Manual focusing with fast lens on D750. Help!

[Tristin]

After being out of photography for a handful of years I am back at it and need some help.  My previous setup, which I loved, was the first 5d and a Nikkor 50mm 1.2 ais.  I had the super precision matte screen swapped in and shooting was really a joy.  This time I picked up a D750 since Nikon now has FF and the ISO performance is simply stunning, big for me as I mainly do low light shooting.  Problem I am having is that the focus screen in the D750 makes shooting with my 50mm 1.2 ais simply a nightmare.  When I get lucky with the focus the results are stunning.  Keyword is luck.  It is really killing all the fun.  I am aware that Nikon offers no screen alternatives and found focusscreens.com, so expensive but I would do it if I can get back to being able to focus reliably. 

Any experience on various screens would be extremely appreciated.  I should add that I tried the dk-21m (very disappointed), and the focus confirmation and liveview zooming is simply no substitute.

Thanks.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Hm. Your eyesight is checked out to be OK ?  ("... being out of photography for a handful of years ...") You have adjusted the diopter setting of the ocular correct? You can achieve correct focus if you focus on pin-point light sources?

Modern DSLRs, any make, are optimised for AF operation. Their ground glass simply isn't coarse enough so the aerial image does not break up properly. If you require a new focusing screen for increased precision, you have to let finder brightness be of minor importance and instead look for coarse-grained screens.

My work horse these last years is the Nikon Df and although my eyesight no longer is perfect, manual focusing is still a breeze also with the 50/1.2.

[Tristin]

My eyes are still great, thankfully I did rigorous testing with various diopter settings to ensure I had it at the optimum setting for me, and I can nail perfect focus most of the time given a very easy target and a few seconds to focus.  It is just really difficult, the difference between in focus and just off focus at 1.2, 1.4 and even 2 is barely perceptible in my D750s viewfinder.  And by barely I mean I really have to focus hard on an easy target and focus back and forth a bit to tell any difference.  What makes it especially difficult is that fact that I often use it in very low light with subjects that are often moving.  Feels more like gambling than shooting. :-/
 
   It is quite apparent that the D750s screen is showing me a much wider dof than the lens is actually giving me.  Thinking of trying the Canon S type screen as I remember it being far easier to focus the 50mm 1.2 ais with it.  I've read about the DF being much better for manual focus lenses, but I need a camera that can pull more than dedicated stills work.  It is also used by my non-photgrapher bandmates for stills and video.

It really is a shame that Nikon offers no screens for such use.  Thanks for the reply Bjorn, love your work!

[stenrasmussen]

It should be possible to get a Canon S screen fitted in your D750. I did so a while back when I had a Df.
Check out www.focusingscreen.com for options.

[Tristin]

Stenrassmusen, did it effect the camera's metering?

[stenrasmussen]

Not that I noticed. If it should, just adjust the metering in one of the camera menus. But if spot metering is your friend, stay away from split prism types.

[Tristin]

I received my S type focusing screen from focusingscreen and it has made a world of a difference.  I was thoroughly impressed by the packaging and accessories included for installation, very professional.  From placing the order to delivery in California took 17 days for those interested.  I no longer have to rely on focus confirmation when working at f/1.2 and f/2 which will make a world of a difference for me.

If you focus manually and shoot wider than f/2.8 on a regular basis, I can not recommend this product enough.  It may seem steep at ~$90usd, but being able to accurately focus is worth it by a large margin.  It has also made macro focusing with my Sigma 180mm 3.5 easier as a side bonus, reduces the uncertainty of whether I have pin focus on what I want versus decent focus.  I should add that I didn't notice the viewfinder being dimmer when using the 180mm 3.5.  Though I am sure it is, it is not nearly enough to effect use of an f/3.5 lens.  That is the slowest lens I have so I can't comment on how an f/4 or slower lens would fare.

I should also add that it comes with 2 shims.  I had to use one to correct for back focusing.

[RobOK]

Tempting! But I don't see opening up the Df on my own!

[arthurking83]

Tempting! But I don't see opening up the Df on my own!

It's very easy to do yourself.. even if you think you can't.
Someone(Sten I think) posted a thread with some images.
A spring clip hold the screen in place. You flip it open, carefully remove the old screen. You place the new screen in, confirm that focus is accurate and you're done.

[Tristin]

With adequate lighting it is very easy to switch out.