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Viewfinder Grid Lines..

heartyfisherheartyfisher Posts: 3,192Member
edited December 2012 in Nikon DSLR cameras
Many of you know you can set the camera to have various grid lines on the screen from the system menu.

I am curious if anyone knows how its done? I dont mean how its done in the menu but how is it physically done. Cos ,you can change the focus screen and the grid lines will still be there..

Furthermore.. if its some kind of LCD thing then wouldn't it be cool to have it instead of fixed grid lines maybe Nikon can provide pixels where we can program the grids ourselves !  I don't think we will need more than 340 X 200 pixels to play with :-)
Post edited by heartyfisher on
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Comments

  • jonnyapplejonnyapple Posts: 131Moderator
    Yes, I think it is done using liquid crystals. Adding a matrix would be kind of cool but would probably add to the expense of the camera. 

    I'm still wanting to get a Katz eye focusing screen for my D7000 sometime, and they can rule all kinds of crop guides and grids on it for you. I think I would probably put the 8:10 guide on it. The 16:9 would also be handy, but live view already has some guides for that.
    CC is welcome. DC is also welcome when I deserve it.
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  • PB_PMPB_PM Posts: 4,494Member
    It would be nice if Nikon added more things to the screen, but without an electronic viewfinder you loose some light with every item to you display.
    If I take a good photo it's not my camera's fault.
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  • spraynprayspraynpray Posts: 6,545Moderator
    I had a question about the viewfinder of my D90 some time ago and Nikon did tell me that the lines are LCD, so it could be possible to give you the ability to cycle round various designs - including square - on one of the programmable buttons.  Nice idea Hearty.
    Always learning.
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  • kyoshinikonkyoshinikon Posts: 411Member
    edited December 2012
    I was just thinking about that the other day...  I always have my grids on but was unaware it was LCD...  Makes sense tho. If you are dumb enough to take apart a DSLR lcd (I've done it successfully) you will find that the actual image generating segment is clear glass on both sides.


    It would be nice if Nikon added more things to the screen, but without an electronic viewfinder you loose some light with every item to you display.
    I think they also use it to show you your crop area on a Fx camera in Dx mode. (I talked with somebody who was using an 18-55mm on a D800, only time I've seen the mode in action...)


    I like that idea of programming what goes on the grid Heartyfisher...
    Post edited by kyoshinikon on
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  • SkintBritSkintBrit Posts: 79Member
    edited December 2012


    I think they also use it to show you your crop area on a Fx camera in Dx mode. (I talked with somebody who was using an 18-55mm on a D800, only time I've seen the mode in action...)


    I like that idea of programming what goes on the grid Heartyfisher...


    That's actually an interesting comment kyosinikon, because there are of course TWO very different types of grids in play (at least on a FF body). There are the grid lines that you can switch on and off in the CSM menu, and which glow Red like the focus point/s, but there are also the framing (crop aspect?) bars, that appear as permanently Greyed out sections of the viewfinder, when you shoot in anything other than FF. I presume these are also LCD? I for one always have my grid lines active. I find they help me to remember my "thirds" and with my horizontals! :-)
    Post edited by SkintBrit on
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  • PB_PMPB_PM Posts: 4,494Member
    Yes, that is also the LCD. That is why the viewfinder goes dark if you have no battery in any Nikon DSLR.
    If I take a good photo it's not my camera's fault.
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  • kyoshinikonkyoshinikon Posts: 411Member
    PB_PM is completely right!  That answers that question. I occasionally pull a "dead" body off my shelf and the screen is grey unlike my analog SLR's....  I do love that grid feature. What I am wondering is why they don't allow for more options. It would be cool to load the fibonacci spiral, even better a decent virtual horizon, or even better a sharpness feature like the a99 has...

    Who wants to plague their inbox with requests?
    “To photograph is to hold one’s breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It’s at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy.” - Bresson
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