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11-10-2020, 07:58 AM   #1
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Focusing screens for the KP

Has anyone bought a focusing screen from focusingscreen.com? They have focusing screens with split-prisms (my preferred type) but I haven't seen anyone talk about whether they've actually put one of these in their KP.

11-10-2020, 08:31 AM   #2
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I have not, but BruceBanner has. You may want to checkout this post from him and ask him if you don't hear anything here. I Replaced My Focusing Screen (for the K-1)! - PentaxForums.com
11-10-2020, 05:19 PM   #3
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That was an interesting read..... now I’m thinking


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11-10-2020, 06:02 PM   #4
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I too would like an old-timey manual focusing screen...

11-11-2020, 08:45 AM   #5
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Well, I ordered the focusing screen (this one: Focusing Screen). I'll let everyone know how well it works.
11-12-2020, 10:15 AM - 1 Like   #6
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Great, I'll be interested to hear about it!
11-12-2020, 06:16 PM   #7
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I’m intrigued by this, wonder if any blackout occurs.


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11-17-2020, 11:02 PM   #8
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Please give feedback on it once you get to test it out. I'd be real interested in swapping my KP's screen since I use a lot of manual focus lenses these days.
11-18-2020, 06:18 AM   #9
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QuoteOriginally posted by ZombieArmy Quote
Please give feedback on it once you get to test it out. I'd be real interested in swapping my KP's screen since I use a lot of manual focus lenses these days.

Will do. I've been using the Pentax-A f/1.2 and the current focusing screen (even with focus confirmation or catch-in-focus) is just not good enough wide open. When I use the same lens on my LX I get fantastic results so I know it's not just a limitation of the lens at that aperture. The focusing screen shipped yesterday, so hopefully I'll have some results to post soon. No clue on how to get pictures through the viewfinder so I can show everyone, though. Does anyone have any ideas?
11-18-2020, 07:08 AM   #10
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QuoteOriginally posted by reuvens Quote
... No clue on how to get pictures through the viewfinder so I can show everyone, though. Does anyone have any ideas?
Just use a second camera … something like a 50mm lens or a bit longer on an APSC DSLR will be adequate for demonstration purposes, you'll probably have to set things up on a tripod and fiddle with dioptre settings to get clearest results, but the principle works
11-25-2020, 08:32 AM   #11
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So I got the focusing screen in yesterday. Here's my limited review and some tips for anyone else who wants to switch out the stock screen with one from focusingscreen.com:

First off, the focusing screen works great! This is the most important thing to come away with. I'm able to nail focus with the Pentax-A f/1.2 pretty easily, even in very low light (EV=8 here):
https://i.imgur.com/GQIXG23.jpg
I have not had issues with blackout on the split-prism, though the narrowest aperture lens I've used with it so far is f/4. Still, the split prism is more than usable at this aperture.

The downsides:
I had a heck of a time getting the thing installed. I'd put aside a few hours uninterrupted for getting the new screen installed and the focus set correctly. The new screen came with three plastic shims for getting the focus dialed in, one thick shim and two thin shims. Initially when I installed the screen I was getting front focusing from the lens. In order to resolve that, I had to remove the factory-installed metal shim from my KP, and replace it with the two thin shims from focusingscreen.com. It took a while playing around with a tripod and a focus chart (I used the chart from here: Squit Photo) to get the shim combination correct so it wasn't front or back focusing. Use a sturdy tripod and don't put it on carpet. I kept the old shim in case I ever decide to reinstall the factory focus screen. Here's the final result with the two thin shims stacked on top of each other:
https://i.imgur.com/EUDitLh.jpg

---------- Post added 11-25-20 at 09:42 AM ----------

Oops, I forgot to include pictures of the actual screen from the viewfinder. Here's a white, diffuse background so you can see what it looks like:
https://i.imgur.com/8Cw8SIS.jpg

Here's an in focus picture of my desk-toy:
https://i.imgur.com/szrkdke.jpg

Here's an out of focus picture of the same desk-toy:
https://i.imgur.com/mwGnKgu.jpg

I'm going to go in later and clean up the dust I accidentally got in there. Now that I know what I'm doing I think it'll just be a few minutes and the rocket air blower to get it nice and clean!

Last edited by reuvens; 11-25-2020 at 08:42 AM.
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