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11-02-2016, 05:13 AM   #1
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View Finder K-3

Hi Folks Just Got my K-3 and its my first ever D,SLR

When i Look through the view finder should it look crystal clear or does it supposed to look like Noise on a photo as i zoom in and out or do i need to set something, iv'e used the finder focus already.

Sorry if this is Basic or is it faulty ?

Thanks in Advance Regards Lee

11-02-2016, 05:37 AM - 1 Like   #2
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Try the diopter adjustment correction just above the K-3's view finder.

The viewfinder diopter is adjustable from approximately -2.5 m-1 to +1.5 m-1.
11-02-2016, 05:38 AM - 1 Like   #3
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Do you mean it looks kind of grainy? If so, that's the matte finish which makes it easier to see. You should be able to determine via the viewfinder whether the portion of the field of view is in focus. This won't necessarily guarantee you get the image you expect, though. It can be difficult to determine depth-of-field via the viewfinder.
11-02-2016, 05:41 AM   #4
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In the viewfinder you are looking at the focusing screen. It is a slab of ground glass. For digital a more brighter one is used which gives a nice and even image. It is possible to replace the focusing screen to help focusing on manual focus lenses, either with a split prism in the middle or similar to the digital one but dimmer and possibly more "noisy" from the surface particles, especially in low light.
It would be nice to know if you bought the camera new or used and in the latter case did the previous owner state something about a replaced focusing screen?
Other probable cause is contaminated focusing screen and that is bad news, it is hard to properly clean it. In this case your best bet is bringing the camera in to your local camera shop and get it cleaned.
Same if you have a replaced focusing screen and you want to change it back to the original bright one.
Someone more knowledgeable than me will be able to help you more.

11-02-2016, 05:47 AM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by TER-OR Quote
Do you mean it looks kind of grainy? If so, that's the matte finish which makes it easier to see. You should be able to determine via the viewfinder whether the portion of the field of view is in focus. This won't necessarily guarantee you get the image you expect, though. It can be difficult to determine depth-of-field via the viewfinder.
Yes looks grainy and almost like a a finger print ridge pattern at top and bottom but they are not finger prints. iv'e also noticed what could be dust or could they just be larger speckles on the finder. or am i just to fussy ?
11-02-2016, 06:00 AM   #6
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lee Malta Quote
Yes looks grainy and almost like a a finger print ridge pattern at top and bottom but they are not finger prints. iv'e also noticed what could be dust or could they just be larger speckles on the finder. or am i just to fussy ?
It is ground glass, it tends to have a pattern but the digital bright screens are much more even than the high contrast ones. It is also possible that someone touched it and left a fingerprint which is super hard to get off properly. Can't really say much without a picture.
I say bring it in to a camera shop and get it checked, if it is fine than the experienced staff can reassure you, if not they can fix it for you.
11-02-2016, 06:03 AM   #7
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Certainly you can have dust and other "yuck" in the mirror box. A blower can get rid of most of that. If the specks don't show on your images, they're just on your focus screen or maybe the mirror. The grainy texture from the matte finish will show up more in out-of-focus portions of the field. These do not affect your image. If you find them distracting you can swap focus screens for a different style, but be careful as some need to be shimmed to the proper focus.

I scratched up a focus screen in my K10 trying to swap them. I figured out what I was doing wrong and when I added a split-focus screen I got it right. I didn't bother doing that with the K5 or K3II even though I shoot a lot of macro. I usually find I can hit focus manually with the stock screen and indicator.

---------- Post added 11-02-16 at 08:04 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Sterby Quote
It is ground glass, it tends to have a pattern but the digital bright screens are much more even than the high contrast ones. It is also possible that someone touched it and left a fingerprint which is super hard to get off properly. Can't really say much without a picture.
I say bring it in to a camera shop and get it checked, if it is fine than the experienced staff can reassure you, if not they can fix it for you.
That is true - skin oil (sebum) can stain like that. Again, it won't affect your image but can be very distracting.

11-02-2016, 06:06 AM   #8
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You should buy a cheap manual focus 50. If you're using a zoom, the maximum aperture will make the viewfinder dark, where with a fast-fifty it will be much brighter. It's an easy way to get a feel for the viewfinder. You can troll shopgoodwill or eBay for something like a Ricoh 50mm f/2 and get it for less than 20 bucks, then later you can move on to something a little better.
11-02-2016, 09:00 AM   #9
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That's normal (minus the dust, which you can blow off with a manual blower). The faster your lens, the less visible the lines in the viewfinder will be

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11-02-2016, 09:58 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lee Malta Quote
Yes looks grainy and almost like a a finger print ridge pattern at top and bottom but they are not finger prints.
What you are seeing is the pattern of the Fresnel lens that is part of the focus screen construction. The vast majority of SLR focus screens made in the last 50 years look like that. Mount a faster lens and the pattern will diminish.


Steve
11-02-2016, 10:35 AM   #11
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Thanks Everyone just one more thing when i Change the AF point / Points should the grid view be visible in the viewfinder as in the centre 3 dots or all 27 and so on or do they just flash up the once. sorry complete novice but you already put my mind at rest regards the view finder. as on my canon bridge camera its quite clear but its a digital viewfinder )))
11-02-2016, 10:44 AM   #12
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lee Malta Quote
Yes looks grainy and almost like a a finger print ridge pattern at top and bottom but they are not finger prints. iv'e also noticed what could be dust or could they just be larger speckles on the finder. or am i just to fussy ?
I have fuzz and little hair like strands in my viewfinder, it doesn't show up on the image. It's annoying but I don't mess with it.
11-02-2016, 10:51 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by stevebrot Quote
What you are seeing is the pattern of the Fresnel lens that is part of the focus screen construction. The vast majority of SLR focus screens made in the last 50 years look like that. Mount a faster lens and the pattern will diminish.


Steve
thanks Steve I'm New to all this

---------- Post added 11-02-16 at 10:51 AM ----------

QuoteOriginally posted by Adam Quote
That's normal (minus the dust, which you can blow off with a manual blower). The faster your lens, the less visible the lines in the viewfinder will be
Thanks Adam
11-02-2016, 11:18 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lee Malta Quote
Thanks Everyone just one more thing when i Change the AF point / Points should the grid view be visible in the viewfinder as in the centre 3 dots or all 27 and so on or do they just flash up the once. sorry complete novice but you already put my mind at rest regards the view finder. as on my canon bridge camera its quite clear but its a digital viewfinder )))
I don't mess around with this much, but IIRC you will just see the red dots for the active focus points. The grid doesn't change, I think that's etched into the focus screen. To get a different one you need to swap screens. With an electronic or hybrid viewfinder you can probably change these patterns.

Do look into a rocket blower or similar unit. You can usually get them with some other handy cleaning tools like static brush, lens pen, glass wipes etc.
11-02-2016, 12:15 PM   #15
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QuoteOriginally posted by Lee Malta Quote
Thanks Everyone just one more thing when i Change the AF point / Points should the grid view be visible in the viewfinder as in the centre 3 dots or all 27 and so on or do they just flash up the once. sorry complete novice but you already put my mind at rest regards the view finder. as on my canon bridge camera its quite clear but its a digital viewfinder )))
when you select focus points or focus group it will flash on for a second in the viewfinder. During focusing the AF point having the closest focus confirmed flashes on but not all the points with focus.
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