Double 45 Split Image Focus Screen for D80

[cowsled]

Hey guys, I'm about to buy a a split image focus screen for my D80 and I realize that the screen I'm about to purchase does not seem to come with shims. I read somewhere that someone managed to adjust the position of the screen using bits of post-it stickies so I thought I could do something similar. My question now is, wouldn't doing this obstruct part of what you see in the viewfinder?

Thanks!

Update: Turns out the the screen does come with shims!

[OsmosisStudios]

How hard was it to get the screen swapped? And how is AF performance with less-than-f/2.8 lenses?

[cowsled]

Oh, I haven't received the screen yet. But I can let you know when I receive it. From the instructions I've seen online, it doesn't too bad. AS for my D80's AF, it's dead on in daylight, unfortunately, it's off with pretty much any of my lenses (except maybe the 50mm 1.8).

[cowsled]

Alrighty, sorry for the double post, but this is the only way I know of to bump this up.
In response to osmosis:

I just got the screen today. It didn't come with shims but it worked fine after installation. AF performance doesn't change because this doesn't affect the AF sensor (the screen is placed below the viewfinder). Changing the screen wasn't too bad but I'd recommend against it unless you're able with your hands. The clip holding the screen down came off during installation. Took me a good 10 minutes to figure out how to slide it back in. I had to do this several times as the tools provided with the kit weren't adequate for the installation. I ended up using a paper clip to re-seat the screen clip.

[vandergus]

I installed a split prism focusing screen in my D40 and didn't end up needing shims. It will all depend on your focusing screen, of course. It was close enough so I just need to adjust the mirror position using one of the two set screws located inside the camera. Like you already alluded to, there are two different mirrors inside the camera. One reflects light onto the focusing screen (the one you see when you look inside the camera) and one reflects light onto the AF sensors in the bottom of the camera. I had to adjust the main mirror so that the focus of the image in the viewfinder matched the focus achieved by the AF sensors and both match the eventual focus of the image on the sensor. You'll only be able to correct minor discrepancies using the set screws, though, so your shims are probably necessary. If your 50mm f1.8 wasn't accurate you may need to adjust the AF mirror so the focus on the AF sensors matches the focus on the sensor plane. The AF may be off for all you other lenses, too, but only noticeable on the 50mm due to the large aperture and consequent narrow depth of field.

Now you need to go get some sweet manual focus glass to take full advantage of you new focusing screen.

[cowsled]

Hehe, I was just considering adjusting the mirror with the screws . A question for you, did the center focus point of the viewfinder match up well with the center of the prism (?) of the screen? Mine seems off. Also, any differences between the MF and AF lenses aside from the obvious? Do the MF lenses have focus goodies baked in? =D

[vandergus]

No, my center AF point is slightly below the split prism. I thought it would bug me but I don't really notice it now.

Lenses designed as MF lenses tend to be easier to manual focus than lenses that are designed for AF. Kinda makes sense, I guess. The focus rings on manual focus lenses are typically much smoother than AF lenses since they don't have to be coupled to additional motors and gears and such. The movement is also slightly damped so it's easier to make fine adjustments in focus. Finally, the focus throw (how far the focus ring rotates from close focus to infinity focus) is longer on MF lenses, making precise focusing easier. So if you enjoy manually focusing a good bit of the time, it'd be worth it to try one out.

Of course the other advantage of MF lenses is the rather high image quality to price ratio. I've been eyeing Nikon's 180 f2.8 ED lately. New AF versions run $900 but I can get the Ais version for $170. Both have stellar image quality. A good starter lens would be just about any of the fast 50mm lenses. Except maybe the 50mm Series E. Focus ring isn't as nice on that one. They're all pretty cheap and easy to find, though.