K-7 Focussing Screen Problem?

Can i ask any K-7 owners/users a quick question about the focussing screen. I appreciate that it is supposed to be a matt screen but I have two concerns:

1. It is quite coarse in comparison to other matt screens I have looked at via the viewfinder, most noticeable in low light conditions

2. The brief red illumination for the focus square in the centre isn't as fine or even as I expected, mine seems to be a bit bloated or thicker at the bottom half than the top.

In all other aspects the camera is perfect and I am probably being over fussy but i wondered if there was a problem with my focussing screen?

Can't say I've noticed anything like what your describing, had mine since Dec 09.

Sorry

I think my K-7 looks fine.

Do the framing lines in the viewfinder look sharp?

If they don't then I just wonder if you need to adjust the diopter. This is done using the slider at the top of the viewfinder. This is best done pointing the camera at a plain white background so you can concetrate on the framing lines. See page 55 of the manual.

I hope this helps,

Glyn

Glyn,

I went through the diopter adjustment so the screen and focus marks are sharp but the issue is still there. I can only compare my findings with Nikon/Canon where the illuminated squares are very fine and in sharp relief. I may have to travel to my nearest Pentax dealer (about 20 miles) and do a comparison with another K-7

Regards

Mark

Mark,

I don't have any recent experience of Nikon or Canon DSLRs so I can't comment on the comparison. My K-7 looks very much the same as my previous Pentax DSLRs.

On mine the centre focus square has fairly thick lines, say just under a 1/4 of the size of the square. It is also diffused a little by the focus screen but although only illuminated fleetingly appears to have fairly sharp edges and the same thickness all the way round. It is of course only an indication of the focus point and I think becomes more subconscious as I'm usually concentrating on the image.

I think you are probably right that you need to show it to someone with experience of Pentax and other cameras.

Glyn

Glyn,

Thank you for your comments, with this and an image I found here http://www.k10dbook.com/k7.pdf (page 27) I think this is normal. On closer inspection and in daylight the coarseness of the matte screen and red square are pretty much as you describe. Time to stop worrying and get on with enjoying the camera

Mark

Many thanks Mark.

Just for your amusement I did try and capture the focus mark by pointing another camera at the K-7 viewfinder. It was a lot harder than I imagined and this is about the best I could achieve :

[IMG]http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w20/GlynM/Misc/IMGP4080-c1-vsmall.jpg[/IMG]

Glyn

Glyn,

It's a much better image than I achieved and it is similar to my findings, than you once again for your help with this.

Regards

Mark