# No Focusing Screens for 5D MIII?



## Isurus (Mar 2, 2012)

From the specs it appears that the new 5D essentially shares the same viewfinder as the 7D and that interchangeable focusing screens will no longer be available (they also don't show up on the Canon site as they do with the 1D X). 

This is likely a deal breaker for me as manual focusing through the viewfinder with the standard focusing screen, and the 7D focusing screen, is practically impossible to do accurately with fast aperture lenses. Specifically, Zeiss lenses will be much more difficult to use. Anyone who claims otherwise isn't as critical of focus as I am, because when a viewfinder can show a DOF no wider than f5.6, getting critical focus at f1.2 requires trial and error at best.

Yes, you can still use LiveView, but that is only practical when shooting from a tripod (landscapes, for example). It's too awkward to use LiveView in normal shooting conditions (for me anyway).

I'm sure I'm in the minority here, but I find this to be a bummer.


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## te4o (Mar 2, 2012)

Isurus, I just read the same horrible info from the jeff ascough blog (http://blog.jeffascough.com/photographers/2012/03/canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-review.html#tpe-action-resize-387) where he writes about the 100% VF.

I am stunned too as I use solely CZ ZE lenses and was hoping to have that option here. BUGGER! 
It says the AF fields are projected onto the focusing screen like in the 7D and 1DX. But there ARE user interchangeable focusing screens for the 1DX! Why not here?
Do you think we can rely on the improved AF for manually focusing our Zeiss glass?
Or do I have to buy Canon EF again...?


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## Neeneko (Mar 2, 2012)

This would probably be a deal breaker for me. While I use AF occasionally, for the most part I am doing MF and would like the option for a focus screen.


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## nvsravank (Mar 2, 2012)

Why do you say the viewfinder does not go wider than 5.6? I thought until the time of the shutter, the aperture is fully open and so should be at the F level you are trying to use.
Maybe i am mistaken, but can you explain a bit more please.


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## alipaulphotography (Mar 2, 2012)

I too saw this and am a little disheartened. All my lenses currently have AF abilities on them, but I manual focus a lot with stationary subjects. Especially portraits when I am trying to focus on the eye - this wouldn't be possible with the stock screen shooting at f/1.4.

Hmm. Can anyone see a work around?


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## DavidRiesenberg (Mar 2, 2012)

There are aftermarket screens for the 7D, so I am positive that they'll also be available for the new 5D.
http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/item--Canon-7D-Focusing-Screen--prod_7D.html


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## skitron (Mar 2, 2012)

FWIW, I've had pretty decent results using one of the programmable AF confirm chips on my Rokinon 35. With it you can depress the shutter button half way and then do manual focus until the body beeps and the selected focus point lights up. 

One thing I noticed is that there is a hysteresis to it and for critical focus I set the MFA to be right when focusing from infinity to close. Set up this way, the MFA is consistently off focusing from close to infinity. But it could be set up to have it be the opposite, I just prefer to twist the focus this direction.

All in all a kind of quirky solution but pretty effective once you get the MFA dialed in and realize you just have to live with the hysteresis and always focus the same direction (based on how you set up the MFA). All of this said, no problem shooting at 1.4, but I do miss the split prism days.

Also FWIW, I was able to shoot my Sigma 50 1.4 the same way by switching it to MF.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 2, 2012)

nvsravank said:


> Why do you say the viewfinder does not go wider than 5.6? I thought until the time of the shutter, the aperture is fully open and so should be at the F level you are trying to use.
> Maybe i am mistaken, but can you explain a bit more please.



That statement isn't really correct for the aperture - it's actually f/2.8. The focusing screens in modern dSLRs are laser microetched to make them brighter, so they work better with slow lenses which are common these days. One consequence of that is that the viewfinder shows the DoF of an f/2.8 lens even with lenses that are faster than that. If you have a fast prime, test it yourself - use the DoF preview button as you stop down from wide open, and you'll see that the VF doesn't start getting darker until you hit ~f/2.8 (or f/2.5 with some lenses). The high-precision Eg-S screen for the 5DII is a 'brighter' screen that shows the true DoF for fast lenses (but f/5.6 lenses are pretty dark, unlike with the stock screen).

