SLR 35mm with removeable viewfinders?

I am trying to find a 35mm SLR camera that has a removeable eyepiece so that I can change out the focusing screen The only ones that I have seen so far are the Nikon f series -f1,f2,f3,f4,f5 but these are a little too expensive. Let me know any ideas.

The only 35mm SLR's I've ever seen with removeable finders are the Nikon F series. Actually, the price of these cameras is pretty low these days - most people shooting these cameras work mainly in digital so there are good bargains to be had. The manual focus F3 especially, but a good "user" F5 can be bought for $700 range.

However - you don't need a removeable finder to be able to change the focusing screen. The N8008s, N90s, FE/FM series all do it too.

Going back a few years, there's also the Exacta RTL 1000. Interchangeable heads as well as as screens. I have the waist level finder (no prism, no meter!) and the pentaprism head with TTL meter.

Not antique, but definitely not current, only available second hand and lenses are rarer than hen's teeth.

I have a few other oddities like that :)

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Originally Posted by kevinisrich

I am trying to find a 35mm SLR camera that has a removeable eyepiece so that I can change out the focusing screen The only ones that I have seen so far are the Nikon f series -f1,f2,f3,f4,f5 but these are a little too expensive. Let me know any ideas.

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The Pentax LX had removeable viewfinders as well as screens and eyepieces. Expensive even used but a fantastic film-based camera.

You do not need removable viewfinders to change the focusing screen on all camera makes/models. I shoot Canon and I always changed the focusing screens on my 1 series cameras to a grid screen, you access the focusing screen through the front of the body/lens mount. All you have to do is lower the frame that holds the screen and replace one with the other. All my experience in changing screens is with film bodies so I cannot speak for digital, I know you cannot change the screen in the 10D/20D but maybe you can on the higher end models.

Minolta Maxxum 9 also has user-changeable focusing screens - but you are talking a pricey camera there, too. About $1100 new, and typically $800 used.

Its predecessor - the 9xi, from the mid-90's - also had changeable screens. You can find some excellent examples of them for under $300.

There are also several different screens available for the Maxxum 7 ($400 new) - but they have to be switched by a shop.

The Nikon F models are probably best known for this feature, though, and I believe they offer the widest selection of available screens.

The canon f1 and f1n which can be found for a good price since they are all used have changable just about everything. eye pieces, attachments to hook up to a microscope/telescope, prisms, waist level finder, speed finders etc. I have bought alot of gear from KEH.com. I had a mamiya lense and the shutter speed was a little off and they sent me one asap before they recieved the old one so I could shoot a wedding.


Magoo