60D viewfinder texture grainy?? is this normal

I just purchased a 60D and today was my first day to take some shots in daylight and i noticed that the viewfinder image when shooting in bright light (also visible with less light but harder to notice) has a textured grainy look to it kind of like 100's of little black dots, unlike my T1i which looks crystal clear is there a reason for this is it normal.

Also of note is the fact that at 18mm its almost impossible for me to notice it ever but the more i zoom the more i see it and at 135 its very evident.

Hi rkheyfets, welcome to the forum. It's quite normal and is just a slightly different type of focusing screen. The slight texture is the downside, but the advantage is that it is better when manual focusing to see when you have focus right. I guess Canon expect that 60D users are more likely to want to be able to focus manually than T1i users.

Thanks for the quick reply Madweasel
I can understand the benefit you speak of but it seems just as easy to focus manually on the T1i and defiantly looks much crisper due to the lack of this grainy texture, but I guess I just have to live with it, it just shocks me that it doesn't bother anyone else, and that there is no thread about it before mine, maybe my eyes are just super sensitive to it. Also I think canon should of at least put something in the manual regarding the texture of the focusing screen and the difference between the ones used in the rebel line and the xxD line.

Just wanted to make sure mine isnt defective...

Another reason the T1i viewfinder may look brighter is that I believe the 60D viewfinder image is actually magnified a little more, to give a bigger image. The same amount of light is therefore spread out a little more too.

rkheyfets wrote in post #11133886
Also I think canon should of at least put something in the manual regarding the texture of the focusing screen and the difference between the ones used in the rebel line and the xxD line.

You can't be serious.

krb wrote in post #11133967
You can't be serious.

Why not? Most users getting a 60D will be upgrading from a rebel and the viewfinder in the rebel looks crystal clear while the 60D and other xxD cameras have this texture version(with black grainy dots) which to me at least looks worst...

or are you saying its in there and i haven't noticed it?

If Canon included a disclaimer for every difference between the 60D and every model of Rebel then the manual would be so full of crap that the useful information would be lost in a sea of "noise" and you'd be on here complaining about what a large, confusing and difficult to navigate tome the manual is.

The manuals are bad enough already, no need to make them worse.

Both screens have the same texture, you just notice it likely because of the lower magnification.

Sdiver2489 wrote in post #11134266
Both screens have the same texture, you just notice it likely because of the lower magnification.

the magnification difference cannot be that much that i dont notice it AT ALL to it being very visible, and not every difference should e in manual but this is a pretty major one in my opinion, and effects me a good deal i am surprised it doesnt bother anyone else.

This annoyed me to death moving from a 40D to 1Dii, the 1Ds viewfinder was dark and had patterned dots. But honestly I forgot about it for months until this post, more of just something to get used to.

mtnbkr1 wrote in post #11134609
This annoyed me to death moving from a 40D to 1Dii, the 1Ds viewfinder was dark and had patterned dots. But honestly I forgot about it for months until this post, more of just something to get used to.

Thats exactly how i feel and it shocks me it doesnt bother others but since it bothered you it makes em feel better , so yea i guess i will deal with as long as its not a defect i was getting ready to exchange it...

I have noticed this on all my Canon DSLRs... 1000D, 50D and now 60D. I would say I notice it more with longer focal lengths and in lower light. It looks like the texture of ground glass.

Maybe you could try defocusing the dioptre adjustment slightly? I've never tried... it just occurred to me.

Madweasel wrote in post #11133933
Another reason the T1i viewfinder may look brighter is that I believe the 60D viewfinder image is actually magnified a little more, to give a bigger image. The same amount of light is therefore spread out a little more too.

I thought it was the other way around, since the Rebels use a pentamirror and every other Canon camera uses a pentaprism? Coming from an XTi to a 50D, I definitely think the 50D's viewfinder is brighter. It still has more of that grainy texture the OP talks about, which I actually love since it reminds me of the old film SLRs I used to use.

If you think there might be dust trapped between the focusing screen and the prism, it is easy enough to remove the screen and use some compressed air to blow the crud out. I had to do it with my 60D when it arrived. There was some grit that was quite visible in the viewfinder. I took out the screen and used compressed air. Now everything is spotless as it should be.

I am still curious as to how little bits of crap somehow got up in there and were not spotted during final inspection at the Canon factory.

im having the same problem. annoys the hell out of me. No, the problem isnt dust, as the OP's camera is new out of the box. Besides, the grain he referes to is in a finite pattern evenly dispersed onto the viewfinder. its certainly the glass.

Im not sure why it was manufactured like this... doesnt make sense from any angle. Photographers rely on clarity in any way, shape form to adequately shoot their subject(s).

Adjustment of the viewfinder does not remove the grainy texture. ive tried.