[Ishpuini]

[Edit] I just noticed the following article recently published on the site: https://www.pentaxforums.com/articles/photo-articles/k-3-iii-how-to-using-m-...#ixzz6w4vVYBY3


One of the first lenses I tried on my new K-3III was the K50/1.2. No image to show, but some additional observations.

• Entry: I like the way the focal length is entered and a history kept. Shame the history is one push on the info button away though. I would think most users would have only a handful frequently used manual lenses and as such would quickly have these in the top of the history list and manual entry would never be needed again. Except for manual zooms, but I would think must old glass users would use primes? I would have made the manual entry an option under the info button and not the other way around...
• Dialing in aperture: Using the back dial to dial in the aperture is great to have more accurate info in the EXIF (anyone want to create lens profiles for these oldies?). However, this only allows entry of the aperture in full stops, whereas some old lenses, such as the K50/1.2 have click stops between full stops near wide open, and wide open isn't always a "rounded" Ev value either. E.g., for my K50/1.2 wide open, I cannot set the aperture to f/1.2 and have to choose between f/1.0 and f/1.4. Same for 50/1.7 lenses...
• Automatic stop down metering: In Av mode (and others) when you press the shutter the camera stops down the lens to meter and then makes the shot. Stop down metering performs similar to older cameras, i.e. it's not very accurate and tends to over expose more the further you stop down. I find I not only have to dial in the aperture, but also adjust the Ev-compensation to compensate this deviation. Manual with the green button is still easier I feel: press green button once to get a metering, test and fine tune it and then use that for all subsequent shots in the same light. Perhaps I have to get used to it?
• ?Stop down shake?: in Av my K50/1.2 when used wide open at f/1.2 or near wide open (the unlabelled stop between f/1.2 and f/2) often gives me blurry images at normal shutter speeds, good light and verified accurate focus. In M I always get sharp results with the same focus and exposure, so this is another reason why I'm sticking to M for now. Could it be sensor shake due to the stopping down? Would be strange since wide open doesn't require any actual physical movement of the aperture... Did anyone else notice this?
• Focusing: the end on a positive note focusing with the larger view finder (with O-ME53 installed in my case) does make manual focus much easier to nail, even wide open. I even manage to manually focus my tilt-shift lenses manually through the OVF now, even when heavily tilted.

Any other observations?

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Last edited by Ishpuini; 05-28-2021 at 04:06 AM.

[mtl_pentaxian]

• Focusing: the end on a positive note focusing with the larger view finder (with O-ME53 installed in my case) does make manual focus much easier to nail, even wide open. I even manage to manually focus my tilt-shift lenses manually through the OVF now, even when heavily tilted.

I have the O-ME53 installed on my K5 and have found it to be very helpful in focusing my lenses manually.

I am considering upgrading to a K3III and have wondered whether the reengineered and improved viewfinder makes the O-ME53 unnecessary or even if the O-ME53 can take away from the brightness and other improvements of the K3III’s viewfinder.

What are your thoughts on this?

[Ishpuini]

I am considering upgrading to a K3III and have wondered whether the reengineered and improved viewfinder makes the O-ME53 unnecessary or even if the O-ME53 can take away from the brightness and other improvements of the K3III’s viewfinder.

What are your thoughts on this?

My impression is that the K-3III VF without the O-ME53 is about as large as the K-3II VF with the O-ME53, but much brighter and sharper. The K-3II's VF being about the same as the K-5's I think.

When I first installed the O-ME53 on my K-3III the VF looked very murky, but that turned out to be my O-ME53 needing a good cleaning in the corners. I did so and decided to keep it installed. The decision was much harder than on previous cameras though. There is still some added value for me, but it is less of a difference. You really need to keep it clean since the K-3III's VF image comes much closer to the edges. There is more vignetting, but the entire image is still visible, though only just.

One of the reasons why I decided to keep it, is that I find the O-ME53 more comfortable to hold against my face than the rather flimsy feeling standard eyecup, even though it does protrude more on the K-3III.
But even if you decide against the O-ME53 on the K-3III, the bare viewfinder is still much better than the previous ones with the O-ME53 installed.

[Ishpuini]

One more thing:
- Lens name: it would be nice to be able to edit an entry in the history list and give it a name, that would be included in the lens name in the EXIF. That way you could also register the actual lens used.

[Kobayashi.K]

I have the O-ME53 installed on my K5 and have found it to be very helpful in focusing my lenses manually.
I am considering upgrading to a K3III and have wondered whether the reengineered and improved viewfinder makes the O-ME53 unnecessary or even if the O-ME53 can take away from the brightness and other improvements of the K3III’s viewfinder.
What are your thoughts on this?

I have tried the O-ME53 on the K3-III to gain some positive diopter value, which for unknown reasons did not work in the same way as on my K5-II, but probably because it makes the screen look out of focus at all diopter settings. Also your eye must be unconfortably close to the eye cup to see the whole screen and then it still shows some vignetting. All-in-all I find the O-ME53 compromises the high quality of the viewfinder and you gain virtually nothing because the screen is already big enough.

I also find the original eyecup on the K3-III too floppy, and I have replaced it with the smaller eyecup FR.

[stevebrot]

?Stop down shake?: in Av my K50/1.2 when used wide open at f/1.2 or near wide open (the unlabelled stop between f/1.2 and f/2) often gives me blurry images at normal shutter speeds, good light and verified accurate focus. In M I always get sharp results with the same focus and exposure, so this is another reason why I'm sticking to M for now. Could it be sensor shake due to the stopping down? Would be strange since wide open doesn't require any actual physical movement of the aperture...

With basic K-mount, the aperture actuator moves full throw regardless of the aperture ring setting. That might be part of your problem. Perhaps "stop-down shake" will join "shutter shock" on the list of things that might create soft photos.


Steve

[stevebrot]

One more thing:
- Lens name: it would be nice to be able to edit an entry in the history list and give it a name, that would be included in the lens name in the EXIF. That way you could also register the actual lens used.

Nikon supports something similar to that.


Steve

[Ishpuini]

With basic K-mount, the aperture actuator moves full throw regardless of the aperture ring setting. That might be part of your problem. Perhaps "stop-down shake" will join "shutter shock" on the list of things that might create soft photos.


Steve

I didn't know that. Thanks for clarifying.