Focusing Screen Woes...

klkitchens · 12-17-2012, 02:13 PM

So I'm looking to replace the Focusing Screen on my K-5. Looked at the reviews and see that the Canon EE-S screen from FocusingScreen.com is considered a really good one.

Problem is, I don't see that as an option. Is that the same as the S-Type they have listed under the Pentax K-5? I looked under the Canon 5D Mark II and no EE-S was listed (as others said they had to cut them down themselves).

Not sure if the terminology varies or I'm just dense

Thanks!

ducdao · 12-17-2012, 02:21 PM

Originally posted by klkitchens

So I'm looking to replace the Focusing Screen on my K-5. Looked at the reviews and see that the Canon EE-S screen from FocusingScreen.com is considered a really good one.

Problem is, I don't see that as an option. Is that the same as the S-Type they have listed under the Pentax K-5? I looked under the Canon 5D Mark II and no EE-S was listed (as others said they had to cut them down themselves).

Not sure if the terminology varies or I'm just dense

Thanks!

The S-Type listed on FocusingScreen.com is in fact the EE-S screen that was originally made for the Canon 5D Mark I. The owner of FS had those screens cut to fit the K-5 so you don't have do that yourself it also comes with a set of shims and installation tools, hence the premium price.

I personally have the EE-S screen installed on my Canon 5D MKI and it's simply amazing for fast lenses (e.g. f1.2 or f1.4)

p38arover · 12-17-2012, 02:23 PM

You're not dense. I, too, was looking but am not sure what to get. I bought a split screen from Terence camera in Hong Kong and fitted it to my K-7 yesterday. It's a bit dark with slower lenses so I'm interested in the Canon screen.

klkitchens · 12-17-2012, 02:29 PM

Originally posted by ducdao

The S-Type listed on FocusingScreen.com is in fact the EE-S screen that was originally made for the Canon 5D Mark I. The owner of FS had those screen cut to fit the K-5 so you don't do that yourself it also comes with a set of shims and installation tools, hence the premium price.

Excellent... that's what I thought, but the threads here were older so the names most likely changed on FS.

klkitchens · 12-17-2012, 02:34 PM

Originally posted by p38arover

You're not dense. I, too, was looking but am not sure what to get. I bought a split screen from Terence camera in Hong Kong and fitted it to my K-7 yesterday. It's a bit dark with slower lenses so I'm interested in the Canon screen.

For your K-7, look here: Focusing Screen

The bottom three S-Type options are the EE-S Canon ones... pick which markings you want (I went with the AF Area)...

**grhazelton** · 12-17-2012, 02:45 PM

Tell me, with these replacement screens, which I presume have a split-image rangefinder in the center of the screen, is the spot metering capability of the K5 lost? I have a KatzEye for my K10 which, while it is wonderful with fast lenses - f1.4 and f1.2 - the spot meter is pretty wonky. Not too bad for someone who "grew up" with center-weighted metering, but....

Naturally the K10 screen won't fit the K5.

klkitchens · 12-17-2012, 02:51 PM

Originally posted by grhazelton

Tell me, with these replacement screens, which I presume have a split-image rangefinder in the center of the screen, is the spot metering capability of the K5 lost? I have a KatzEye for my K10 which, while it is wonderful with fast lenses - f1.4 and f1.2 - the spot meter is pretty wonky. Not too bad for someone who "grew up" with center-weighted metering, but....

Naturally the K10 screen won't fit the K5.

The S Type doesn't have the split, so doesn't lose spot metering.

lammie200 · 12-17-2012, 02:53 PM

Originally posted by grhazelton

Tell me, with these replacement screens, which I presume have a split-image rangefinder in the center of the screen, is the spot metering capability of the K5 lost? I have a KatzEye for my K10 which, while it is wonderful with fast lenses - f1.4 and f1.2 - the spot meter is pretty wonky. Not too bad for someone who "grew up" with center-weighted metering, but....

Naturally the K10 screen won't fit the K5.

The S-type screen isn't split image. I have heard that other models that are available as split screens will affect spot metering adversely.