I use an Eg-S on the 5DII, and the lack of a similar option for the 5DIII is very disappointing. It's true that there will likely be 3rd party screens as there are for the 7D, but the focusing screen on the 7D is not considered user-replaceable, and doing yourself is a challenge, so most of the vendors that sell 7D screens also offer a service to swap them out. Personally, I prefer the flexibility to easily change them out on-the-fly - Eg-S when I'm going to be using a fast prime, Eg-A (the stock screen) when using a slower zoom, like the 28-300L where I might be outdoors or inside.


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## Axilrod (Mar 2, 2012)

Did they actually say there wouldn't be any focusing screens for it or that it couldn't use them? It may just be too early for them to have shown up in stores....


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 2, 2012)

Axilrod said:


> Did they actually say there wouldn't be any focusing screens for it or that it couldn't use them? It may just be too early for them to have shown up in stores....



It can't use them. The 5DIII specs state, "Focusing Screen: Fixed." That's the same as the 7D, whereas the 5DII, 1D X, etc., state, "Focusing Screen: Interchangeable."


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## Track40 (Mar 2, 2012)

Chuck Westfall of Canon posted on http://www.robgalbraith.com/bins/content_page.asp?cid=7-11675-12364 "Unlike the 5D Mark II, the 5D Mark III's focusing screen is not interchangeable."

Looks like the standard screen that it's going to come with is a grid-style focusing screen... thank g-d. I shoot architecture, and without a grid, I'd be dead meat, and this would have been a deal breaker.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 2, 2012)

Track40 said:


> Looks like the standard screen that it's going to come with is a grid-style focusing screen... thank g-d. I shoot architecture, and without a grid, I'd be dead meat, and this would have been a deal breaker.



No, the standard screen has no grid. The grid is part of the 'intelligent viewfinder' and is a feature that can be turned on/off. It's generated by the transmissive LCD that sits next to the focusing screen. The 7D and 1D X have a simliar feature - unlike most cameras, you can actually completely turn off the AF points displayed on them.


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## Track40 (Mar 2, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Track40 said:
> 
> 
> > Looks like the standard screen that it's going to come with is a grid-style focusing screen... thank g-d. I shoot architecture, and without a grid, I'd be dead meat, and this would have been a deal breaker.
> ...




Oh Wow. I guess I'll take that. Can you make the grid any finer... ala make it more dense?

Do you by chance have any idea 1) whether there are any more "grid" options while in Live View and are shooting stills? And 2) whether the grids stay on the screen when you zoom in 5x or 10x? On the MKII, the grid would always go away when you zoom the Live View.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 2, 2012)

Track40 said:


> Can you make the grid any finer... ala make it more dense?
> 
> Do you by chance have any idea 1) whether there are any more "grid" options while in Live View and are shooting stills? And 2) whether the grids stay on the screen when you zoom in 5x or 10x? On the MKII, the grid would always go away when you zoom the Live View.



No idea for the 5DIII. On the 7D, there's only one grid type in the VF, but there are two choices for Live View.


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## Track40 (Mar 2, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Track40 said:
> 
> 
> > Can you make the grid any finer... ala make it more dense?
> ...



Do you know on the 7D whether the grid disappears from LiveView while you zoom in 5x or 10x (to check focus)?


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## alipaulphotography (Mar 3, 2012)

So how does canon expect us to focus our 50 & 85mm f/1.2 & f/1.4's when shooting wide open? Rely on the autofocus and hope that it focus' on the eye?

All those autofocus points feel wasted by not allowing something simple like an interchangeable brighter screen.


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## rmhowie (Mar 3, 2012)

Does Canon offer to change the focussing screen in the 7D for a price? Do you they might offer this service for the 5D Mark III?


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 3, 2012)

rmhowie said:


> Does Canon offer to change the focussing screen in the 7D for a price? Do you they might offer this service for the 5D Mark III?



