Katz-Eye versus focusingscreens ?

[Pentaxor]

ok this is just a simple survey of what you guys prefer as a focusing screen. I know that focusingscreens are cheaper but I haven't really tried one. but let's say if both the Katz-Eye and focusingscreens were about the same price, which one would you choose?

is the focusingscreens much better than the Katz-Eye? is it brighter? does it affect metering a lot compared to the Katz-Eye? is it difficult to install? does it fit well or have an irregular dimension problem or any defects? etc...

[WheresWaldo]

Originally Posted by Pentaxor

ok this is just a simple survey of what you guys prefer as a focusing screen. I know that focusingscreens are cheaper but I haven't really tried one. but let's say if both the Katz-Eye and focusingscreens were about the same price, which one would you choose?

is the focusingscreens much better than the Katz-Eye? is it brighter? does it affect metering a lot compared to the Katz-Eye? is it difficult to install? does it fit well or have an irregular dimension problem or any defects? etc...

Some answers based on two years of previous threads and limited personal experience as I do not have a Katz-Eye.

1. The only way the price is comparable is if you buy a Katz-Eye second hand.
   • Once you add grid lines the cost of the Katz-Eye jumps dramatically, but you can get indications of the focus points which are not available on the Focusingscreens.com models.
2. Anecdotal evidence suggests that the error produced in spot metering is about the same for both screens. No other metering errors have been reported.
3. There is no difference in their respective installation methods. They are in this case identical with the only exception being the tools included with the Focusingscreens.com offerings.
4. They both fit exactly the same (Quality control on Focusingscreens.com is much better than the cheaper Chinese screens and on par with Katz-Eye)
5. There is no Opti-Bright option for Focusingscreens.com

[Lowell Goudge]

one thing to consider when putting a focusing screen into a K10D or K20D is that there may be an impact on metering,

This is because the K10D and K20D seem to have an inherent error that is caused by the OEM screen, and which is taken into account in the metering software.

Changing the screen can alter this because now the correction is not properly applied.

The result will be
- for "A" lenses, an error, variable from lens to lens as a function of maximum aperture.
- for non A lenses, much improved metering when set to center weighted or matrix (defaults to CW for non A lenses)

As others have noted, spot metering is upset with any split image