Split focus screen for K-30

Hello,

I'm thinking about getting a split focus screen for my K-30. I use a lot of manual lenses and I really get jealous when borrowing my dad's old Pentax ME. Focusing on the same lenses just seems to be so much easier.

Has anyone used a Katzeye with the K-30? The focusing screen is quite bright for a DSLR so maybe I don't need to pay extra for the optibright?

Any advice/experience would be great.

I have a Katzeye screen installed in my K30, wouldn't change it back now as I find it esentiatial for critical focus work and I've yet to have any exposure issues, but them I'm working at f8 ->.

I got it with optibright (also focus and thirds grid) which I find very useful.

One thing to bear in mind, you will pay import duty and VAT on top of the list price plus shipping cost, IIRC I was charged around £50.

Why not just use focus peaking on the K30 I use manual focus lenses and it works for me

Thanks. They certainly sound great. I think I'll probably end up going for the optibright. It would be totally gutting to get it and then find it is too dark for work at smaller apertures.

I hadn't considered additional taxes. That is really annoying. I guess it will end up being around £150. Might need to save up for a while. Or scour the web for 2nd hand options.

Thanks for the suggestion. I do use focus peaking at the moment occasionally but I've just never really got on with it all that well. I don't really like using live view all that much - it always feels a bit unnatural to me. Not sure why because most of the cameras I have ever owned were compact digitals without a viewfinder at all!

I'm a big fan of the Katzeye but I don't have focus-peaking or even live-view on my K200D. I find the KE essential for using my many manual lenses.

Bear in mind that a new KE screen may need to be calibrated - I had to buy and install viewfinder shims with mine to make it 100% accurate, and that's not a simple task. And at the end of the day the viewfinder is still half the size of that on an MX or ME Super, but it's a vast improvement.

Thanks for the feedback. I think I'm going to go for it

Everyone has nothing but good things to say about them.

I'd not heard people talk about the calibrating before though. What does that involve? Do you mean calibrating to ensure that when it says that something is in focus that it actually is?

Your DSLR has very fine shims between the focusing screen and the plastic body. These are for very finely adjusting the distance of the screen from the lens mount to make sure it's exactly aligned with the sensor for correct focus. There is no guarantee that the new screen will focus with the existing shims, especially as it will be much more sensible to small differences, which is what allows it to provide accurate focusing. Callibration involves adding or removing shims to get the distance exactly correct.

I think I'm in the minority having had to do this, though.

I guess that makes complete sense. I did wonder how the screen was immediately able to "know" what was in focus and what wasn't.

How did you judge whether it was correct or not? Taking test shots at very wide apertures?

Thanks for the help

Yes, exactly. Test shots, wide open with the lens that produces the narrowest depth of field, in my case an 85mm f/2.

If you press the middle button during live view it zooms in (electronically) further, which allows for very precise focus peaking adjustment. Just thought I'd mention that. Works exceptionally well especially if you are using a tripod at the time.

Thanks. I've tried that a few times but do tend to forget. I'll remind myself to give this another go.

Well! My Katzeye focus screen has arrived safely and I've fitted it in.

I'm concerned about the calibration though. It is really fiddly to tell if it is all right. On a Pentax AL SMC DA 35mm f/2.4 the autofocus doesn't seem to give the same result as the focus screen. The split screen is still slightly split when auto-focusing on vertical lines (e.g. corner of a door). Or is that as expected because the focus screen is more accurate than autofocus?

Jonathan-Mac - If you don't mind me asking, any tips would be great. What did you do your focus test shots on? Where did you buy the shims to do the adjustment?

Use the live view to get a correct focus at the sensor. Then, without touching the focus, look through the viewfinder and see if the Katzeye agrees. If not, change the shimming!

Live view is great for checking focus (since it show the focus at the only point in the system that really matters - the sensor!)

Oh, and I used paper shims before, but if you want to be fancy, SRS used to be able to sell a set of official Pentax brass shims. They were a reasonable price, so it might be worth calling them and seeing if they are able to get them for the k-30

Ok thanks!

I don't know why I didn't think of using live view. I'll give it a go.

I'm really hoping I don't have to start adjusting the calibration. I was nervous enough just getting the screen in!