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06-06-2018, 11:57 AM   #1
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viewfinder manual focus harder on the K-1 harder than on the K-5

I was hoping using manual lenses would become easier on the K-1 than it is on an aps-c camera because of the bigger OVF. Actually it has become much harder to get focus right. PDAF Focus confirmation is not reliable and cannot be calibrated for manual lenses so i don't use that.


reason for this is.

A: the (relative to the frame) depth of field of is narrower because it is not magnified by crop view.

B. viewfinder magnification is 0.7 instead of 0.92 on the K-5

This makes focussing with the K-1 kind of hit or miss.

Of course the movable screen is very handy to get stuff in focus, but holding a camera like that makes it much more prone to shake, so I have to use higher shutter speeds. Also I feel like some phone shooter when I do that.

06-06-2018, 12:18 PM   #2
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Have you tried the O-ME53? That might help and in my experience does not make the viewfinder darker.
I haven't tried magnifiers of greater magnification but I hear they are not reliable off the center.
06-06-2018, 12:21 PM   #3
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I am using the 0-ME53 (also had it on the K-5 so there goes that advantage out the window). Maybe an EE type focussing screen (for a better view of the real depth of field) would help, but that would probably void my warranty.
06-06-2018, 12:40 PM   #4
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Focusing with fast lenses is always dificult. I use Fine focus adjustment --> Apply All for manual focus lenses. -4 is OK for most manual focus lenses I use on K-1. Apply All does not apply for autofocus lenses (Apply One works in this case).


Last edited by Medex; 06-06-2018 at 01:12 PM.
06-06-2018, 12:54 PM   #5
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QuoteOriginally posted by D1N0 Quote
I was hoping using manual lenses would become easier on the K-1 than it is on an aps-c camera because of the bigger OVF. Actually it has become much harder to get focus right. PDAF Focus confirmation is not reliable and cannot be calibrated for manual lenses so i don't use that.
The lower magnification of the viewfinder is almost certainly the main reason...

I'm surprised that there's no longer a way to adjust PDAF calibration for manual lenses. On the K-5, K-3, K-3II etc. this was possible using AF fine adjust. Of course, focus confirmation isn't a particularly accurate way to focus fast lenses, as there's too much leeway either side of the accurate focus distance. But AF fine adjustment certainly helped. Are you sure this has been removed from the K-1? It seems an odd and unnecessary omission...

If you want accurate manual focus, I think the best option is to use a magnifying LCD loupe. It's not very elegant-looking solution, and not as enjoyable as looking through the OVF - but it works very well indeed.
06-06-2018, 01:15 PM   #6
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I don't think every manual lens will need the same calibration. "For all" is still in there but I don't touch for fear of it affecting my AF lenses. I'll try to use the back screen with a pair of reading glasses using the camera strap taut against my neck to stabilize.

Last edited by D1N0; 06-06-2018 at 01:25 PM.
06-06-2018, 01:26 PM   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by D1N0 Quote
I don't think every manual lens will need the same calibration. "For all" is still in there but I don't touch for fear of it affecting my AF lenses.
Yes, you'd need to set "For all" each time you fit a different lens (and reset it when you take the lens off, so you don't forget). It's not exactly convenient, but it works. Before I started using an LCD loupe, this is how I handled manual focus lenses on my K-5 and K-3. But an LCD loupe is in a different league where accuracy is concerned...

06-06-2018, 01:59 PM - 1 Like   #8
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For me I kind of had the opposite experience going from K-5 to K-1. I always struggled with manual focus on K-5 but on the K-1 I find it better.
I was using the 0-ME53 on the K-5 but so far have not bothered putting on the K-1. For me the K-1 viewfinder is brighter (although not dramatically so) and feels somewhat bigger than the K-5 with the faster lenses which helps me.
I can confirm that "Apply All" does not affect any lenses set with "Apply One" and so I have tweaked this for a representative manual lens and focus confirm works fine.
06-06-2018, 03:13 PM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by D1N0 Quote
"For all" is still in there but I don't touch for fear of it affecting my AF lenses
The apply all" setting will affect any lens you mount that has not been assigned an "apply one" setting. So make sure all your AF lenses are assigned via "apply one" and you will not have any trouble.

I too find manual focussing easier with the K1 than previous aps-c Pentax cameras. I find the green hexagon has too much range for it to be entirely reliable. On a tripod I use zoomed LV.
06-06-2018, 08:50 PM   #10
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D1N0 I suggested in the other thread about manual focus that turning off all the viewfinder overlays helps. I would give it a try without the 0-ME53.
06-07-2018, 02:33 AM   #11
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Ok i'l try that. Sadly enough a can't store the overlay settings in a user mode....
06-07-2018, 04:51 AM - 1 Like   #12
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On my K5 I learned that focus confirmation was pretty bad. I have a bunch of shots from Yellowstone to prove it. Once I started trusting my eyes and not the camera it got better. I figure that if you have to constantly play around with autofocus setting and micro adjust all the time it is not worth the effort. The one autofocus lens that I did have at the time (Pentax 12-24mm) seemed okay as is. For me my K1 is easier to focus manually than my K5's or my K3. I recently added the O-ME53 eyepiece to my kit and kicked myself for not getting one years ago.
06-07-2018, 05:20 AM   #13
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QuoteOriginally posted by gaweidert Quote
I recently added the O-ME53 eyepiece to my kit and kicked myself for not getting one years ago
Many folk swear by the magnifying eyepiece, but I did not get on with it and sold it. I first used it on a *istDS , then a K10D, and found that it restricted my view of the edges of the frame and indicators too much for my liking. Perhaps because I wear glasses this was a factor.
06-07-2018, 05:34 AM   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by pschlute Quote
Many folk swear by the magnifying eyepiece, but I did not get on with it and sold it. I first used it on a *istDS , then a K10D, and found that it restricted my view of the edges of the frame and indicators too much for my liking. Perhaps because I wear glasses this was a factor.

I wear glasses too. It does make it a bit harder to see the edges of the frame, but I use manual focus quite a bit and nailing that is my overriding concern. At 67 I simply need it more. My next order, whenever that is, will include another one. I usually take two cameras if I am ever more than a few miles form home.
06-07-2018, 10:59 AM   #15
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I"ve had the opposite experience with my K1 Mark II. I have a number of manual lenses that I have never been able to use effectively on either my K5 or K3II. Now that I have the K1, I'm using my manual 400mm lens as well as a number of A lenses that I have collected over the years.
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