| Author: | | Forum Member Registered: September, 2013 Posts: 62 | | Review Date: January 5, 2014 | Recommended | Price: $44.00
| Rating: 10 |
| Pros: | really works, high quality | | Cons: | no | |
very useful, really works and do viewfinder much bigger.
also it distance my nose from back LCD screen.
I using it with small rubber hood, and never want to remove it.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: November, 2011 Location: ON, RH Posts: 2,181 | | Review Date: May 10, 2013 | Recommended | Price: $40.00
| Rating: 8 |
| Pros: | Great for use with an aftermarket focus screen | | Cons: | the view trough the finder gets cropped a little. | |
Great tool for those who love to use their manual lenses. And if you combine it with a different focus screen is even better.
I also like how it keeps your nose away from the back screen. Didn't find the rubber cup that bad with dust.
2 things that you might not like that much:
- the rubber piece is so wide that it covers a little bit from the top of the back screen.
- the view trough the viewfinder is a little cropped - with or without glasses.
| | | | | Site Supporter Registered: December, 2007 Location: Montreal Posts: 1,249 | | Review Date: October 12, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $35.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Great build quality, high magnification, inexpensive | | Cons: | too much vignetting | |
I'm reviewing the 5th generation of this Tenpa magnifying eyepiece. Check when you buy it to get the latest version as there are some subtle differences.
When I received it I was surprised by the quality of the ensemble, from the package to the device itself. For 35$ shipped this is better than both the KPS and the O-ME53 (I have also those two).
The Tenpa is like the O-ME53 it just snaps in place, so it's very easy to put and remove unlike the KPS which needs a screwdriver.
It comes with two rubber eyecups, one normal and one anti-shade. When put in place it is very well attached, there is no chance to lose it unlike the one that came with the KPS (and sure enough I lost it).
The optics look good too.
But I won't use it. 1.36x is just too tight IMO and you have to move your eye too much to see the borders and the LCD infos on the bottom of the viewfinder. Note that there seems to be a 1.22x version available too. But in this case the O-ME53 is just as good although you won't have the anti-shade rubber eyecup with the OEM.
| | | | | Forum Member Registered: February, 2011 Posts: 84 | | Review Date: September 14, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $29.91
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | A life saver | | Cons: | Awkward | |
This thing is the best piece of cheap Chinese rubber and optics put together to date.
The build quality is surprisingly solid and the piece, the package, the feel of rubber and the play of light in the optics - they all reverberate trust. I thought I ordered cheap crap, but this thing has solid quality written all over it.
I have a couple complaints, however, the first being that the level of magnification doesn't fit very well with the provided larger eyecup, rendering it practically useless as it obscures all the vital info available in the viewfinder. The smaller eyecup works fine regarding the VF info - besides the bigger one looks pretty A+ stupid even when folded back, so I probably would've used the smaller one anyway.
The other complaint I have is the awkward appearance of the eyepiece; it's really an attention trap, but hey - the camera is a tool of art, not art as itself. And when the situation in that regard changes, you're ready to discard it, aren't you. So it's a non-issue really, but something that bugs me nontheless.
On the positive aspects I must say, it's a life saver for us who happen to have eyeglasses but not able to comfortably use them while shooting, and have to see very closely where the damn lens thinks it's focusing. I feel obliged to add that I still miss the focus more often than not, thanks to the K20D's diopter adjustment, which either under- or overcompensates for my vision, but yeah - the situation took a dramatic turn to the better with this little ****er on the K20D.
It's definitely a 9. Go get one.
| | | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: September, 2010 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 2,653 | | Review Date: June 10, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $35.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Good optics, well made, nice design, works | | Cons: | Rubber eyecup material | |
Nicely packaged - immediate impression is that some care had gone into making this item. It would have been better though if some form of a storage box had been provided instead of the 'presentation' packaging.
Assembly is simple and obvious even without reading the instructions which could do with translating into better English.
The unit fits perfectly over the viewfinder, the design allows easy access to the diopter adjustment slider with the magnifier in place.
Two rubber eyecups are provided - large and small. Ideal size would have been something in-between, the small one is not much more than a rubber ring.
The large eyecup is thin and flexible, in use it feels and works well. As pointed out in a previous review, the rubber material attracts lint and fluff.
Does it work ?
The x1.36 magnification makes a significant difference when trying to manually focus using the standard Pentax screen. There is a slight vignetting in the very corners of the frame, but the magnifier optics are excellent and introduce no distortion or CA. If you press your eye to the cup properly then the info line is perfectly visible.
If you wear glasses then this is not for you - it becomes impossible to use.
| | | | | Senior Member Registered: January, 2009 Location: Varaždin, Croatia, Europe Posts: 295 | | Review Date: May 14, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | magnifies viewfinder significantly, well made, easy to install, costs only a few dollars more than the Pentax O-ME53 | | Cons: | blocks the info line, not for glasses wearers | |
I wanted to get the Pentax magnifier but I decided on the Tenpa based on the reviews here. I didn't want the KPS because it only had the eyecup while this one has the round rubber too. I like the round rubber better because it's more compact although it doesn't protect from outer light like the eyecup.
The viewfinder really is bigger and the picture is clear, no distortion at all. You can see the whole frame with just a little bit of vignetting on the upper corners and the info line is harder to see but the magnified view is well worth it. You just have to look around a little. It's even got a nice green / purple multi coating like the Pentax lenses 
The only negative thing about it is that you can't really use it with glasses. Haven't tried myself, but a friend of mine did. He couldn't get his eye close enough because of the glasses and therefore couldn't see the entire frame - vignettes badly.
Everything was fine with the Pentax O-ME53. So if you're wearing glasses, maybe you should get the OEM magnifier  | | | | | Veteran Member Registered: April, 2010 Location: Tennessee Posts: 2,054
1 user found this helpful
| | Review Date: March 23, 2011 | Recommended | Price: $30.00
| Rating: 9 |
| Pros: | Great optics, well-made, fair price | | Cons: | Rubber eyecup is a dust/lint/hair magnet. | |
Thought I'd try this out as I had read good things about it. I ordered the "new" model, which they claim has several improvements over the old model, but I'm not sure what they are. I've never seen one before I ordered this one. At any rate, my comments apply to the "new" model.
It was an immediate hit with me. Comes packaged very nicely in a presentation box with foam-lined slots for the three pieces. Easy to install but make sure you do it in the order it says in the instructions to avoid scratching the optics. This unit does not have any adapter plates for different makes. You order the model that fits Pentax and the mounting piece fits perfectly.
The optics themselves are first-rate. Vivid and distortion-free. I have been using Pentax OME-53's for years and really feel like the Tenpas have superior optics. The extra magnification is really nice, whether you MF a lot or not. No part of the VF is blocked, but you may have to look more deliberately at the corners or info line.
The design of this unit does stick out from the body more than the OME-53, which could be a problem for some if space in your bag is at a premium, but the rubber eyecup itself can be folded back (and you can use it this way), or removed with not much effort, though getting it back on is a little fiddly. Another smaller eyepiece is also provided that is basically a rubber-lined ring. If the large eyecup is keeping you from liking this unit, this smaller piece could be the ticket for you. Personally, I really like the large cup. It's soft and very comfortable to hold to your eye and does a great job of blocking extraneous light. Plus the overall size of this unit helps to keep your nose off of the lcd, a big bonus for me.
The only real negative I am aware of with this Tenpa unit (other than the size, which will only be a negative for some users) is the fact that the soft rubber eyecup is a dust/lint/hair magnet. Some type of damp, dense-fibered cloth is the best way to clean it, and it's actually quite easy if you do it this way.
| | |
