Nikon DK-17M Magnifying Eyepiece

Jun7

Posted in: D4, D800, Equipment, Gear, Nikon, Technical

The DK-17M

Originally I started using the Nikon DK-17M on my D800E for help with fine focus macro work but after using it in the field for all of my photography I have only one thing to say, stop reading and order one for each of your Nikon DSLRs, really it is that good! On a recent trip to Europe I had the chance to use my D800E side by side with my D4 without a DK-17M and was so impressed with how much easier it was to see the exact point of focus on subjects, it allowed me to see the fine feathers in a bird’s eye ring for example, that I went online and ordered 3 more even before I even arrived back in the US.

Officially Nikon lists the magnification for the DK-17M at 1.2X but it seems like a lot more than that in person. More importantly the DK-17M really makes a huge difference in the field making it much easier to see the finest detail in the viewfinder image to verify focus or sharpness.

DK-17M advantages

Larger, cleaner and more detailed viewfinder image that seems much larger than official 1.2x

Additional magnification makes it much easier to see the exact point of focus and sharpness, this is really important with cameras like the D800

The extra eyepiece thickness creates a more comfortable shooting position slightly away from the viewfinder

Easy 30 second installation

Glass optical elements not easy to scratch plastic

Great value, I paid $37 with free shipping

No visible distortion or CAs

Compatible with the Nikon DK-19 eyecup

Nikon D4

Nikon D800E

Installing the DK-17M is very easy and should only takes 30 seconds or so just remember to close the viewfinder shutter before you try to unscrew the stock eyepiece or the eyepiece will stay locked. The viewfinder shutter is the small lever above and to the left of the viewfinder eyepiece.

The DK-17M should be compatible with any Nikon DSLR body with the round type eyepiece. For the D300 or D300s you need the DK-21M magnifying eyepiece.

Note: you should be aware that Nikon warns that with the DK17M installed could be issues seeing the corners of focusing screen. I have asked a few people, one wearing glasses, and they did not have any issues at all on the D800E with DK-17M installed.

This is the official DK-17M compatibility list from Nikon:

D3S

D3X

D700

D800

D800E

The DK-17M is a simple 1.2X magnifying eyepiece for round style viewfinder Nikon bodies but this no special application accessory, this is something that works so well for all types of photography so give one a try today, you will thank me later.

The official DK17M page at Nikon USA:

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Eyepieces/4793/DK-17M-Magnifying-Eyepiece.html

Compatible With

D3S

D3X

D800

D800E

D700

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Eyepieces/4793/DK-17M-Magnifying-Eyepiece.html

The official DK21M page at Nikon USA:

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Eyepieces/25339/DK-21M-Magnifying-Eyepiece.html

The official DK19 eyecup page at Nikon USA:

http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Eyepieces/4787/DK-19-Rubber-Eyecup.html

17 Comments

Comment by Antonio Biggio — June 8, 2012 @ 4:04 pm

Thank you for the advice. I’ve read an amazon review that the data info with this eyepiece are difficult to see. It’s true?

Regards

Antonio
Comment by admin — June 9, 2012 @ 3:43 pm

Thank you for the advice. I’ve read an amazon review that the data info with this eyepiece are difficult to see. It’s true?Sorry not “data info” but the info at the bottom of the viewfinder .

Hello Antonio,

No issues at all after a couple of weeks using one on a D800E and D4. I was concerned about it since Nikon warns you in the installation manual so I did let some colleagues give it a try and no one had any issues (one wore eyeglasses).

I just tried my D800E again right now and no problems seeing the LCD at the bottom of the viewfinder. You should keep your eye centered for the best view though.

It really gives you a larger and more clear viewfinder image so its easy worth the $30 something bucks.
Comment by James Doyle — June 13, 2012 @ 4:07 pm

Hi Robert,

I’ve been using the DK-17M for a number of years, started with the D2X and found it very useful and like you said a cheap purchase. One thing I do advise people to be careful of is that as the eye piece sticks out a little further it can get knocked in the camera bag if not careful.

I haven’t had any problems with seeing the full frame in the viewfinder or the LCD to date

A good investment if your eye sight isn’t the best.

