Best screen ever for manual focus : Canon ee-S!!!

derekkite · 12-21-2011, 02:02 PM

Got mine and installed it. Focussingscreens.com is great, good service, supplying all the necessary tools for the job.

Used it on my 300mm 2.8 with tc. Very clear and in good light nice and bright. I can actually see where the focus is. In low light it gets darker, but different from the stock screen. It just darkens but remains clear. The stock screen darkens and gets blotchy making it very difficult to see and focus.

So far so good.

bossa · 12-21-2011, 03:16 PM

OK, I finally paid up for mine.. been putting it off for ages. I hope the Xmas rush doesn't prevent my receiving it in the usual time frame. I also hate PayPal. The Australian Dollar is US1.01 at the moment and yet PP charged me at US$0.98.

Nuff · 12-21-2011, 03:59 PM

PayPal is necessary evil. Wire transfer is a whole lot worse.

http://jarek.smugmug.com

**G_Money** · 12-21-2011, 08:33 PM

Thanks to all who participated in this thread. I got my screen yesterday and got around to putting it in today. I had to swap the shim for the transparent pad included and focus is on the money. I had returned my K-5 twice to Pentax Canada asking for a shim adjustment and twice it was returned saying no problem found. I could never hit focus with my A 1.2 and my Nokton was only marginally useable. The puzzling part was how I never had much problem with my A*600, I could almost always hit the mark as long as I had time to finesse its very short focus throw. It wasn't until this thread that I realized that it was an issue with the screen and faster lenses. I didn't want to use a KatzEye—I need spot metering and previous experience with one in my K20D wasn't positive. I never would have believed that focus could be achieved so readily without any assist like microprism or split-image. So I'm good to go with the fast ones, on the weekend I'll try out the 600mm with the 1.4 X-L converter and see how I fare.

hawk232 · 12-21-2011, 09:06 PM

Well i cut mine down and installed it on my kx tonight. Keep in mind i have only been able to use it in the dimly lit house so far. At first I didnt like the plain viewfinder. Having come from a split prism screen from an me super in the very low light i found it harder to hit focus than with the split prism. Under the light though it is excellent!! After several practice attempts i have gotten better with darker shots, and when the subject is better lit i can focus in almost half the time. In the kx I ended up using no shim at all. The ees screen is .071" thick and the stock screen with the shim was like .068" thick so if anything i would have to somehow remove some. I did a test with some grid paper at 45* and 18" away with my 50/1.4 and it seemed as close to spot on as could be (some shots were one or two grids ff and some were 1 or 2 grids bf. I will say it is MUCH brighter in low lit conditions than the me super screen i had before!!

BETLOG · 12-22-2011, 01:17 AM

Originally posted by G_Money

on the weekend I'll try out the 600mm with the 1.4 X-L converter

1000mm 1:11 on a sunny day was a little dark, but still very good.
OH-HI

**Schraubstock** · 12-22-2011, 01:58 AM

Originally posted by bossa

I also hate PayPal.

Hi

I see what raises your hackles (and mine not so long ago) but I changed my mind about PayPal somewhat. Firstly, you can never squeeze the last drop out of a good deal, you always have to leave a dollar for someone else, otherwise there wont be a deal in the first place.

Secondly, PayPal came to the rescue on a deal that went sour on me. Bought something for $150.- from ebay 10 weeks ago but never received the goods. Turns out the ebay'er was a scammer. Put a claim into PayPal and they came to the party and after investigating refunded my money in full which included the return of their profit as well. So I guess if you look at it this way the extra few cents you loose could save your bacon if there is a problem. (Pleas be assured I am not affiliated with PayPal).

Greetings

pentup · 12-22-2011, 04:17 AM

This is a dilemma for me; apart from my Nokton 58 f/1.4 and FA 31 ltd I don't have fast glass -- most of my lenses are f/2.8 or slower. Since I got the K-5 partly to be able to shoot in poor light, I'm worrying that a darker screen might make matters worse for me, rather than better, much of the time. I'm thinking about trying the ee-S in combination with the Tenpa magnifying eyepiece someone mentioned before; maybe the extra magnification would compensate a little for the dimmer screen.

I'm very grateful for informative threads like this (but I agree that it shouldn't be confined to the K-5 forum.)