Mareket · 12-17-2012, 02:57 PM

Can you still AF with an S-type screen installed? I've been looking at replacing the stock one with a clear one for a while, but I dunno if I can be bothered switching the two out all the time if I'll lose AF in the process of replacing it :/

That website seems to imply the S-type loses AF, but the A-type keeps it. Not sure what the difference is.

klkitchens · 12-17-2012, 03:32 PM

Originally posted by Mareket

Can you still AF with an S-type screen installed? I've been looking at replacing the stock one with a clear one for a while, but I dunno if I can be bothered switching the two out all the time if I'll lose AF in the process of replacing it :/

That website seems to imply the S-type loses AF, but the A-type keeps it. Not sure what the difference is.

The comparison page: Focusing Screen

Seems to indicate it works with both types...

**Schraubstock** · 12-17-2012, 04:22 PM

Originally posted by lammie200

The S-type screen isn't split image. I have heard that other models that are available as split screens will affect spot metering adversely.

Hi

As I understand it the screen has no role to play in the metering process, metering takes place in a different part of the camera.

Greetings

Mareket · 12-17-2012, 04:37 PM

Originally posted by klkitchens

The comparison page: Focusing Screen

Seems to indicate it works with both types...

It's confuzzling me... the "AF standard matte *AF lens uses" bit on the A-type screen section threw me.

elliott · 12-17-2012, 04:40 PM

Originally posted by Schraubstock

Hi

As I understand it the screen has no role to play in the metering process, metering takes place in a different part of the camera.

Greetings

The light meter is above the screen, so it is affected by the screen. Some people report better accuracy with stop down metering with a Canon screen than an original screen because the Canon screen has a linear response. The stock screen is made to be as bright as possible at smaller apertures, so the meter sees more light than is really there. A split prism will affect spot metering, but matrix and center weighted will be fine.

They don't affect auto focus at all though, the AF sensor is under the mirror.

**Ray Pulley** · 12-17-2012, 09:00 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by p38arover

You're not dense. I, too, was looking but am not sure what to get. I bought a split screen from Terence camera in Hong Kong and fitted it to my K-7 yesterday. It's a bit dark with slower lenses so I'm interested in the Canon screen.

I installed the FS S screens in both of of my K5s. They are noticeably darker than the standard screen with f2.8 lenses installed. This is no surprise, as optimizing the screen for wider apertures naturally leads to it being darker at less wide apertures. I have not yet compared it using a lens slower than f2.8 as I have only one or two of those and I do not use them often.

However, the S screen definitely shows the true focus point and DOF with fast lenses where the standard screen does not.

If you MF with fast lenses a lot, or even AF with fast lenses a lot, you will like this screen. If you shoot with slower lenses, I suspect that you will not like how dark it is.

Ray

Noam · 12-18-2012, 02:58 AM

I got the S-type for my K-7 from FS, and like others said it gives an awesome rendition of the true DoF (and really helps MF) with fast lenses, at the price of a darker view with slower lenses.

One important note though, which I assume is valid for the K-5 as well:
The S-type screen is a little thicker than the K-7's original screen. Therefore, the K-7 needs a small "operation" to make it work accurately: You must remove the metal frame underneath the screen, and replace it with a (thinner) plastic shim that has the same shape. You must ask for this shim explicitly from FS. It's not theregular rectangular shims that are normally included in the package. The shim I'm talking about is shaped specifically like the metal frame so it slides smoothly in its place.

Take a look here:
--Pentax K5 K7 K30 focusing screen front focusing revise guide--

12-17-2012, 02:13 PM	#1
klkitchens Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Allanta, GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 480	Focusing Screen Woes... So I'm looking to replace the Focusing Screen on my K-5. Looked at the reviews and see that the Canon EE-S screen from FocusingScreen.com is considered a really good one. Problem is, I don't see that as an option. Is that the same as the S-Type they have listed under the Pentax K-5? I looked under the Canon 5D Mark II and no EE-S was listed (as others said they had to cut them down themselves). Not sure if the terminology varies or I'm just dense Thanks!