No, they do not. 3rd party vendors offer the service for the 7D, and likely will for the 5DIII as well. Not sure if having that done affects the warranty.


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## dr croubie (Mar 3, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> rmhowie said:
> 
> 
> > Does Canon offer to change the focussing screen in the 7D for a price? Do you they might offer this service for the 5D Mark III?
> ...


I'm sure it would void the warranty (unless you put the original screen back in before sending it to them, and whatever fault you were getting repaired wasn't caused by the 3rd-party screen).

But my 7D is out of warranty, the new Credit Card has arrived, Katz-Eye is about to be ordered (although after that 5D3-bomb, maybe I should be putting money towards one of them instead...)


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## te4o (Mar 3, 2012)

OK, we have to swallow this bit too, sad. I want the 5D3 but have to find a MF solution first:
AFAIK a MF screen changes metering. On the 5D2 there are three CFn options to match this. The 7D doesn't offer interchangeable by user Fs. How does it manage to adjust metering? Is there a C-Fn for this too? Please explain! 

1. Has someone changed the FS on his own 7D himself as per instructions from focusingscreens.com? It looks easy on their website. Is the focusingscreens.com good enough for MF? Does it change the metering and can this be compensated in camera presets. 
2. Has the Katzeye a self installing option too? Easy? Advantages towards focusingscreens.com ?
3. Same with brightscreens? DIY ? 
And if I Change the FS on the 5D3 and there is no C-Fn metering option, is there a workaround?

As a small hope - probably the AF confirmation points will do the job most of the time and for the rest there is LifeView. Is there a LCD screen loupe for a 3.2" screen from Houdeman or Zacuto? Instead of changing FSs Might go for this?


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## dr croubie (Mar 3, 2012)

te4o said:


> 2. Has the Katzeye a self installing option too? Easy? Advantages towards focusingscreens.com ?



I can answer in a few weeks, if you don't mind the wait.
Katzeye say:
"However, the Canon 7D focusing screen is not designed to be user changeable and the procedure is only recommended to be performed by a professional camera technician. No tools or technical support for installation issues will be provided. An installation guide is available for download here, but this should not be construed as endorsement of customer-installation of the screen — this guide is intended for professional use only!"

In short, you can do it yourself, but don't whinge to us or blame us (or ask for repair money) if you cock it up. I'm an electronic engineer with experience in service and repair, so I'm confident I can do it without breaking too much. But if you're not me, you value your camera more, or trust yourself less, and can do without your camera for a few weeks, send it to them (or buy it and get a local camera-techie to do it).

ps, it's http://www.focusingscreen.com/, i'd never heard of them before but i'm checking them out now, they look to be cheaper and have a lot more to choose from, horizontal/vertical/diagonal/double split prisms, with or without microprisms. They also seem to have a few of each in stock, KatzEye is made-to-order so they're running a few weeks behind. They don't have an equivalent of KatzEye's OptiBrite though, i've got lenses down to f/5.6 (or worse with teleconverters) so the Optibrite will probably be fairly useful for me...


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## te4o (Mar 3, 2012)

dr croubie said:


> te4o said:
> 
> 
> > 2. Has the Katzeye a self installing option too? Easy? Advantages towards focusingscreens.com ?
> ...



I don't mind at all, Dr. I am not an electronic engineer unfortunately and I'll be afraid to screw on a new 3500+ body... I'm glad you try first. 
As usual, time will tell. From the fredmiranda discussion on this topic it seems that AF confirmation won't cut it even with the best AF in the world - that's because of some averaging of active Af points. Anyway, it's a long time to go until I get a 5D3. Thanks for your reply!


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## Mt Spokane Photography (Mar 3, 2012)

The bigger 100% viewfinder, just like the 1 series is going to help. Otherwise, you might want a 1 series, Canon seems to have left a lot of little things out of the 5D MK III, but its half the price.


