5D MKII Focusing screen

Folks,
I was checking what is available from Canon for 5D MKII as a help for MF lenses. It looks like people only refer to EG-s.
I was in touch with ZEISS in Germany and this is what they highlighted as a problems with EG-s:
"the EF-s type screen is the only screen Canon offers for the 5DMkII. But it has no focusing aids (split-screen image, microprism collar) so it does not give you advantages compared to the standard focusing screen."

What is the best solution available for Canon 5D MKII?
Thanks for suggestion.
Alex

Um I thought you returned your zeiss 35? Buying it again?

I use the EG-S and it's fine for me. But there are 3rd party alternatives like Haoda, Katzeye, and Brightscreen.

Ferrari_Alex wrote in post #13572753
What is the best solution available for Canon 5D MKII?
Thanks for suggestion.
Alex

As said in the ZE 35/1.4 thread, EG-S. Its different from the standard focus screen due to the matte texture that doesn't allow as much light as laser etched screens but gives you correct DoF representation in the VF at larger apertures. That Zeiss representative saying there being no advantage to the EG-S over the standard screen is wrong.

If you plan on doing any manual focusing, the Eg-S precision matte screen is the way to go. With the Eg-S screen, you'll be able to focus accurately anywhere on the screen.

kin2son wrote in post #13572786
Um I thought you returned your zeiss 35? Buying it again?

Yes, I did return it It was confirmed by Zeiss that it had problems with getting the sharp focus on longer distances.

BlueTsunami wrote in post #13572804
As said in the ZE 35/1.4 thread, EG-S. Its different from the standard focus screen due to the matte texture that doesn't allow as much light as laser etched screens but gives you correct DoF representation in the VF at larger apertures. That Zeiss representative saying there being no advantage to the EG-S over the standard screen is wrong.

Any idea why they might have said it?

god you are so damn hopeless

BlueTsunami wrote in post #13572804
That Zeiss representative saying there being no advantage to the EG-S over the standard screen is wrong.

This.

Ferrari_Alex wrote in post #13573074
Any idea why they might have said it?

Ignorance.

bespoke wrote in post #13573192
god you are so damn hopeless

These kind of posts don't belong here IMHO.

IMHO, nothing is better than 10X live view. I use TSE lens and Zeiss 21mm, I've tried a couple of focus screens on my 5D MII, end up using live view. save the money for a backup battery.

Actually the Zeiss rep is wrong... and right.

What was wrong was that the EG-S is specifically designed to make manual focus easier.

But the rep was right that it lacks some of the traditional focus assist features that were common on cameras back when everything was manual focus. See www.katzeyeoptics.com for more info about some of the different types of manual focus assist features that are possible.

In general...

One of the most common types is a central dot that acts as a split image rangefinder. You just focus the lens until the two sides match. Another type is a microdiaprism patch that's sort of like a bunch of tiny split images.

One problem with this screen design is that they throw off Spot Metering significantly. If that's a feature you use a lot, you'll want to take this into consideration.

These third party focus screen will slightly skew overall metering, same as the alternate Canon screens do. There's a custom function to correct for this with the Canon screens. But with the third party screens you'd have to test for yourself and make any adjustments with Exposure Compensation.

ddong wrote in post #13573358
IMHO, nothing is better than 10X live view. I use TSE lens and Zeiss 21mm, I've tried a couple of focus screens on my 5D MII, end up using live view. save the money for a backup battery.

How do you use LV with a fast aperture lens? Can't imagine holding camera like point and shoot.

ddong wrote in post #13573358
IMHO, nothing is better than 10X live view. I use TSE lens and Zeiss 21mm, I've tried a couple of focus screens on my 5D MII, end up using live view. save the money for a backup battery.

There are also times when one does not/can not use Live View.

I just picked up the EG-s screen and I was hoping for something with a night and day difference and it was not. I was slightly disappointed but then I started using it and was basically just ignoring the cameras focus confirm and before long I realized that I didn't really need it. It is worth getting and subtly better while not being different than the original, meaning there is nothing to get used to. It is still going to take some time for me to get used to manually focusing on moving objects like people and pets but I think it will be worth it.