[UncleVanya]

I was reading a comparison tool between k3iii, KP, and an original K3… and two of these said you could change the screen, The k3iii said no.

Is that true? If so, do we know why? I think the original k-1 was said to not have interchangeable screens but that turned out to be incorrect if I recall.

If you can change it - where do you get them? And how well do they work with the new metering options for M and K lenses?

[Not a Number]

I think the screen in the K-1 is considered non-interchangeable because most of the markings are on the LCD screen in the viewfinder rather than etched on to the screen itself.

In the film era you would mainly change the screen for different types of etchings i.e. grid, reticulated cross-hair, rule of thirds, golden rectangle, blank etc. The marking on the LCD could conflict with many of these.

The easy check would be to look in the mirror box and see if the standard catch is there. In some of the early photos of the K-1 this looked to be absent or different from the "standard" in the aps-c boddies.

[UncleVanya]

I think the screen in the K-1 is considered non-interchangeable because most of the markings are on the LCD screen in the viewfinder rather than etched on to the screen itself.

In the film era you would mainly change the screen for different types of etchings i.e. grid, reticulated cross-hair, rule of thirds, golden rectangle, blank etc. The marking on the LCD could conflict with many of these.

The easy check would be to look in the mirror box and see if the standard catch is there. In some of the early photos of the K-1 this looked to be absent or different from the "standard" in the aps-c boddies.

People have changed the k-1 screen as I understand it. Replacement focusing screens now available for K-1 - PentaxForums.com

This thread was created to specifically ask about the k3iii which I can’t find info on yet. But all comments are welcome.

[kypfer]

Checking the camera specifications in the user manuals, the focussing screen is called a "Natural Bright-Matte III" in the K-3iii book, whereas the K-5, K-70 and KP books call it an "Interchangeable Natural Bright-Matte III", so maybe it's not supposed to be interchanged in the K-3iii.

[FozzFoster]

The k3iii said no.

You can access (to clean or replace) the K-3 III focus screen.
But it's a special one to help facilitate the large/bright viewfinder, so there aren't any custom ones available (yet?).

Youtu.be

Youtu.be

[UncleVanya]

Is it larger than a full frame screen?

[kypfer]

Possibly a bit off topic, but in the K-3iii you can change the optical viewfinder displayed options, including the grid overlays, from Menu settings and/or on the Control Panel, see p107 in the manual … only just found this earlier today … yet more configurations to play with

[UncleVanya]

Possibly a bit off topic, but in the K-3iii you can change the optical viewfinder displayed options, including the grid overlays, from Menu settings and/or on the Control Panel, see p107 in the manual … only just found this earlier today … yet more configurations to play with

That is good info, but I was thinking mainly about the members who swap screens for manual focus needs.

[kypfer]

That is good info, but I was thinking mainly about the members who swap screens for manual focus needs.

I considered that option, but decided the "little green hexagon" was all I really needed, got used to using it and haven't looked back.
I did miss the split-circle rangefinder when I first "went autofocus" with my *ist film camera, but as I'd committed to Pentax for the backward compatibility to M42 lenses, most of which I still own and many of which I use, I decided to make the best of it … soon wondered what all the fuss was about

[UncleVanya]

I considered that option, but decided the "little green hexagon" was all I really needed, got used to using it and haven't looked back.
I did miss the split-circle rangefinder when I first "went autofocus" with my *ist film camera, but as I'd committed to Pentax for the backward compatibility to M42 lenses, most of which I still own and many of which I use, I decided to make the best of it … soon wondered what all the fuss was about

In the past my experiences with large aperture manual focus lenses and the green hexagon wasn’t very good. I struggled with my a* 85 f1.4 on the k-50 and k-3. I sold it before I got my KP.