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## nighstar (Mar 9, 2012)

bad news.....

from Q&A with Chuck Westfall (Canon Technical Advisor) at: http://blog.planet5d.com/2012/03/questions-answered-for-the-canon-eos-5d-mark-iii-hdmi-video/



> *Q:* There is an issue here that has not been mentioned in the previews I have seen so far.
> The specifications on Canon’s website tell that 5d3 has a fixed focusing screen, like 7d, while 5d2 has an interchangeable one. How is this fixed screen compared to the standard screen and the Eg-S screen for 5d2? Does this fixed screen on 5d3 show precise focus regarding to depth of field on higher apertures than f:2.8?
> 
> *CW:* The EOS 5D Mark III’s focusing screen has about the same overall brightness and depth-of-field characteristics as the EOS 5D Mark II‘s Eg-A standard focusing screen. This is a brighter screen than the Eg-S with most lenses, but it does not depict depth of field accurately for apertures wider than about f/4. Manual focusing accuracy using the optical viewfinder is about the same, lens for lens, on the 5D Mark III as it is on the 5D Mark II with an Eg-A focusing screen.


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## Ryan708 (Mar 9, 2012)

My 60d has 3 options in the custom functions for selecting what focuys sceen I have installed. And the manual says if i change the focus screen to set the custom functions correctly. Does this mean my 60d has interchangeable focus screen and the 5d MkIII does not????


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## Invertalon (Mar 9, 2012)

Ryan708 said:


> My 60d has 3 options in the custom functions for selecting what focuys sceen I have installed. And the manual says if i change the focus screen to set the custom functions correctly. Does this mean my 60d has interchangeable focus screen and the 5d MkIII does not????



Correct. But your 60D does not have the advanced transmissive LCD either displaying the grid lines, focus points, AF modes, etc...

That is the tradeoff... Focus screen or awesome viewfinder information. I will take the advanced LCD!


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## noxious_nasties (Mar 9, 2012)

Well here are the instructions for the 7d with katzeye.

http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/files/install_12.pdf

Doesn't seem too difficult at all - at least nothing that a good techie can't handle.
I wouldn't be too concerned about getting a focus screen from katzeye or focusscreen.com
for all the mf people out there.


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## nighstar (Mar 9, 2012)

noxious_nasties said:


> Well here are the instructions for the 7d with katzeye.
> 
> Doesn't seem too difficult at all - at least nothing that a good techie can't handle.
> I wouldn't be too concerned about getting a focus screen from katzeye or focusscreen.com
> for all the mf people out there.



yes, getting a good focusing screen isn't really the issue. it's voiding your warranty by installing it and the lack of built-in metering compensation that's the real problem, imho.

sure, i can buy and install a katzeye focusing screen, but then my metering will be off and there will be no way of fixing it. cameras that allow interchangeable focusing screens have built-in metering adjustments, which the Mark III won't have.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 9, 2012)

Invertalon said:


> That is the tradeoff... Focus screen or awesome viewfinder information. I will take the advanced LCD!



Not exactly. The 1D X has the transmissive LCD that provides 'awesome viewfinder information', _and_ it has interchangeable focusing screens. Canon simply chose not to include that feature on the 5DIII - which is unfortunate for all those people who _need_ MF for fast lenses (anyone using expensive Zeiss lenses on a 5DII, for example).


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## noxious_nasties (Mar 9, 2012)

Metering will be an issue I agree. It's a big downside in my opinion that it can't change screens as I like macro work but at least the option is there. 

I can't see it being bad on the warranty when done correctly though - you'd just have to replace the original when/if you need the warranty.


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## chito (Mar 9, 2012)

this is really starting to bother me.. I don't do a ton of MF but I like to see the DOF of my ridiculously priced L primes, and I hate the 1 series form factor..


I wonder what Jeff Ascough thinks of this.. I read that he MF a lot, and he uses the 50L... Maybe Canon will make a special 5D3 just for him...


