Nikon F3 Focusing Screen Not Working

[drjoke]

I just purchased a "never used" Nikon F3HP from Ebay. However, the split screen does not appear to be working. No matters how I turn the lens, the focusing screen appears unchanged. The image through the focusing screen is very clear, just like looking through a regular auto focus screen. I do not see any image splitting at all.



It appears that it came with an F4 focusing screen. I am not sure if this is the problem.

The camera is otherwise very nice. If I cannot figure this out, I may need to return it.

 

[sevo]

By the inscription on the frame you have a J screen - no split prism there, just a microprism spot. But given the F4 sticker, the glass inside may have been substituted with something else, perhaps a E (all matte) screen. Is the screen matte, does it have a microprism spot?

If the focus does not appear to change at all, it might even be a clear fresnel (microphotography) screen. Or the camera might have some past users dioptre that does not match your eyes - it can be hard to see the difference between blur and blur+blur.

 

[drjoke]

sevo, you are absolutely right. After your reply, I searched the Internet. I think I understand now.

It is a "micro prism spot". I believe the screen is clear as well. (I have not seen a matte screen.)

Does this mean I will need to get a different focus screen if I need focusing aids when using manual focusing? Or is there a way I can use this existing focusing screen to help me focus?

This would be my first Nikon F3. Your help is really appreciated.

 

[presspass]

You should get a screen that will work with your lenses and uses. The J screen is most common and has plain ground glass and a split prism. It may also have a round donut of microprism around the split image - I don't have one here to be sure. If you are going to use long lenses - 300 and above - the plain ground glass B or E screens work well. They will also work with shorter lenses but are tough to focus a wide angle. There are two levels of screen for the F-3. The earlier ones only have the type - B, E, H, J, etc - on the frame. The later and brighter ones have a red dot.

 

[Timmyjoe]

I would suspect what Sevo said. Some previous owner swapped out the glass in a "J" screen frame to something from an F4, probably for a particular application or lens the previous owner wanted to use.

I use one of the newer red dot "B" screens in my F3HP, they're pretty available and I find it works well for all my lenses, if you like a plain matte focus screen.

 

[drjoke]

presspass, does this mean that I am "without hope" with the current focusing screen that comes with my camera?

 

[sevo]

presspass, does this mean that I am "without hope" with the current focusing screen that comes with my camera?

Well, if it is a AF camera screen, it might be useless for manual focusing - some (but not all) F4 types make very poor MF screens. But then there should be a rectangular bracket mark for the AF field right at its centre. And there also are some F3 screens that you can't focus unless you use a telescope or microscope in place of the lens.

In any case, whatever you have is not the default K screen. Which is the most convenient type - In your place I'd get a K one in any case, the more so as these are the cheapest and most easily obtainable screen for the F3.

Another matter, as you don't describe any visible structure in the finder: Is the LCD sharp and visible? And can you see any structure on the screen (even matte screens should have a inner circle with a sharp margin)? If not, you might also want to verify whether the eyepiece is corrected for someone else's vision...

 

[presspass]

I don't know. If you can't use it to focus any lenses you have, and there's nothing wrong with either the lenses or the camera, I would say there's little hope for that screen.

 

[sevo]

I don't know. If you can't use it to focus any lenses you have, and there's nothing wrong with either the lenses or the camera, I would say there's little hope for that screen.

As I said, there also might be issues with the dioptre - a wrong dioptre would make it even harder (if it is wide enough off the mark even impossible) to focus, even more so if the screen has no focus aids.

 

[mod2001]

maybe you should check here first:

http://mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/nikonf3ver2/screens/index.htm

 

[drjoke]

Guys. Thanks for all the help. I just ebayed another focusing screen. Type K. Red Dot.