Viewfinder only seeing about 30% of image..

Hi there. I just received my new Canon EOS 6D from the B&H website along with 2 lenses.

The first thing I noticed was that I was only seeing a very small circle through the viewfinder, but when using Live view, everything looks fine. At first I thought this might have been a quirk of using the 40mm fixed lens...

until I received my 17-40mm and noticed it was doing the same thing. I'm confused as to why it would be doing this because my husband and I both double checked the compatibility of both of these lenses before I even ordered them. The lenses go on fine, they take beautiful photos, it focuses very smoothly.

I fiddled around with it this morning trying to figure it out and it seems to only be letting me see through the initial small round hole in the backside of each lens. Without a lens on, I can see full frame like normal.

I hope someone can tell me why my camera is doing this. Am I missing a part? Is there maybe an adapter I could purchase to fix this problem?

Your 6D viewfinder is a direct optical path of the image projected by the lens...it is reflected upward by the reflex mirror up to the focusing screen, reflected a number of times within the pentaprism, then projected thru the viewfinder eyepiece. During exposure, the mirror flips up out of the way, so the same image circle goes to the sensor and not thru the viewfinder. If you do not see a full rectangle thru the viewfinder, ...

1. the first suspicion is that the transmissive display is not working properly -- but the 6D does not use such a design!
   
2. The second suspicion is some type of mechanical blockage of a portion of the image circle coming from the lens, but the fact that the sensor gets a whole rectangular image eliminates that possibility!
   

^^

Someone knows their stuff. Great info.

Do you have any other lenses which don't exhibit this oddity? Almost sounds like the aperture is stuck partially closed.

Dan Marchant wrote in post #16615768
Do you have any other lenses which don't exhibit this oddity? Almost sounds like the aperture is stuck partially closed.

That would just dim the viewfinder, like when you stop down and push the DOF preview button.

It sounds more like a problem with the viewfinder itself or the dioptric adjuster

Possibly there is no focus screen in the camera.

I'd love to see a camera-phone shot through the viewfinder. I'm wondering if they're seeing a hard or soft falloff in the viewfinder and if the LEDs at the bottom are visible. And are the focus points visible?

rrblint wrote in post #16615811
Possibly there is no focus screen in the camera.

https://www.google.com …fNy4HgAw&ved=0C​IUEEKYrMAA

I am most certain this is the issue. My camera doesn't seem to have one. Luckily this is within my return policy and I have amazon Prime. I should get the part in the next couple of days so if this is not the problem I will contact B&H and switch it out.

Much thanks for all of your help!

I am new to canon so I'm a bit of a newbie on the parts and functioning. ^_^

Bunnielight wrote in post #16615913
https://www.google.com …fNy4HgAw&ved=0C​IUEEKYrMAA

I am most certain this is the issue. My camera doesn't seem to have one. Luckily this is within my return policy and I have amazon Prime. I should get the part in the next couple of days so if this is not the problem I will contact B&H and switch it out.

Much thanks for all of your help!

I am new to canon so I'm a bit of a newbie on the parts and functioning. ^_^

A focusing screen is NOT something anyone should HAVE TO PURCHASE, there ought to be one in the camera from the factory, and a missing one is an example of a MANUFACTURING DEFECT which is totally covered by the warranty! At a minimum, B&H ought to send a focusing screen at no charge, rather than having to swap out the entire body.

Would you agree to pay for a driver's seatbelt, in a brand new car?!

This is VERY puzzling.

Your lenses are compatible. All EF lenses are. (No EF-S lenses are.) No adapter is needed for any EF lenses on that camera.

Mike is right: it doesn't sound like a stuck aperture. that would simply darken the whole frame. You can see this with a properly functioning camera by choosing a narrow aperture and pressing the depth of field preview button.

It can't be the dioptric adjustment. That would just make the image blurry.

If you used a lens designed for a crop sensor (you aren't), that could have this effect, but it would show up in live view and in the photographs, not just in the view finder.

The only thing I can think of that would do this is a physical obstruction somewhere in the optical path between the mirror and the eyepiece. It can't be in front of the mirror, or it would show up in photos and in live view.

One thought: do you wear glasses? To see the full image, you need to have your eye very close to the viewfinder. With glasses on, it is nearly impossible to see the entire field of view. If you do wear glasses, try removing them and holding the viewfinder much closer to your eye. Of course, it will be blurry, but that is not the issue--the issue is whether you can see the entire field. If so, the problem is just having your eye too far from the viewfinder.

If that is the problem. you can struggle seeing the frame with glasses on (which is what I do) or remove your glasses and see whether you can get a sharp image with the dioptric adjustment. (I can't because of astigmatism).

B&H has excellent customer service and will take it back if it is defective, but before shipping it, I would want to see if someone more familiar with SLRs can see something obviously wrong. Do you have any friends who are more experienced with SLRs?

Wilt wrote in post #16615927
A focusing screen is NOT something anyone should HAVE TO PURCHASE, there ought to be one in the camera from the factory, and a missing one is an example of a MANUFACTURING DEFECT which is totally covered by the warranty! At a minimum, B&H ought to send a focusing screen at no charge, rather than having to swap out the entire body.

Would you agree to pay for a driver's seatbelt, in a brand new car?!

^^^^+1 THIS.

I wouldn't accept a camera with no focus screen. Why does it not have one? It was packed with one at the factory(I suppose that it could have been left out and missed by QC, but unlikely). B&H is a very reputable company and wouldn't send you an "Open Box" model(unless that is what you paid for?). Something VERY strange here. Send it back for an exchange. There is no telling what else might be wrong with it.

if the screen is missing what else could be missing from a new out of the box camera, send it back !!

You do get an effect like that if the focusing screen is removed. Exactly what it looks like depends on the lens you mount.

I just removed the focus screen from an old EOS 650 I have and then mounted an EF 40mm. You are RIGHT! It looks exactly like the OP described.