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## wickidwombat (Mar 9, 2012)

bummer I hope Katzeyez do one for the 5D3
I would have thought a bigger VF might have made it more like the older 1 series
which to be honest absolutely kill the 5D2 in this department even with the EG-S screen in the 5D2 my 1Dmk 3 with standard screen in is significantly easier to use MF on


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## te4o (Mar 9, 2012)

wickidwombat said:


> bummer I hope Katzeyez do one for the 5D3
> I would have thought a bigger VF might have made it more like the older 1 series
> which to be honest absolutely kill the 5D2 in this department even with the EG-S screen in the 5D2 my 1Dmk 3 with standard screen in is significantly easier to use MF on


WickedW, I contacted brightscreen.com and they are preparing one. Doesn't seem to be difficult. However, what you say is very probable because the EgS was not extremely helpful. So, please let me know when you get yours from leederville what is the VF experience! I use only CZ an rely entirely on MF, started circling the 135/2 though to get an idea of the new AF...


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## wickidwombat (Mar 9, 2012)

te4o said:


> wickidwombat said:
> 
> 
> > bummer I hope Katzeyez do one for the 5D3
> ...


yeah will do, Since I will keep 1 5D2 for MF duty i'll most likey get a brightscreen for it


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## nighstar (Mar 9, 2012)

te4o said:


> WickedW, I contacted brightscreen.com and they are preparing one. Doesn't seem to be difficult.



good to know, thanks. 

i am really hoping to use old MF lenses on my Mark III without having to always reference liveview for focusing.... i should be getting the Mark III on the 22nd, so time will tell. i have no 5D Mark II to compare with, though.


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## Isurus (Mar 9, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> nvsravank said:
> 
> 
> > Why do you say the viewfinder does not go wider than 5.6? I thought until the time of the shutter, the aperture is fully open and so should be at the F level you are trying to use.
> ...



Per Chucky, the f2.8 isn't accurate either; it's actually f4.0. 8) Regardless, having used the 7D quite a bit over the past couple years and finding manual focusing with wide apertures to be an exercise in frustration, this is probably a deal breaker for me.

I had completely forgotten about this (even though I started the thread - lol) until this thread got resurrected. While I've indicated in other threads I was leaning towards getting the MIII over the 1D X simply because of cost, I've decided to cancel my pre-order and wait for the 1D X. Manual focusing is too critical for me and I'm not interesting in having to pay attention to the aperture I'm using and then adjust metering compensation accordingly.


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## 7enderbender (Mar 9, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Track40 said:
> 
> 
> > Looks like the standard screen that it's going to come with is a grid-style focusing screen... thank g-d. I shoot architecture, and without a grid, I'd be dead meat, and this would have been a deal breaker.
> ...




I'm still thinking about getting the gridded screen for my 5DII. Do you happen to know if that one is as bright as the original or more like the EG-S?


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## Pyrenees (Mar 9, 2012)

No interchangeable focus screens is disappointing. I've noticed that the Nikon D800 has the same limitation.

I guess, however, to offset that to some degree, the 5dIII has a decent 3.2" lcd screen which will make liveview-based-focusing a bit easier than on the mark II.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 9, 2012)

7enderbender said:


> I'm still thinking about getting the gridded screen for my 5DII. Do you happen to know if that one is as bright as the original or more like the EG-S?



The Eg-D grid screen is like the stock Eg-A screen (but with gridlines) - brighter with slow lenses, but doesn't show the true DoF with fast lenses (and less bright than Eg-S with a fast lens - you haven't seen a bright VF until you've looked through an f/1.2 lens with the Eg-S screen).


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## candyman (Mar 9, 2012)

Has anyone tried this with his 7D? http://www.focusingscreen.com/work/7den.htm


And, how does the K3 focusing screen work for you?


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## Stebs (Mar 9, 2012)

I have to say the fixed focusing screen is my one real rub with the Mark III, as I have grown to love the EG-s screen in my MKII. I might try shooting some head shots wide open but use the Live View on the Mark II to see if that is a doable work around for me. 

What are the chances, the autofocus will be accurate enough to negate the need to manually focus when shooting <f/2 ? Was the AF accurate enough in the 1 Ds MKIII or the 1 D MK IV?