**G_Money** · 12-22-2011, 05:30 AM

Originally posted by pentup

I'm thinking about trying the ee-S in combination with the Tenpa magnifying eyepiece someone mentioned before; maybe the extra magnification would compensate a little for the dimmer screen.

I use the O-ME53 magnifier which is very helpful for these tired old eyes. I'll gladly accept a little vignetting (I wear eyeglasses) in exchange for focusing accuracy.

Franky2step · 12-22-2011, 11:30 AM

Why does everyone refer only to the Can Ee-s screen when there is an actual Pentax K5 "S" type available from focusingscreen.com? No measuring, no cutting, comes with shims made for the K5, etc. In fact mine came with 3 or 4 shims. BTW, I used the Eg-s screen with my Canon 5DMKII and loved it, and the K5 S type is every bit as good for manual focusing.

ducdao · 12-22-2011, 11:32 AM

Originally posted by Franky2step

Why does everyone refer only to the Can Ee-s screen when there is an actual Pentax K5 "S" type available from focusingscreen.com? No measuring, no cutting, comes with shims made for the K5, etc. In fact mine came with 3 or 4 shims. BTW, I used the Eg-s screen with my Canon 5DMKII and loved it, and the K5 S type is every bit as good for manual focusing.

Because the K5 "S" type is made by cutting down the original Can Ee-s screen to fit the K5. Focuscreen.com simply renamed it to K5 "S".

derekkite · 12-22-2011, 01:58 PM

Originally posted by pentup

This is a dilemma for me; apart from my Nokton 58 f/1.4 and FA 31 ltd I don't have fast glass -- most of my lenses are f/2.8 or slower. Since I got the K-5 partly to be able to shoot in poor light, I'm worrying that a darker screen might make matters worse for me, rather than better, much of the time. I'm thinking about trying the ee-S in combination with the Tenpa magnifying eyepiece someone mentioned before; maybe the extra magnification would compensate a little for the dimmer screen.

I'm very grateful for informative threads like this (but I agree that it shouldn't be confined to the K-5 forum.)

Initially (only had it for two days) the S screen is darker at F (300mm2.8+ 1.7 AF tc) 4.5-5 than the stock screen. But, big but, the stock screen loses detail, while the S screen just darkens and maintains the detail. The stock screen in low light with a moderately fast lens makes it very difficult to see focus at all. This one seems better. In a couple of weeks I will have a firmer opinion on the matter.

lammie200 · 12-22-2011, 02:45 PM

Originally posted by derekkite

Initially (only had it for two days) the S screen is darker at F (300mm2.8+ 1.7 AF tc) 4.5-5 than the stock screen. But, big but, the stock screen loses detail, while the S screen just darkens and maintains the detail. The stock screen in low light with a moderately fast lens makes it very difficult to see focus at all. This one seems better. In a couple of weeks I will have a firmer opinion on the matter.

I have the K-5 S from focusingscreen.com but have been too busy to put it on. I should have time soon though.

I am confused though when people say that it is darker at smaller apertures. Doesn't the camera allow focusing with the aperture wide open regardless of whether you are using an "A" or "M" lens? Or are people just commenting on the maximum aperture on a particular lens? In other words, an f2.8 28mm lens will be bright, but an f5.6 300mm lens will be dark?

vonBaloney · 12-22-2011, 02:59 PM

Originally posted by lammie200

Or are people just commenting on the maximum aperture on a particular lens? In other words, an f2.8 28mm lens will be bright, but an f5.6 300mm lens will be dark?

Yes, exactly.

pentup · 12-22-2011, 03:01 PM

Originally posted by G_Money

I use the O-ME53 magnifier which is very helpful for these tired old eyes.

I have the O-ME53, but I want to try one with a little more magnification. And from what I've read, the Tenpa magnifiers are quite nice.

Originally posted by derekkite

But, big but, the stock screen loses detail, while the S screen just darkens and maintains the detail. The stock screen in low light with a moderately fast lens makes it very difficult to see focus at all. This one seems better.

Thanks for the description. That makes me lean toward getting the screen after all.

Originally posted by lammie200

Or are people just commenting on the maximum aperture on a particular lens?

Yes, I believe so.

12-22-2011, 11:30 AM	#310
Franky2step Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: Niagara Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 793	Ee-s screen Why does everyone refer only to the Can Ee-s screen when there is an actual Pentax K5 "S" type available from focusingscreen.com? No measuring, no cutting, comes with shims made for the K5, etc. In fact mine came with 3 or 4 shims. BTW, I used the Eg-s screen with my Canon 5DMKII and loved it, and the K5 S type is every bit as good for manual focusing.

