Manual Focus Lenses? Definitely Get a Katz-Eye Screen

[dougjgreen]

I just wanted to let people know that my E-300 with a Katz-Eye focusing screen installed just arrived. It's an absolute pleasure to use. IMHO, it makes using my old manual focus lenses as easy to use as they were on my old OM and Nikon bodies. If you have any serious intentions of using older legacy glass, then, IMHO, one of these screens is definitely the way to go. Note - I have two E-300s and one has this screen on it. I still slightly prefer the standard screen for use with my autofocus lenses, but for anyone who has either multiple bodies (and with E-300 bodies going for around $300 nowadays, this is a real option), or an E-1 which has interchangeable screens, these screens are really useful.

[DonB]

It's certainly a great manual focus aid. But there is one big frustrating problem using OM lenses...........exposures with this screen are all over the place, whether you change lenses or even just change aperture on the same lens. You have to keep doing test shots whenever you make an adjustment, or if a cloud passes over the sun.....the camera won't help you!
In balance however, I have kept mine in place for the split image focus which is brilliant.
Cheers,
Don

[Paul Shields]

The exposure issues are what have been putting me off making the plunge. I've found I can use my manual lens collection fairly well on the standard focusing screen on the E-1, but do miss the split prism that I have on my OM bodies.

One great benefit of the E-330 is that manual focus lenses work supremely well on it when using the 'Live View' LCD screen (especially B mode). Not only can you see very precisely how much of the shot is in focus, but even better is that when you step down the aperture the Live View LCD adjusts the exposure to compensate so you still have a bright view and can easily see depth of field changes.

[dougjgreen]

Originally Posted by DonB

It's certainly a great manual focus aid. But there is one big frustrating problem using OM lenses...........exposures with this screen are all over the place, whether you change lenses or even just change aperture on the same lens. You have to keep doing test shots whenever you make an adjustment, or if a cloud passes over the sun.....the camera won't help you!
In balance however, I have kept mine in place for the split image focus which is brilliant.
Cheers,
Don

This is not my experience, although, it certainly depends upon what metering mode you use. My preferred metering mode is center-weighted, with occassional use of spot metering. I almost never use evaluative metering. What I've seen is that using center-weighted or spot metering, one can simply dial in a fixed compensation factor and the metering is quite stable. I've found that using center weighted, it's pretty darn consistent with +2/3 of compensation. Spot is slightly higher. But in each case, it's consistent and easily adjusted for. Evaluative metering is much less predictable, and the different light sensitivity in the center of the screen vs. the outer areas of the Katz-eye screen seems to fool the meter in evaluative mode. The easy fix is to use center wieghted and spot metering, do a bit of experimentation with the optimum exposure compensation values for you, and simply use them. And since those are the modes I use anyways, it's a non-issue for me.

[Paul Shields]

Yes, what you say does instinctively make sense to me. I can imagine the Katz Eye screen throwing evaluative metering more than in spot mode.

How does the screen work with ZD lenses? Are there any differences in exposure compared to the normal screen for these?

[dougjgreen]

Originally Posted by Paul

Yes, what you say does instinctively make sense to me. I can imagine the Katz Eye screen throwing evaluative metering more than in spot mode.

How does the screen work with ZD lenses? Are there any differences in exposure compared to the normal screen for these?

So far, it seems that the same exposure compensation factors work for my digital zuiko lenses as for my manual lenses - and in center-weighted and spot modes, I have not seen this to vary in focal lenghts either. I can't say the same for evaluative modes (I suspect that the evaluative program is different for different focal lengths, and for default when a non-communicating manual lens is used). But I have not thoroughly tested anything in evaluative meter mode, since I don't plan on using it much. As I said, I use predominantly use center-weighted metering, and I'm quite comfortable with it. IMHO, once you set the compensation factor (which my tests showed to be + 2/3 stop) it doesn't really require any additional thought when used in that mode than one would use anyways.

Autofocusing with DZ lenses is not affected in any way by the Katz-Eye screen.

I should add, though, that I own two E-300 bodies, one with a Katz-eye, and one with the factory screen. I tend to use the Katz-Eye body mostly with the manual lenses, although it works fine using the DZ lenses too (as I said, with the same compensation values and also in CW & Spot modes).

[DonB]

I use centre weighted metering. There is no problem on mine with ZD lenses. Most other users have the same problem as me, there are plenty of threads in the other forum.
Cheers,
Don

[dougjgreen]

Originally Posted by DonB

I use centre weighted metering. There is no problem on mine with ZD lenses. Most other users have the same problem as me, there are plenty of threads in the other forum.
Cheers,
Don

I'm curious which lenses you are using. The Olympus cameras have problems metering with fast manual focus lenses (especially when metering faster than f2.0, which is more due to the camera than it is due to the focusing screen). I think you need to separate the issue of how the camera handles metering at these wide apertures from the issue of whether the Katz-eye screen causes any of these problems.

[DonB]

I have the OM50mm 1.4 which is fast but have not used it for a long while. My problems have been with the 200mmF4, Om 2X-A and a Vivitar 55mmF2.8 macro.
If you do a search in the DPReview forum, there was a long discussion about this problem a couple of months ago, and the consensus among those far more technical than, me concluded that stray light scattered from the Katz-Eye fresnal was causing the problem.
When working with the OM and Zd lenses, in changing light, eg clouds, showers, bright sun, checking the histogram, I have found as much total variation as 5 stops, which makes life difficult.
Cheers,
Don

[dougjgreen]

As I said, I have seen that type of effect in Evaluative metering mode, but not in CW or Spot modes with the Katz-eye screen in my shooting.