Nikon F and F2 Screens
need to add exposure compensations.
Type A
Personally, although I've used this screen for better than three years, I prefer the type E screen -- uncluttered, and the darned rangefinder always seems to black out when I'm working with macro lenses.
Type B
The reference circles are there, presumably, to denote where the centerweighted metering's emphasis is. Incidentally, the Photomic Tn finder was the one that established Nikon's now-traditional 60/40 split (which varies up to 80/20 on the F3).
Type C
Type D
Type E
Everyone seems to love this screen, and I am no exception. It does take about a roll or two to get used to not having any focussing aids, but having an uncluttered, undistracting field improved my composition skills by leaps and bounds -- I was no longer tempted to focus on the center of the screen and then forget to recompose.
Type F
Type G (G1, G2, G3, G4)
Note that since the field is clear, not matte, everything outside the microprism spot will be in focus. It may or may not be disconcertening to you, but it certainly does mean that your DOF preview will not help you at all.
Type H (H1, H2, H3, H4)
A word on microprisms and split-image rangefinders: these work by preferentially refracting light based on its angle relative to the screen. Both are essentially glass wedges; the steeper the angle, the greater the effect (and therefore, the accuracy of focussing). However, as the angle steepens, they become less responsive to off-axis light, and thus, with slow lenses, they will tend to black out. Therefore, the tradeoff is between focussing accuracy and light-gathering ability, which is why Nikon offers four (each) type G and H screens: they vary only in the wedge angle of the microprisms.
Type J
Type K
This is the standard screen that came with the F2. I find it much more useful than the A, although they are generally similar, except for the microprism donut. This donut is genuinely useful, and the split-image gives great results when used with unforgivingly shallow-DOF lenses, such as the 85f/1.8 wide-open.
Type L
Because the world is not solely made out of vertical lines, this screen is more useful than A. Because composition dictates that subjects should not always be in the middle of the frame, this screen is probably less useful than you think.
Type M
Again, get the 6x finder before considering this one.
Type P
In other words, Type P is to Type K as L is to A.
Type R
If I didn't know that my eye would be irresistibly drawn to the center of the screen because of the RF, I might have considered this one instead of the Type E. When Nikon claims that the RF doesn't black out with slow lenses, they mean that the RF accuracy is decreased even more by having a shallower angle to the splitting prisms -- so that it might transmit more light to an off-axis eye.
Type S
This is the appropriate screen for collectors of F2 Data's.
Type T (TV)
This screen is designated for still-photo preparation for television use.
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