12-22-2011, 02:45 PM	#313
lammie200 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: San Francisco Photos: Albums Posts: 1,033	... Originally posted by derekkite Initially (only had it for two days) the S screen is darker at F (300mm2.8+ 1.7 AF tc) 4.5-5 than the stock screen. But, big but, the stock screen loses detail, while the S screen just darkens and maintains the detail. The stock screen in low light with a moderately fast lens makes it very difficult to see focus at all. This one seems better. In a couple of weeks I will have a firmer opinion on the matter. I have the K-5 S from focusingscreen.com but have been too busy to put it on. I should have time soon though. I am confused though when people say that it is darker at smaller apertures. Doesn't the camera allow focusing with the aperture wide open regardless of whether you are using an "A" or "M" lens? Or are people just commenting on the maximum aperture on a particular lens? In other words, an f2.8 28mm lens will be bright, but an f5.6 300mm lens will be dark?

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12-21-2011, 02:02 PM	#301
derekkite Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Nelson B.C. Posts: 3,782	Got mine and installed it. Focussingscreens.com is great, good service, supplying all the necessary tools for the job. Used it on my 300mm 2.8 with tc. Very clear and in good light nice and bright. I can actually see where the focus is. In low light it gets darker, but different from the stock screen. It just darkens but remains clear. The stock screen darkens and gets blotchy making it very difficult to see and focus. So far so good.

12-21-2011, 03:16 PM	#302
bossa Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Adelaide Posts: 4,546	OK, I finally paid up for mine.. been putting it off for ages. I hope the Xmas rush doesn't prevent my receiving it in the usual time frame. I also hate PayPal. The Australian Dollar is US1.01 at the moment and yet PP charged me at US$0.98.

12-21-2011, 03:59 PM	#303
Nuff Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Location: Sydney Posts: 671	PayPal is necessary evil. Wire transfer is a whole lot worse. http://jarek.smugmug.com

12-21-2011, 08:33 PM	#304
G_Money Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 598	Thanks to all who participated in this thread. I got my screen yesterday and got around to putting it in today. I had to swap the shim for the transparent pad included and focus is on the money. I had returned my K-5 twice to Pentax Canada asking for a shim adjustment and twice it was returned saying no problem found. I could never hit focus with my A 1.2 and my Nokton was only marginally useable. The puzzling part was how I never had much problem with my A*600, I could almost always hit the mark as long as I had time to finesse its very short focus throw. It wasn't until this thread that I realized that it was an issue with the screen and faster lenses. I didn't want to use a KatzEye—I need spot metering and previous experience with one in my K20D wasn't positive. I never would have believed that focus could be achieved so readily without any assist like microprism or split-image. So I'm good to go with the fast ones, on the weekend I'll try out the 600mm with the 1.4 X-L converter and see how I fare.

12-21-2011, 09:06 PM	#305
hawk232 Forum Member Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Citrus Hills, Fl Posts: 50	Well i cut mine down and installed it on my kx tonight. Keep in mind i have only been able to use it in the dimly lit house so far. At first I didnt like the plain viewfinder. Having come from a split prism screen from an me super in the very low light i found it harder to hit focus than with the split prism. Under the light though it is excellent!! After several practice attempts i have gotten better with darker shots, and when the subject is better lit i can focus in almost half the time. In the kx I ended up using no shim at all. The ees screen is .071" thick and the stock screen with the shim was like .068" thick so if anything i would have to somehow remove some. I did a test with some grid paper at 45* and 18" away with my 50/1.4 and it seemed as close to spot on as could be (some shots were one or two grids ff and some were 1 or 2 grids bf. I will say it is MUCH brighter in low lit conditions than the me super screen i had before!!