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## BL (Mar 9, 2012)

i think accuracy of AF and knowing what to focus on are two different things.

i have all the faith in the world that the mkIII with the completely revamped AF will be able to focus quickly and accurately. the question is, will it know it's the eye i'm trying to nail at 1.2



what a bummer, the only thing keeping me from upgrading as i usually roll with a 24/35 1.4 and a 85 1.2


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## fotoray (Mar 9, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Track40 said:
> 
> 
> > Looks like the standard screen that it's going to come with is a grid-style focusing screen... thank g-d. I shoot architecture, and without a grid, I'd be dead meat, and this would have been a deal breaker.
> ...



I thought the "intelligent viewfinder" is a 1DX feature not included with 5DIII?


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 9, 2012)

fotoray said:


> neuroanatomist said:
> 
> 
> > Track40 said:
> ...



Think again.


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## dr croubie (Mar 9, 2012)

Oh well, just pulled the trigger on the KatzEye for my 7D. Got the split prism with Plus, Optibrite for the edges, and Portrait crop-lines for the hell of it.
Just a smidge under $250 shipped to Aus, but the $US is so low these days it's cheaper once converted to real money. (Actually, my FL 55 f/1.2 cost less).

I'll let you guys know how well it works in a few weeks when I get it. I'll presume they're also planning on making the same for the 5D3, it won't be any harder to install than the 7D version...


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## tt (Mar 9, 2012)

chito said:


> this is really starting to bother me.. I don't do a ton of MF but I like to see the DOF of my ridiculously priced L primes, and I hate the 1 series form factor..
> 
> 
> I wonder what Jeff Ascough thinks of this.. I read that he MF a lot, and he uses the 50L... Maybe Canon will make a special 5D3 just for him...



I'm not sure what he uses day to day, but at Focus he mentioned using the 24-70 I, a 135mm and sometimes when needed a 70-200mm. 

I think that wedding photographers with a style that uses primes will have a lot to weigh in about the lack of focusing screen. If the focus works, ok, but if not, and it's much harder to MF (and also when doing video), then it makes it pretty hard for shallow depth of field shooting.


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## chito (Mar 10, 2012)

tt said:


> chito said:
> 
> 
> > this is really starting to bother me.. I don't do a ton of MF but I like to see the DOF of my ridiculously priced L primes, and I hate the 1 series form factor..
> ...



This is where I got it from

http://photo.net/learn/wedding/wedding-photography-tips-with-jeff-ascough/

It's from a couple of years ago, so he might have changed the way he works, these are some quotes from the article:

"I’ve always loved 50mm lenses. My Leica Noctilux was my absolute favourite. The Canon 50mm f/1.4 was ok but I broke three of them, so I used a 35 f1.4L for a long time instead. When the 50 f/1.2L came onto the scene, I was able to get back to the 50 and that has been my favorite lens for ages now. My first L lens I bought was the 28-70 f2.8L and that was the lens I cut my teeth on, I had a tear in my eye when I sold it last year."

With the 5DII:
"I use the center focus point and I manually focus quite a lot."

He will probably be tempted to use the Leica M10 which is rumored to debut on Photokina this year, if it's as good as it should be.


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## tt (Mar 10, 2012)

Thanks chito - will have a read 
50mm 1.2 and others are some great glass used well


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## te4o (Mar 10, 2012)

If you look precisely into the focusing screen chamber access of the 7D and the 5D3 there is a difference.
I hope the 5D3 will still have the same ease of access. Actually, they can't change it a lot, can they? Servicing / cleaning of the focusing screen is performed quite often.


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## te4o (Mar 10, 2012)

Does anyone use a rear LCD loupe for MF. I know it chews the battery but is this an option instead of screwing parts in and out of a newly purchased 5D3? Zakuto, Hoodman etc? They'll have to make them 3.2" now, probably twice the price . Anyway, still waiting and doubting...


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## Stebs (Mar 10, 2012)

I wonder if te4o is onto something. Has anyone here used one of the lcd focusing loupes for pulling critical focus during video? Is this a possible work around for the times you need to see your focus point < f/2.8? I just dont see myself having the screen swapped out on a $3500 body unless it was designed to be swapped out. At that point it is time to look at other camera bodies. 

