, so my answer may or may not be satisfactory. I put a KatzEye focusing screen on a Nikon D300s with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.2 lens and with eyes that are older than yours.

The focusing screen works better than I had hoped in terms of accuracy. With this lens and screen, I can take a portrait from five or six feet away with the subject's face turned 3/4 toward me and get the closer eye in focus every time.

The screen absolutely remains completely clear at f/16 (which is the minimum aperture on that lens). It starts to go black, but is still usable at f/22 on my 14-24mm and 18-200mm lenses, but I am usually in auto-focus mode on those lenses anyway.

penguinpete

Back in the day, I carried a Nikkormat with a Vivitar 21mm f3.5 as my walkabout system. With my crop-sensor Canon, the 13mm lens gives approximately the same angular coverage. The Nikkormat had a split-image focus screen, similar to the KatzEye, which would black out around f4 or f5.6. Since I preferred to focus wide open, that was rarely a problem - the camera stopped the lens down when the shutter actuated. Such is not the case with manual focus, manual aperture lenses these days - stop down happens when the aperture is set, not when the shutter is actuated. This means I have to follow focus with the lens already stopped down, and that's why I am concerned about the black out situation at smaller-than-wide-open apertures. I am encouraged by your response.

Thanks.

-- penguinpete

Gidgette Loc: Boerne,Texas

You can check with MTShooter, he has a split focusing screen and uses it.

Jim 80149 Loc: NW Illinois

Pete,
I have a Katz Eye on my Pentax K20D and I just love it. I don't think you need to send it away. I changed mine in about 5 minutes and it was easy. They include a tweezer-like tool, and they even have a video.
Jim

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I agree with both posters...I LOVED mine when I had it.

I also think it's not a bad idea to have them install. I've done both my rebel and my 5DII (this was a canon focusing screen though) and on the "simple" install for the rebel I scratched the katzeye and wished I had let them install.
The 5D went much smoother though....it depends how comfortable you are with it. :)

penguinpete

I'm leaning towards having them install, because, according to their website, installation includes a manual focus calibration check, and if necessary, calibration - that, and the fact that it keeps my fumble fingers out of the more delicate parts of the camera.

My biggest concern is the black out situation at smaller apertures, and from everyone's comments, that is no longer an issue.

sportyman140 Loc: Juliette, GA

The higher you go in the f # the more in focus everything is such as f22 but the lower the f# the shallower the DOF such as f3.5

rpavich Loc: West Virginia

I bought the "super brite" extra coating (or whatever it's called) and never had a blackout at any aperture.

If I could do it over, I'd have taken the option to have them engrave the focus points on the screen also.