Luminous Landscape Forum

Equipment & Techniques => Cameras, Lenses and Shooting gear => Topic started by: dwswager on May 20, 2015, 11:30:25 am

Title: Eye Piece Magnifiers (Nikon D810)
Post by: dwswager on May 20, 2015, 11:30:25 am
I just want to say, that I have the Nikon DK-17M (https://photographylife.com/reviews/nikon-dk-17m-magnifying-eyepiece) round 1.2x magnifier on my D810 and it is well worth the price.  I am always worried it will be hard to see the info display at the bottom, but that is not the case with the D810.  In addition, I shoot a lot at the 1.2x crop for a little more 'reach' and to boost the frame rate so what the crop taketh away, the magnifier giveth back!

BTW, I liked it so much I popped for the square one for the D7100. 

Since this isn't something a lot of people think about, I figured it might be a good 'tip' for some, especially the older crowd like me.

v/r
Dave
Title: Re: Eye Piece Magnifiers (Nikon D810)
Post by: mouse on May 20, 2015, 04:57:39 pm
I am curious to know how you get more "reach" by using the 1.2x crop mode.
Title: Re: Eye Piece Magnifiers (Nikon D810)
Post by: kirktuck on May 20, 2015, 05:03:04 pm
Thanks. Your post reminded me that i needed to order diopter correction eyepieces for my two D610s. I appreciated the nudge.
Title: Re: Eye Piece Magnifiers (Nikon D810)
Post by: dwswager on May 20, 2015, 09:16:35 pm
I am curious to know how you get more "reach" by using the 1.2x crop mode.

Gives me a 25MP file with 1.2x crop instead of the 36MP files without it.  Why slow the camera down and clog the hard drive with pixels I'm going to crop anyway.  Yeah, not giving me anything I don't already have, but nice capability versus say the D750 or 5DMKIII where you only have 24 or 22 MPs to start with.
Title: Re: Eye Piece Magnifiers (Nikon D810)
Post by: mouse on May 20, 2015, 10:46:30 pm
Gives me a 25MP file with 1.2x crop instead of the 36MP files without it.  Why slow the camera down and clog the hard drive with pixels I'm going to crop anyway.  Yeah, not giving me anything I don't already have, but nice capability versus say the D750 or 5DMKIII where you only have 24 or 22 MPs to start with.

I can see the advantage of the increased frame rate.  And certainly no need to save pixels you won't use.  But I'm still puzzled about the use of the term "reach".  I guess it depends on how you define that term. :)
Title: Re: Eye Piece Magnifiers (Nikon D810)
Post by: MarkL on May 21, 2015, 08:09:43 am
I used one on my D700 and ditched with when I upgraded to a D800E. While it worked well with a non-100% viewfinder with a 100% viewfinder I found I couldn't see the whole viewfinder without moving my eye around. In 1.2x crop mode, I guess this isn't an issue but then why buy a 36MP camera?
Title: Re: Eye Piece Magnifiers (Nikon D810)
Post by: dwswager on May 21, 2015, 08:49:27 am
I can see the advantage of the increased frame rate.  And certainly no need to save pixels you won't use.  But I'm still puzzled about the use of the term "reach".  I guess it depends on how you define that term. :)

My options are D810 or D7100.  The D7100 has 1.5x crop that turns a 200mm lens to a 300mm lens due to the crop.  It has more reach.  Or I can shoot the D810 with 1.0 crop or 1.2x crop or even 1.5x crop depending on my needs. Usually, I shoot it in FX mode (1.0), but when I know I don't need the extra pixels or if I'm going to crop them I opt for 1.2x mode. 
Title: Re: Eye Piece Magnifiers (Nikon D810)
Post by: dwswager on May 21, 2015, 08:54:16 am
I used one on my D700 and ditched with when I upgraded to a D800E. While it worked well with a non-100% viewfinder with a 100% viewfinder I found I couldn't see the whole viewfinder without moving my eye around. In 1.2x crop mode, I guess this isn't an issue but then why buy a 36MP camera?

I own the D810 because it is IMHO the best general purpose DSLR on the market today.  And because it is 36MP, I have the option of shooting it in 1.2x 25MP mode.  Not an option with something like the 5DmkIII that starts at 22MP.
Title: Re: Eye Piece Magnifiers (Nikon D810)
Post by: AFairley on May 21, 2015, 10:51:30 am
I bought the Nikon magnifier to help with focusing 35mm f2 AIS and 28mm f2 AIS lenses on my D800e.  It does help marginally with focusing the lenses, but is far from a holy grail in that respect.  Can't make up for the fine grind on the focusing screen. I have stopped using it since I replaced the old 35mm with the 35mm f1.8G so I can see the whole frame better.  BTW, avoid the Chinese generic ones, they are a waste of money.
Title: Re: Eye Piece Magnifiers (Nikon D810)
Post by: JohnBrew on May 21, 2015, 02:46:38 pm
I think it generally helps, but not near as much as the LV  :)
Title: Re: Eye Piece Magnifiers (Nikon D810)
Post by: dwswager on May 21, 2015, 03:10:59 pm
I have stopped using it since I replaced the old 35mm with the 35mm f1.8G so I can see the whole frame better.  BTW, avoid the Chinese generic ones, they are a waste of money.

That is always my concern, but I find that it is still easy to see the whole frame and information display.  Even without the magnification, I still have to look around the viewfinder to find issues with the composition.  I just can't look at a scene in it's entirety and pick out specifics, I have to roam around to see them.