12-17-2012, 02:21 PM	#2
ducdao Pentaxian Join Date: Dec 2009 Location: Montreal/Vermont Posts: 2,160	Originally posted by klkitchens So I'm looking to replace the Focusing Screen on my K-5. Looked at the reviews and see that the Canon EE-S screen from FocusingScreen.com is considered a really good one. Problem is, I don't see that as an option. Is that the same as the S-Type they have listed under the Pentax K-5? I looked under the Canon 5D Mark II and no EE-S was listed (as others said they had to cut them down themselves). Not sure if the terminology varies or I'm just dense Thanks! The S-Type listed on FocusingScreen.com is in fact the EE-S screen that was originally made for the Canon 5D Mark I. The owner of FS had those screens cut to fit the K-5 so you don't have do that yourself it also comes with a set of shims and installation tools, hence the premium price. I personally have the EE-S screen installed on my Canon 5D MKI and it's simply amazing for fast lenses (e.g. f1.2 or f1.4) Last edited by ducdao; 12-17-2012 at 02:31 PM.

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Focusing screen issue. Split-screen out of whack?	marcdsgn	Troubleshooting and Beginner Help	12	02-24-2011 04:06 PM
For Sale - Sold: Katzeye Optics Split-Screen Focusing Screen for K-7 (CONUS)	porterHause	Sold Items	2	12-07-2010 05:08 PM
Focusing manual lens with OEM focusing screen, is a split screen really needed?	skid2964	Pentax Camera and Field Accessories	16	09-17-2010 02:54 PM
focusing screen install woes..	ixc	Pentax Camera and Field Accessories	7	02-13-2010 07:06 PM
Seeking advice on focusing screen (split screen) for K200D	Ari Freund	Pentax DSLR Discussion	8	07-31-2009 03:00 AM

12-17-2012, 02:23 PM	#3
p38arover Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Western Sydney, Australia Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 3,084	You're not dense. I, too, was looking but am not sure what to get. I bought a split screen from Terence camera in Hong Kong and fitted it to my K-7 yesterday. It's a bit dark with slower lenses so I'm interested in the Canon screen.

12-17-2012, 02:29 PM	#4
klkitchens Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Allanta, GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 480 Original Poster	Originally posted by ducdao The S-Type listed on FocusingScreen.com is in fact the EE-S screen that was originally made for the Canon 5D Mark I. The owner of FS had those screen cut to fit the K-5 so you don't do that yourself it also comes with a set of shims and installation tools, hence the premium price. Excellent... that's what I thought, but the threads here were older so the names most likely changed on FS.

12-17-2012, 02:34 PM	#5
klkitchens Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Allanta, GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 480 Original Poster	Originally posted by p38arover You're not dense. I, too, was looking but am not sure what to get. I bought a split screen from Terence camera in Hong Kong and fitted it to my K-7 yesterday. It's a bit dark with slower lenses so I'm interested in the Canon screen. For your K-7, look here: Focusing Screen The bottom three S-Type options are the EE-S Canon ones... pick which markings you want (I went with the AF Area)...

12-17-2012, 02:45 PM	#6
grhazelton Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Jonesboro, GA Photos: Albums Posts: 1,972	Tell me, with these replacement screens, which I presume have a split-image rangefinder in the center of the screen, is the spot metering capability of the K5 lost? I have a KatzEye for my K10 which, while it is wonderful with fast lenses - f1.4 and f1.2 - the spot meter is pretty wonky. Not too bad for someone who "grew up" with center-weighted metering, but.... Naturally the K10 screen won't fit the K5.

12-17-2012, 02:51 PM	#7
klkitchens Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Allanta, GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 480 Original Poster	Originally posted by grhazelton Tell me, with these replacement screens, which I presume have a split-image rangefinder in the center of the screen, is the spot metering capability of the K5 lost? I have a KatzEye for my K10 which, while it is wonderful with fast lenses - f1.4 and f1.2 - the spot meter is pretty wonky. Not too bad for someone who "grew up" with center-weighted metering, but.... Naturally the K10 screen won't fit the K5. The S Type doesn't have the split, so doesn't lose spot metering.