Cheers

James
Comment by admin — June 13, 2012 @ 5:38 pm

I’ve been using the DK-17M for a number of years, started with the D2X and found it very useful and like you said a cheap purchase. One thing I do advise people to be careful of is that as the eye piece sticks out a little further it can get knocked in the camera bag if not careful.

I haven’t had any problems with seeing the full frame in the viewfinder or the LCD to date

Thanks for the advice James.

Even I appreciate the extra magnification and I dont have any vision problems (I had lasik 10 years ago).

Robert

A good investment if your eye sight isn’t the best.
Comment by Ahmed — June 14, 2012 @ 4:53 pm

Hi i have been using DK-17M since i bought my d3x when came out to market.
Now i bought d800e and wanted to use it with it but i altough switch of the view finder shutter i can not take the original one off.The crew is to tight and what ever i did i couldnt took it of.İs there a way to do it?
Thanks
Comment by admin — June 14, 2012 @ 10:10 pm

i have been using DK-17M since i bought my d3x when came out to market.
Now i bought d800e and wanted to use it with it but i altough switch of the view finder shutter i can not take the original one off.The crew is to tight and what ever i did i couldnt took it of.İs there a way to do it?

Hi Ahmed,

It sounds like the viewfinder eyepiece release is locked. You should be able to loosen it if you close the eyepiece shutter with the small lever next to the eyepiece, you will see the shutter close then you can unscrew the finder. Otherwise its impossible.

If you cannot remove it the other option is you could always order a new one

Hope this helps.

Robert
Comment by Ahmed — June 15, 2012 @ 5:53 pm

I think i explained wrong:)
İ hvae took the dk-17m of from d3x.The problem is altough i close the eyepiece shutter of the d800e the original one comes on d800e is not coming off.Do i need a service to take it off?
Comment by admin — June 15, 2012 @ 8:03 pm

Ahmed,

Oh okay the D800 eyepiece is not coming off….it works the same way as the D3S. Just make sure the eyepiece shutter is closed and it should come off….

Robert
Comment by admin — August 10, 2012 @ 9:14 pm

Hi Paul,

I am at 30,000 feet right now and on the way home after more than 20 days in the field in Alaska with a DK-17M+DK-19 combo and the DK-19 eyecup would pop off much too easily with this combo. I have to take a closer look now that this trip once I am back home and caught up in the office. Not sure if the problem is a compatibility issue but I need to find a solution. I dont want to give up the DK-17M but I also prefer to run an eyecup.

Thanks

Robert
Comment by Paul Quah — September 5, 2012 @ 5:25 am

Hi Rob, thanks for that. I ended up buying the D-19 to go with the D-17 and find that they work well together and as yet I haven’t encountered the eye cup coming off easily. It could be the way you have put it together, which was not immediately clear in the instruction sheet, which happened to me the first time.
Comment by admin — September 5, 2012 @ 9:17 am

I ended up buying the D-19 to go with the D-17 and find that they work well together and as yet I haven’t encountered the eye cup coming off easily. It could be the way you have put it together, which was not immediately clear in the instruction sheet, which happened to me the first time.

Hi Paul,

Thanks for the advice I will try it again. It kept popping off in the field so I just stuck it in my pocket and didnt worry about it but I will give it another try when I get back to the office. I hope it works this time!
Comment by James K. — December 23, 2012 @ 1:13 pm

Hi Robert,

I came across this thread while searching for why I can’t remove the original eyepiece from my new D800E (which I’ve been testing for about a week now). I had a D3 and traded that in for a D4 (which I had to return for exchange due to a faulty multi-selector), so I’m quite familiar with the same type of Nikon viewfinder and it’s shutter and integral locking mechanism. When I tried to remove the factory eyepiece to replace it with a DK-19 I wanted to try out, I found the factory eyepiece could not be budged. I checked the manual to make sure they hadn’t reverse the direction of the threads or something foolish like that (against what common sense would dictate), I found that was not the case. The eyepiece won’t budge, no matter how much pressure I apply. Either it was installed with a machine that applied too much torque and now it is jammed, or it was cross-threaded when it was installed, or they installed it using permanent screw locking compound instead of the removable kind, or the mechanism that falls into the slots on the back side of the eyepiece is not being disengaged by the eyepiece shutter lever. Bottom line- the camera is less than 30 days old, it’s going back to B&H for replacement. I bought 2 cameras in the last 2 months and both of them were faulty. That doesn’t speak well for Nikon’s quality control.

