Installing a replacement split image screen in the Olympus E-400
It has become clear that the weak link using a manual lens with the E400 is the small viewfinder and lack of focus aid.
Clearly the autofocus isn't going to work with a manual lens, but more annoying, the focus confirm led won't work even in manual focus mode.
A split image screen is manufactured to order by Katzeye in the US and cost about 135 dollars including shipping to the UK. They take around two weeks to arrive.
So, how do you fit a new screen in an E-400? Well I started by reversing the head on my Manfrotto tripod and mounting the camera upside down, then put the whole thing on a workbench, rather like this
Now the camera is at a convenient height and held firmly I could remove the old screen by unclipping the metal spring retainer and lifting the Olympus screen out using the tab on the right at the back. There is a metal shim under the screen and you need to leave it in position resting on the prism.
Lifting out the old screen holding it by the tab at the back
This is what you get in the Box from Katzeye: A screen in a sealed bag and a very thin shim in a cardboard carrier.
Now you need to drop in the thin Katzeye shim on top of the metal shim before you fit the new screen. (This extra shim is included to fine adjust the relationship between focus on the screen and focus on the sensor. If your images come out focussed closer to the camera than the split image says, then you need to remove the Katzeye shim). Finally you have to replace the spring clip (careful, this is where you could damage the screen). The whole process took me about five minutes, and..
this is what it looks like when finished...
In fact there is an excellent guide to fitting screens in the E500 and E400 here on the Katzeye website, so I won't repeat all their instructions and photographs. It is a fiddly process, you need some fine tweezers and you must not drop either screen at any point, as the surfaces are very delicate.
Focus alignment test
Good, so now it is installed, how accurate is it, and can I leave the Katzeye shim installed? Lets hope so. In order to test the focus accuracy I set the camera up looking down a 30cm ruler. I fitted the 50mm Nikon lens, set it to f1.8and used the split image to focus on a specific rule marking, in this case the 20cm marker. Now I took a picture and checked the focus.
Here is the critical test as a 100% crop from the above image. The results seem good enough for me. (I repeated this at a longer working distance with a larger target and still got good results, so I figure I can leave the shim installed).
My initial tests show the modification has had no effect on the autofocus system, nor do I see any effect on the exposure system so far. So now I have a modern digital camera with some of the look and feel of on old film SLR: Compact design, small manual lens, split image screen, plus the ability to come back to the 21st century by fitting the AF zoom lenses when needed.
Now all we need is some decent weather :-)
Hydrangea taken with the Nikon 50mm at f5.6. Check out the cobweb!
A page comparing legacy lenses on the E400 plus converting a Hexanon lens to 4/3rds bayonet
© snaar Ltd 2008. Last updated 08-06-08