Focusing Screens

Focus Screens

A focus screen used to be made of ground glass and worked fine for a photographer in the years prior to 1970. Once the demands of a photographer called for different depths of zoom and different lighting situations Minolta developed plastic screens. These are made by lasers and consist of microscopic prismatic cuts. Manual focus screens now come in many different varieties and have a lot of different uses. There are some meant for low light situations, others meant for extreme magnification photography, and still others for particular types of photos such as architecture. Low-end cameras will not have interchangeable screens so a buyer should know their equipment and how it works when they start to get serious about photography. A quick online search will tell the difference between a grid, scale, and microprism focus screen. The focus screens help to measure the light coming through the lens and allow for the proper picture to be taken.

Canon Focus Screens

Canon offers a full range of screens to use in different situations. It is important to know the desired type of screen and if it will work properly in the customer’s camera. It depends on the lens and screen combination plus the ability to replace the screen as well. A photography enthusiast should study up and know their screens and equipment in order to purchase the right screens and lenses. If a photographer does not know the right combinations they will get poor photo quality.

DIY Focus Screens

A homemade or home-altered focus screen can give the photographer many different options. This is not something easily done by the amateur. Guidance from an experienced friend or colleague will help the avid DIYer to alter their equipment or old castoffs bought from various garage sales into effective new alternatives to buying more expensive production models. It should be noted that altering focus screens will more than likely make them unable to perform their original function and is meant to alter an old screen to fit into modern equipment. So the modifications should only be done if the user knows they won’t be using the old equipment anymore. It is also possible to modify some auto-focus cameras so they can be set to manual focus. It is confusing because some auto-focus cameras accept manual focus screens but do not allow the user to focus manually. This gives less than desirable end results so some users have found a way to alter their camera so they can do a manual focus when necessary.