After a week, I’m really happy I bought a D800(E)… Nikon’s designers just keep outdoing themselves. Is it perfect? No, just close to. But Nikon’s tech support has gone from terrific to abysmal in roughly 5 years, and now it seems quality control seems to be going the same way. Will I get a replacement? Yes, and I’ll keep getting them until I get one that works correctly.

I’ll also get a DK-17M after reading your thread- the DK-19 positions my eye too far from the viewfinder to see the corners of the image and also makes it hard to see the data at the bottom and right side (I wear glasses, and after testing on my D4, the DK-19 isn’t going to work for me). I think the DK-17M will work fine for me, and solve 2 problems at the same time- thanks for the article!
Comment by admin — December 23, 2012 @ 8:24 pm

I came across this thread while searching for why I can’t remove the original eyepiece from my new D800E (which I’ve been testing for about a week now). I had a D3 and traded that in for a D4 (which I had to return for exchange due to a faulty multi-selector), so I’m quite familiar with the same type of Nikon viewfinder and it’s shutter and integral locking mechanism. When I tried to remove the factory eyepiece to replace it with a DK-19 I wanted to try out, I found the factory eyepiece could not be budged. I checked the manual to make sure they hadn’t reverse the direction of the threads or something foolish like that (against what common sense would dictate), I found that was not the case. The eyepiece won’t budge, no matter how much pressure I apply. Either it was installed with a machine that applied too much torque and now it is jammed, or it was cross-threaded when it was installed, or they installed it using permanent screw locking compound instead of the removable kind, or the mechanism that falls into the slots on the back side of the eyepiece is not being disengaged by the eyepiece shutter lever. Bottom line- the camera is less than 30 days old, it’s going back to B&H for replacement. I bought 2 cameras in the last 2 months and both of them were faulty. That doesn’t speak well for Nikon’s quality control.

After a week, I’m really happy I bought a D800(E)… Nikon’s designers just keep outdoing themselves. Is it perfect? No, just close to. But Nikon’s tech support has gone from terrific to abysmal in roughly 5 years, and now it seems quality control seems to be going the same way. Will I get a replacement? Yes, and I’ll keep getting them until I get one that works correctly.

I’ll also get a DK-17M after reading your thread- the DK-19 positions my eye too far from the viewfinder to see the corners of the image and also makes it hard to see the data at the bottom and right side (I wear glasses, and after testing on my D4, the DK-19 isn’t going to work for me). I think the DK-17M will work fine for me, and solve 2 problems at the same time- thanks for the article!

Hi James,

Thanks for sharing your experiences. I have to say I agree with your comments and issues with Nikon service lately. I like to use independent repair shops when I can for simple repairs and issues now especially now since Nikon Service LA has moved farther away from me. Earlier this year Steve’s camera in Culver city did a rush repair on a damaged lens mount for only $30. I dont even want to think about the turn around and price at Nikon for the same service.

Robert
Comment by Adam — March 9, 2013 @ 6:26 pm

Hello

Thanks for the review! I had a question about the photos you posted of the eyepiece. Is the rubber cover on the DK-17M in the photos from the original eyepiece or something else? I don’t think I would like the DK-19 and would like to use the original rubber cover.

Thank you

Adam
Comment by admin — March 9, 2013 @ 11:02 pm

Hi Adam,

The DK-17M uses the orig OEM rubber circular cover.

Make sure you install the cover with the DK-17M since the uncovered metal ring can scratch eye glasses, especially sun glasses.

Thanks for commenting,

Robert
Comment by Mick Dooley — May 16, 2013 @ 7:48 am

I too could not easily remove the original eyecup from my d800e. After opening and closing the eyepiece shutter a few times to no avail, I realised the diopter adjuster is also connected. I pulled this out and re-engaged and … bingo. The eyecup easily unscrewed !
Comment by admin — May 16, 2013 @ 9:03 am

I too could not easily remove the original eyecup from my d800e. After opening and closing the eyepiece shutter a few times to no avail, I realised the diopter adjuster is also connected. I pulled this out and re-engaged and … bingo. The eyecup easily unscrewed !

Interesting, that is useful info thanks for sharing. Robert