Nikon D5100 focus screen

NuclearOptimism · Sep 17, 2012

Hi everyone, I'm reasonably new to DSLR photography, so apologies in advance if I use the wrong terminology.

A while ago I was looking through the viewfinder when I noticed a small mark near the corner of the image. I was terrified that I had got dirt on the sensor and would have to get it cleaned. Luckily, this mark did not appear on the subsequent images, leading me to believe it was just on the focus screen. I therefore decided not to interfere and ignore the mark, as it doesn't affect my photos.

However, another problem has arisen. I was taking some pictures of the horizon, and was very careful to make sure it was perfectly horizontal (obviously). Everything seemed level when I was using the viewfinder, but when I looked at the pictures on my computer (and on the camera screen), they were a little off-balance, by a degree or two. At first I thought my hand had slipped, so I tested it some more, and time and time again everything is "slanted" by a degree or two. I had to rotate all my pictures in photoshop and trim the edges, which was a pain.

Am I right in thinking that my focus screen is misaligned? If so, is it difficult (and expensive) to fix or replace? The mark I can ignore, the lack of balance I cannot.

I know I could just use the screen to take my photos (which doesn't result in slanted pictures), but I find that wastes the battery. I find it much more convenient to use the viewfinder, particularly on holiday when I'm taking a lot of photos all day.

Any diagnosis would be greatly appreciated.

To give you a really quick example, this skirting board looked perfectly level when I was using the focus screen/viewfinder:

Edit: I know the first response will be that I'm just holding it wrong, but I've been using a tripod, with the same result.

MTVision · Sep 17, 2012

Honestly, about the leveling aspect, I wouldn't worry about it nor would I spend money trying to fix it - if it were me. Higher end model cameras actually have a leveling tool to help get everything perfect. Even using a tripod won't necessarily guarantee that your image is perfectly level. It's a super easy, 2 second fix, to straighten an image in post.

NuclearOptimism · Sep 17, 2012

Thanks for the reply. But doesn't straightening the image degrade the PQ? And while it may be a two second fix for one image, that adds up when dealing with hundreds of pictures.

Would replacing the focus screen even possibly solve the problem, or is it just off on all D5100s? A slight deviation from level I could live with, not a really noticeable slant like I'm getting.

haynie90 · Sep 17, 2012

All pictures on my D5100 have been perfectly level unless it was user error so its not all of them. I would contact NIKON depending on how long you've had the camera maybe its something covered by the warranty check for recalls etc.

MTVision · Sep 17, 2012

NuclearOptimism said:
Thanks for the reply. But doesn't straightening the image degrade the PQ? And while it may be a two second fix for one image, that adds up when dealing with hundreds of pictures.

Would replacing the focus screen even possibly solve the problem, or is it just off on all D5100s? A slight deviation from level I could live with, not a really noticeable slant like I'm getting.

I don't believe straightening the image a small amount would degrade the image quality. It would just do a small crop - which isn't that bad. If you plan on printing any pictures to fit a normal print size, like an 8x10, you'd have to crop anyways.

I doubt replacing the focus screen would help anything but then again I'm not sure. I've never ever heard of this issue but I did look online and found 2 other people with similar complaints.

I also found this quote on imaging-resource.com about the d5100 viewfinder.

"The Nikon D5100's optical viewfinder showed just over 95 percent coverage vertically and just over 94% coverage horizontally, with our reference Nikkor 60mm f/2.8 prime lens. This is about average for a consumer digital SLR. The viewfinder image was tilted and shifted somewhat compared to the imaging sensor, which unfortunately is not that uncommon with SLR optical viewfinders. In Live View mode, the Nikon D5100's LCD showed just over 100% coverage vertically, and slightly below 100% coverage horizontally, which is very good."

I'm not sure what Nikon could do to fix it or if they would without charging a crazy amount but you could always compensate for the tilt when shooting.