12-17-2012, 02:53 PM	#8
lammie200 Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: San Francisco Photos: Albums Posts: 1,033	Originally posted by grhazelton Tell me, with these replacement screens, which I presume have a split-image rangefinder in the center of the screen, is the spot metering capability of the K5 lost? I have a KatzEye for my K10 which, while it is wonderful with fast lenses - f1.4 and f1.2 - the spot meter is pretty wonky. Not too bad for someone who "grew up" with center-weighted metering, but.... Naturally the K10 screen won't fit the K5. The S-type screen isn't split image. I have heard that other models that are available as split screens will affect spot metering adversely.

12-17-2012, 02:57 PM	#9
Mareket Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Chester Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 719	Can you still AF with an S-type screen installed? I've been looking at replacing the stock one with a clear one for a while, but I dunno if I can be bothered switching the two out all the time if I'll lose AF in the process of replacing it :/ That website seems to imply the S-type loses AF, but the A-type keeps it. Not sure what the difference is.

12-17-2012, 03:32 PM	#10
klkitchens Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Allanta, GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 480 Original Poster	Originally posted by Mareket Can you still AF with an S-type screen installed? I've been looking at replacing the stock one with a clear one for a while, but I dunno if I can be bothered switching the two out all the time if I'll lose AF in the process of replacing it :/ That website seems to imply the S-type loses AF, but the A-type keeps it. Not sure what the difference is. The comparison page: Focusing Screen Seems to indicate it works with both types...

12-17-2012, 04:22 PM	#11
Schraubstock Site Supporter Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,386	Originally posted by lammie200 The S-type screen isn't split image. I have heard that other models that are available as split screens will affect spot metering adversely. Hi As I understand it the screen has no role to play in the metering process, metering takes place in a different part of the camera. Greetings

12-17-2012, 04:37 PM	#12
Mareket Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Chester Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 719	Originally posted by klkitchens The comparison page: Focusing Screen Seems to indicate it works with both types... It's confuzzling me... the "AF standard matte *AF lens uses" bit on the A-type screen section threw me.

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

12-17-2012, 04:40 PM	#13
elliott Inactive Account Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: North Carolina Photos: Albums Posts: 1,720	Originally posted by Schraubstock Hi As I understand it the screen has no role to play in the metering process, metering takes place in a different part of the camera. Greetings The light meter is above the screen, so it is affected by the screen. Some people report better accuracy with stop down metering with a Canon screen than an original screen because the Canon screen has a linear response. The stock screen is made to be as bright as possible at smaller apertures, so the meter sees more light than is really there. A split prism will affect spot metering, but matrix and center weighted will be fine. They don't affect auto focus at all though, the AF sensor is under the mirror.

12-17-2012, 09:00 PM - 1 Like	#14
Ray Pulley Site Supporter Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Fallon Nevada Photos: Albums Posts: 504	Originally posted by p38arover You're not dense. I, too, was looking but am not sure what to get. I bought a split screen from Terence camera in Hong Kong and fitted it to my K-7 yesterday. It's a bit dark with slower lenses so I'm interested in the Canon screen. I installed the FS S screens in both of of my K5s. They are noticeably darker than the standard screen with f2.8 lenses installed. This is no surprise, as optimizing the screen for wider apertures naturally leads to it being darker at less wide apertures. I have not yet compared it using a lens slower than f2.8 as I have only one or two of those and I do not use them often. However, the S screen definitely shows the true focus point and DOF with fast lenses where the standard screen does not. If you MF with fast lenses a lot, or even AF with fast lenses a lot, you will like this screen. If you shoot with slower lenses, I suspect that you will not like how dark it is. Ray

12-18-2012, 02:58 AM	#15
Noam Forum Member Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Haifa, Israel Photos: Gallery Posts: 74	I got the S-type for my K-7 from FS, and like others said it gives an awesome rendition of the true DoF (and really helps MF) with fast lenses, at the price of a darker view with slower lenses. One important note though, which I assume is valid for the K-5 as well: The S-type screen is a little thicker than the K-7's original screen. Therefore, the K-7 needs a small "operation" to make it work accurately: You must remove the metal frame underneath the screen, and replace it with a (thinner) plastic shim that has the same shape. You must ask for this shim explicitly from FS. It's not theregular rectangular shims that are normally included in the package. The shim I'm talking about is shaped specifically like the metal frame so it slides smoothly in its place. Take a look here: --Pentax K5 K7 K30 focusing screen front focusing revise guide--