12-22-2011, 01:17 AM	#306
BETLOG Forum Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Brisbane Posts: 55	Originally posted by G_Money on the weekend I'll try out the 600mm with the 1.4 X-L converter 1000mm 1:11 on a sunny day was a little dark, but still very good. OH-HI

12-22-2011, 01:58 AM	#307
Schraubstock Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,386	Originally posted by bossa I also hate PayPal. Hi I see what raises your hackles (and mine not so long ago) but I changed my mind about PayPal somewhat. Firstly, you can never squeeze the last drop out of a good deal, you always have to leave a dollar for someone else, otherwise there wont be a deal in the first place. Secondly, PayPal came to the rescue on a deal that went sour on me. Bought something for $150.- from ebay 10 weeks ago but never received the goods. Turns out the ebay'er was a scammer. Put a claim into PayPal and they came to the party and after investigating refunded my money in full which included the return of their profit as well. So I guess if you look at it this way the extra few cents you loose could save your bacon if there is a problem. (Pleas be assured I am not affiliated with PayPal). Greetings

12-22-2011, 04:17 AM	#308
pentup Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Flushing NY Photos: Albums Posts: 413	This is a dilemma for me; apart from my Nokton 58 f/1.4 and FA 31 ltd I don't have fast glass -- most of my lenses are f/2.8 or slower. Since I got the K-5 partly to be able to shoot in poor light, I'm worrying that a darker screen might make matters worse for me, rather than better, much of the time. I'm thinking about trying the ee-S in combination with the Tenpa magnifying eyepiece someone mentioned before; maybe the extra magnification would compensate a little for the dimmer screen. I'm very grateful for informative threads like this (but I agree that it shouldn't be confined to the K-5 forum.)

12-22-2011, 05:30 AM	#309
G_Money Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: London, Ontario, Canada Posts: 598	Originally posted by pentup I'm thinking about trying the ee-S in combination with the Tenpa magnifying eyepiece someone mentioned before; maybe the extra magnification would compensate a little for the dimmer screen. I use the O-ME53 magnifier which is very helpful for these tired old eyes. I'll gladly accept a little vignetting (I wear eyeglasses) in exchange for focusing accuracy.

12-22-2011, 11:32 AM	#311
ducdao Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Montreal/Vermont Posts: 2,160	Originally posted by Franky2step Why does everyone refer only to the Can Ee-s screen when there is an actual Pentax K5 "S" type available from focusingscreen.com? No measuring, no cutting, comes with shims made for the K5, etc. In fact mine came with 3 or 4 shims. BTW, I used the Eg-s screen with my Canon 5DMKII and loved it, and the K5 S type is every bit as good for manual focusing. Because the K5 "S" type is made by cutting down the original Can Ee-s screen to fit the K5. Focuscreen.com simply renamed it to K5 "S".

12-22-2011, 01:58 PM	#312
derekkite Pentaxian Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Nelson B.C. Posts: 3,782	Originally posted by pentup This is a dilemma for me; apart from my Nokton 58 f/1.4 and FA 31 ltd I don't have fast glass -- most of my lenses are f/2.8 or slower. Since I got the K-5 partly to be able to shoot in poor light, I'm worrying that a darker screen might make matters worse for me, rather than better, much of the time. I'm thinking about trying the ee-S in combination with the Tenpa magnifying eyepiece someone mentioned before; maybe the extra magnification would compensate a little for the dimmer screen. I'm very grateful for informative threads like this (but I agree that it shouldn't be confined to the K-5 forum.) Initially (only had it for two days) the S screen is darker at F (300mm2.8+ 1.7 AF tc) 4.5-5 than the stock screen. But, big but, the stock screen loses detail, while the S screen just darkens and maintains the detail. The stock screen in low light with a moderately fast lens makes it very difficult to see focus at all. This one seems better. In a couple of weeks I will have a firmer opinion on the matter.

12-22-2011, 02:59 PM	#314
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	Originally posted by lammie200 Or are people just commenting on the maximum aperture on a particular lens? In other words, an f2.8 28mm lens will be bright, but an f5.6 300mm lens will be dark? Yes, exactly.

12-22-2011, 03:01 PM	#315
pentup Veteran Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Flushing NY Photos: Albums Posts: 413	Originally posted by G_Money I use the O-ME53 magnifier which is very helpful for these tired old eyes. I have the O-ME53, but I want to try one with a little more magnification. And from what I've read, the Tenpa magnifiers are quite nice. Originally posted by derekkite But, big but, the stock screen loses detail, while the S screen just darkens and maintains the detail. The stock screen in low light with a moderately fast lens makes it very difficult to see focus at all. This one seems better. Thanks for the description. That makes me lean toward getting the screen after all. Originally posted by lammie200 Or are people just commenting on the maximum aperture on a particular lens? Yes, I believe so.