Lets talk evil for a moment

[Avotius]

Ok so the story goes like this...I got my Canon 20D, its a nice camera. Its very much at the end of its life though. A new problem with focusing on it has put it in a nice place in my closet. It wont focus on anything, the auto focus is messed up, and manual focusing with it is not working very well either. I have yet decided if its worth the 2-300 dollars to get it repaired and whatever because: my canon 50mm 1.4 is a great sharp lens, iffy bokeh, horrible build quality. My canon 17-40 is a bad lens, I dont enjoy using it at all, its soft, has problems with chromatic aberration up the yin yang and is an f4 which is just pokey. I rarely use the lens at all anymore. I have a yashinon 50 1.4 ds I have been using on the 20D lately for fun but found that focusing anything faster then f8 and nothing will be in focus, which might have to do with the problem of me seemingly not being able to focus the 20D anymore with anything. Its a really nice lens, I love the tones and bokeh and whatnot.

Anyway, I think regardless of my rangefinders I need to have a slr. I am a little behind on the times on the current state of affairs. Do they make a focus screen that I can stick in my 20D for manual focusing? Does it leave the auto focus points in the field of view still, is auto focus still retained with focus confirmation? I have also considered maybe what is in order is an upgrade to one of the current cameras, the 40D and 5D all look interesting and would lean more to the 5D but would wait for next generation one which I feel must be around the corner. How are the manual focus screens for them? They actually work as well as the ones in my minolta x700 or canon ae1?

But...

Nikon also interests me right now, I like the idea of a d300 with a few prime manual focus lenses. Old nikkor primes gave a really neat look, especially when shot right with black and white film, I assume a lot of that effect didnt survive the translation to digital, but is there any of that magic left in them when you shoot an old AIS on a modern digital? While I much prefer the idea of a d3 sensor in a f2 style body I am realistic. It would not be a stretch for me to check out nikon, my canon 20d is on its last legs, and I can give it to the old man, my 17-40, if I stick with canon, is going to have to be upgraded to a 16-35 II or maybe a 35 1.4 or 24 1.4 (although I hear the latter is not a great lens wide open, which is near where I would use it a lot). My canon 50 1.4 is junked almost, the focus seizes on it frequently and has cost me quite a few shots. Anyway an overhaul of the digital system is maybe a good idea. I am looking to buy an M8 soon but I was ready to buy one before, just as I was ready to buy a zeiss ikon before that and a leica mp before that and a leica m7 before that and a leica m6 before that and a mamiya 6 before that. Things always go wrong here right before im ready to get into things. I quite expect something to come up that will get in the way of me getting an m8 so looking closer at my dslr's just in case. Nikon just seems more flexible to me right now, and since I found I am more interested in manual focus primes but not so fond of stop down shooting via adapter it is an interesting option.

Any thoughts on my mindless ramblings up there?

 

[mfogiel]

Avotius,
I have a nice Fuji S3 Pro getting dusty in my closet, and FWIW I am not hot on the new Nikon cameras, as the Fuji has spoilt me with the great image quality - an extra wide DR and an extremely pleasing colour rendering. I might get the next Fuji, if it is a full frame with similar image quality, and possibly more bit depth. However I have fitted the S3 with the Katz Eye focusing screen, and am reasonably happy focusing my MF lenses (yes, you can still use the focus confirmation tool).
If you want a cheap solution, get the Katz screen for your camera and continue using it as is, if you want an expensive solution, get rid of your Canon stuff, start buying the ZF prime lenses (from 25mm to 100mm), and get the D3 plus an FM3A or F3 for film shots. Nikon has just introduced the best wide angle zoom ever made (14-24), it has a great new 24-70 and a superb 70-200 bazooka if necessary for longer stuff. This will put in your hands the best tools of the moment if you really need all that.

Fuji S3 Pro with the Zeiss Planar 85/1.4 ZF:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59177039@N00/1380687896/sizes/l/in/set-72157601234693316/

 

[wintoid]

I'm using a Katz Eye split image focus screen in my 40D (with rule of thirds grid overlaid). I have all AF points etc and I love it. I also use the EF 50mm f/1.4 but love the bokeh *shrug*

I use Pentax ME and MX cameras and the 40D is noticeably darker in the viewfinder than the Pentaxes. I guess that's just because it's an APS-C sensor camera.

 

[Leighgion]

I use a Katz Eye focus screen in my Nikon D40 and it's been very good to me. Not a match for the big, bright finders on my FE and FE2, but that's to be expected.

Actually am following the course you're pondering, though from a position already firmly as a Nikon shooter. I collected a number of AIS Nikkors to use on my FE and FE2 and sans metering on my D40. Has been a very entertaining and educational experience shooting AIS lenses on my D40, as there's full optical compatibility. Just need to gauge and set exposure yourself. A kind of hybrid retro/modern effect having a DSLR with effectively no metering.

I've just ordered a D300 though, largely to get metering functionality back with my AIS lenses. When you're shooting moving targets, you don't want to be needing to fiddle so much. Going to need to order a another Katz Eye for it. D300 is said to have a much bigger and nicer finder too.

My new D300 hasn't yet arrived so I can't comment directly upon it, but I can say I've been very pleased having gone with Nikon. The extended backward lens compatibility has been, and will continue to be a boon for me. There's new Nikon lenses that couldn't be bought with all the money I've spent on my 9 AIS lenses combined.

Don't know about magic, but I like the results I've gotten. Here's a few samples of shots made with manual focus Nikon lenses on my D40. Judge for yourself.

Nikkor 55mm f/2.8 AIS Micro (handheld)

Nikkor 50mm f/1.4 AIS

Nikon Series E 135mm f/2.8

Nikon Series E 70-150mm f/3.5

 

[Toby]

I'm surprised you think the 17-40 is soft. I've got one and I've never found it soft and I've always like the colour rendition of L lenses. I think it may need calibrating or you've simply got a bad copy, which you do hear stories of. I use a 5d with canon's own bright screen (I forget its name) it does improve things with lenses brighter than F4 but makes slow zooms harder to focus as they actually become dimmer with the manual focus screen (The standard screen is optimised for the F4 zooms).

 

[kalokeri]

Interesting to read that Katzeye screens can be used in a Canon 40D. Never thought ábout this before, actually.

The Nikon D300 is said to be a fantastic camera. One big advantage is indeed that you can use Ai and AiS lenses with this camera ( as with the D200 of course ). Combined with a Katzeye screen manual focussing should be easy. I think shutterflower is quite happy with this combination and manual focus lenses (check out

http://nikoncamerauser.com

where he wroze about this combination).

If you really can afford to change the system from Canon to Nikon, try out the D300. But on the other hand: to buy a D300 is awfully expensive even with cheap second hand manual focus lenses.

Thomas

 

[Rico]

By RFF standards, the D300 is pure evil. 🙂 Mine arrived a week ago with a big zoom, and I already added the grip. The AF is fearsome in speed and effectiveness (my main motivation). Of course, it has many features, buttons and menus. I expect my Canon 1Ds to be retired, except for quack medical experiments involving Visoflex. Even with small AI primes, the D300 is not an ideal street camera. I will always prefer a small SLR (Contax Aria), or small RF.