Beattie T90 screens

[benjamin goldenberg]

Does anyone have any experience with the Beattie Intenscreens, especially for the

T90s? Are they really that much brighter than the standard T90 screens?

 

Thanks,

Benjamin

[joe_margetts2]

They are noticeably brighter.

 

I think I am also right in saying that the T90 is a good camera to use them on because it meters off the film plane in spot or flash metering modes using the SPD in the mirror box.

 

In a Nikon FE or something the only meter cell is in the pentaprism head so changing the screen actually lets more light through to the light cell meaning exposure compensation is required. I guess you would still have to compensate for the extra light hitting the light cell if you use centre weighted or partial metering on a T90 with a Beattie screen fitted.

 

I have never had a problem with the standard screen on my T90 though so to my mind, a Beattie IntenScreen is a pretty expensive item for not much benefit.

 

Joe

[vincent_jan]

They're about a stop brighter than the standard screen and I find them very helpful in the studio. You can use them in situations where you're not using the onboard meter or using the metering cell in the pentaprism (spot metering, TTL metering) but you'll have to use some exposure compensation when you're using the metering cell in the mirror box (center-weighted or partial metering). Personally, I think it's a pain to remember to change exposure compensation when I'm changing metering patterns, so I only use my Beattie screens in the studio. My Beattie screens have a central microprism (as opposed to the standard split image/microprism screen) so I can easily tell which screen I have in the camera.

[benjamin goldenberg]

Let me explain my situation. I am currently using a D screen that came with the T90.

The D screen is the one with just grid lines on a matte surface. I find it a pain to focus

with and want to replace it soon. I was thinking of buying a beattie split image screen

on ebay, but I think it might be too much trouble with the metering. I nearly always

use partial or full frame metering, so could I just set the exposure compensation to

underexpose 1 stop?

[pensacolaphoto]

I had two T90 screens modified by Bill Maxwell. They are noticably brighter. It seems that some people prefer Beattie Intenscreen and some prefer Bill Maxwell's work on screen.

[vincent_jan]

You could set exposure compensation to overexpose by one stop and that should work fine. If you're using a film with a narrow exposure latitude, then I'd do a one-time calibration with either a gray card or an external meter to determine exactly how much compensation is needed. You'll also have to deal with remembering to reset the exposure compensation to zero if you pop a TL300 flash unit on the camera.

 

As things are, I'm not sure you'd be thay much better served by a brighter screen. I only use my Beattie screens in the studio where I'm not using the onboard meter and ambient light is low relative to daylight. If you're mostly shooting in normal daylight, you may be better served by a conventional screen with the focusing aids of your choice.