Although, if the new focus system is advanced enough, this is all moot.


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## neuroanatomist (Mar 10, 2012)

Stebs said:


> Although, if the new focus system is advanced enough, this is all moot.



I wouldn't say moot. Nailing focus is only part of it. Seeing what's within and what's outside the DoF during composition is also helpful, and AF doesn't help there.


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## sagittariansrock (Mar 10, 2012)

I read on this post that the AF points can be completely turned off for the 7D, and I know that the advertisements said the same. I am talking of turning off the black boxes, not the focus confirmation red ones. But I couldn't find out how to do on the manual, and their technical support guy said (after extensive search) that it cannot be done. I am still hoping he was wrong- but has anyone actually done it and can share the information? Many thanks in advance...


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## 7enderbender (Mar 10, 2012)

Just picked up a Eg-S screen after reading all this. How depressing. It makes things with my 135 and 50 slightly better (but I'd still say dimmer than with the Eg-A). With f/2.8 things start to be borderline. My 24-105 becomes way to dark for indoor shots. So this is not the solution and it's very frustrating when comparing it to my AE-1p (even with an f/4 lens). Why is this? Why can't Canon build their viewfinders as big and bright as they did 25 years ago?

So the sad conclusion is: manual focus is no longer a viable option and I have to live with a bunch of AF points centered around the middle (even on a newer model it seems). They work, but it still feels like a step back.

Let me know if anyone is interested in the brand new Eg-S screen. I'll have to see if the store takes it back.


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## ratnev (Jun 21, 2012)

te4o said:


> If you look precisely into the focusing screen chamber access of the 7D and the 5D3 there is a difference.
> I hope the 5D3 will still have the same ease of access. Actually, they can't change it a lot, can they? Servicing / cleaning of the focusing screen is performed quite often.



Well, I must say: it's easy to access. I can even confirm it, but without illustrating the whole procedure on my own body, because I'm a bit afraid to do it myself. 

First of all: DON'T YOU EVER TOUCH YOUR FOCUSING SCREEN WITH ANYTHING. USE ONLY AIR BLOWER TO REMOVE VISIBLE DUST ON IT. 

As for my experience: don't even use a blower, because you may make things worse, as I did it with my copy of 5D Mk III.

A little story here: 
About a week ago I noticed some speck on my focusing screen while looking through the viewfinder. Firstly I didn't plan to do anything with that. But whom I'm fooling around?!  It was annoying every time I looked through the viewfinder. Well, I decided to try a blower (damn it). 

2 pushes on a blower, then another 2 and another and finally it (the speck) was gone. I was happy for 2 seconds or more before I noticed new participles from the other side of the focusing screen. I tried to blow them away but nothing helped. It was under the focusing screen. 

The things got worse when I tried a sensor cleaning swab. My bad. It didn't helped either. As a service guy said I had scratched my focusing screen. :

As you've already know I went to service. The screen was scratched but not noticable in the viewfinder. I asked them to try to clean it from visible participles. As they said it was easier to replace than clean it. 

But as it's a newer model, the new focusing screen will take for about 2 month to get shipped. 

I was begging them to clean it, just to try, and the service guy said OK. 

I must mention that this was not an authorized canons service centre. In my country (Ukraine), the service under warranty is not so good and professional as the paid one, with "real" engineers working there. 

The service guy took my MKIII and invited me to come with him just to watch the whole process (madness). He unscrewed two little black screws (as on the pic) and pulled out the bracket, which holds the focusing screen chamber. 

The chamber opens by clicking the lock, as on the 7D's focusing screen replacement procedure (http://www.focusingscreen.com/work/7den.htm), and then the screen was exposed. The service guy took the focusing screen out with tweezers and pushed some air on it. It was cleaner than before, with less dust but some specks were "glued" and didn't want to fall of.  So we ended up with ordering the new focusing screen. And now I'm waiting it to get shipped in two months. 
That's the whole story. Sorry for such a long one.....


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