AF-d Focusing Screen

[Hulka]

I did search and it gave me no results so I figured I would ask the group.
Does anyone have this and is it better than the stock one that comes in the 40D? I know that it is just additional lines but wondering if it was worth the money in your opinion.

Thanks in advance,

Kevin

[Elbee19]

I don't have this screen but can imagine it to be a helpful tool. To ask if it's worth the money is a bit subjective in my opinion. That question can only be answered by the individual who purchased it and the financial means they have. For someone with limited income the value of worth may be a little higher than others. Just my $.02! ;-)

[JWright]

Is it worth $34.95? If it does the things you want it to, then I would think it would be...

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/bnh/controller/home?ci=0&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2Fworkaround.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&shs=Canon+EF-D+focusing+screen&sb=ps&pn=1&sq=desc&InitialSearch=yes&O=jsp%2Fworkaround.jsp&A=search&Q=*&bhs=t&Go.x=22&Go.y=12

[ef2]

I think it's worth it as long as you use it. I constantly forget to use mine, and on the 5D, it's even harder than the 40D because the lines are fainter.

[Tixeon]

Good answers above from all. Years ago I spent over $350. for an IntenScreen for my Hasselblad. Was it worth it to me - absolutely yes. I gained two f:stops of viewfinder brightness which was great for wedding ceremony & reception work. To the casual shooter, that would have been a horrible waste of money. So, as said above, it all depends on the user.

[Hulka]

Thanks for the responses. I kind of figured I would get that kind of response but was just curious anyway. I was thinking about getting one hoping I could better align pictures, landscapes and train shots, with out having to worry about them being tilted some to the left or right.

I also thought if most people said, "don't waste your money on it," then I would reconsider it.

Thanks again.

Kevin

[jgogums]

Doesn't LiveView have an option where you can turn on a "grid overlay"? You would basically be using the LCD to compose instead of your viewfinder but you at least could get an idea of using the grid lines.

[apersson850]

First, there's no Af-D screen. You are talking about the Ef-D focusing screen.

Second, I use it all the time in my 40D. If I don't need the lines for reference, I'm very good at pretending they aren't there. When I need them, they are very handy to get the horizon level, for example.

So, for the rather low cost (everything under USD 100 for a camera could be considered "free"), I think it's good. Don't forget to change the C.Fn IV-5 when you put it in.

But it's true that Live view has something similar. And that Nikon can do this without changing the screen, as they use a different technique to overlay things onto the viewfinder view.

[Elbee19]

Don't forget to change the C.Fn IV-5 when you put it in.
Since the grid lines, as I am understanding things, are on the ef-d screen, what exactly does changing this function do? Would there be any benefit(s) to changing the function without having that screen actually in place?

[40Dude6aedyk]

I was tired of having to think about holding my camera orthogonal, so I bought one the Ef-D focussing screen for about $23 at BIC electronics. Simple to install. It should saves tons of time in PP because I won't have to rotate the photos by a couple of degrees. I'm actually surprised that the default focusing screen doesn't have at least one horizontal line.

The custom function change just tells the camera computer which screen you have installed. Probably lets the computer ignore any grid lines reflected anywhere during autofocussing and exposure metering.

(Apologies for dragging up an old thread as well.)

[Wilt]

EF-D is no brighter, no more precision in focusing manually, it merely adds the grid lines in the viewfinder. Supremely helpful in performing architectural photography with the 40D, as I just did this past weekend, requiring much less need for perspective correction in post processing! Example here...
http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i63/wiltonw/8Family-9alt.jpg

(For portraiture, the grid lines actually are pretty good for indicating the 8x10 frame area, too!)

The CFn is to adjust the meter only...no AF adjustment is needed at all, since the AF sensor never knows what screen is in place...it is at the bottom of the camera and gets light from the secondary mirror behind the main reflex mirror.