the DGDC Photo Blog: Gear Ramble: KatzEye Split Focus Screen for the Nikon D700

For once, I modified something and didn't screw it up! This is a big deal folks because whether it be car, bicycle, household appliance or piece of apparel, once I start tinkering the item is on borrowed time. The viewfinder of my D700 has been transformed, but first, a little back story.

The KatzEye Digital Camera Transformation Kit (tweezers not included)

I have become a real sucker for manually focusing after a few years of messing around with 35mm rangefinders and analog SLRs. Without getting all wishy washy, there is just something to be said for using your brain to do all the work of taking a photo. It's kind of like driving a car with a standard transmission; left leg for steering, right arm for shifting and both legs are handling the footwork to make for an all around more-engaging experience. Same goes for fully manual photography, in my opinion.

Sure, there is more efficient, easier, and consistent ways of doing it, but if you can get used to relying on yourself for composing, focusing and exposing for a shot it's a much more engaging process. The left hand goes from a simple autofocus camera support mechanism (hold your camera correctly! Damn it!) to the primary element of the operation. This long forgotten about hand drives where the viewer looks and differentiates the subject from the clutter by being responsible for focusing. Maybe this dual hand/eye coordination triggers another element of the brain that would just be thinking of nothing if it weren't for the deft movements of the left hand as it focuses away. Probably not, but one can justify anyway.

This obsession with keeping the left hand involved has made me pretty frustrated with digital cameras. Standard DSLR screens are pretty much a wash and while using the split color tricks of an EVF can be fun, it's not quite the same. I find it odd that one has to spend quite a bit of money on a Digital Leica setup for a simple, bare bones manual focusing operation or even more money on a digital back for an old Medium Format camera (fo'get about it) just to experience the simple process of focusing manually through a traditional viewfinder. Camera companies; we are a small population of weird niche consumers but we're out there! (I'm looking at you Epson!)

But, alas, a temporary solution to my siege of Gear Acquisition Syndrome; the KatzEye Split Focusing Screen. It functions much like the focusing screens found in old SLRs and all KatzEye screens are custom made for each order, so no modification or rigging is necessary. Even I installed it without problems! Just order the right one for your camera and you're pretty much good to go.

Once I installed the new screen I began to test it around my apartment, but static stuff gets kind of boring after a while so I took my D700 to a local music venue and ran it through a couple punk sets. The Loud Boyz opened up for The Buzzcocks (!) and I had a great time working with the new focus screen in the D700. It's still not quite what I'm looking for but is much better than the original focus screen and does a great job of differentiating sharp and unsharp elements of a frame.

Loud Boyz

The split prism works well but can be pretty hit or miss when the subjects aren't completely still and the addition of a micro prism collar might make a HUGE difference. If you check their site, you will see that all of the KatzEye screens for Nikon cameras come with a collar around the center prism, but not the D700. Womp Womp. I don't know why they don't make a collar for the D700 screen but I will probably spring a new one if they add a collar in the future.