[nikuyakun]

So here I am again, as usual asking for, and not offering more advice.

unfortunately i just don't know enough to feel qualified to offer advice, thus I use this forum knowing that there are many well informed, experienced folk here who know much more than I.

So....This week I headed to my local camera dealer (Yodabashi camera in Yokohama) to purchase a right angle viewfinder for my new K-7. Fully aware of the premium price Pentax charge for their OEM accessories and prepared to pay. That was until some pimply faced part time schoolboy shop assistant told me that Pentax didn't make such a thing. while I know full well that they do, and even pointed it out in the K-7 Manual.

Unfortunately some very lazy, smart arse shop assistants here in Japan figure that just because I am not Japanese, I can't speak or understand the language and use it as an excuse to just be lazy and or show their bigoted ignorant attitudes.

(My bad luck that night, as I usually get excellent service from several staff members who know me by sight)

After a heated discussion I basically told him to stick his finder you know where.

My question is; while I know the OEM version is available, it is also relatively expensive. Relative that is, to the amount of time I would actually use it.

Does anyone have any experience with the third party options available from China on eBay? If so what are the trade offs you make for the much cheaper price.

Regards,
Paul.

[Russell-Evans]

Does anyone have any experience with the third party options available from China on eBay? If so what are the trade offs you make for the much cheaper price.

I have and like using the Seagull 1x-2x. I use it hand held and on the tripod. On the tripod it allows me to keep the tripod collapsed for a more stable set up, as well as get ground shots when required.



To make the unit easier and faster to use, I marked the two places on the barrel where 1x and 2x were in focus for me. I just used a silver Sharpie. It comes off with acetone, so you can move the marks if your eyes change. You can simply flip the lever, match up the marks, and then adjust your focus or composition depending on which way you are going, 1x or 2x.

Other people have posted that they didn't have an issue with the universal mounts, but I, and a couple of others, found the mounts not to fit well on the units we received. The were not falling off lose, but not solid feeling either.

I had an issue with taking the OEM eye cup off and on as I'm lazy, so moved to using a Seagull eye cup. This eye cup uses the same universal mount as the right angle finder, so all the wear and tear is on the replaceable mount instead of on the camera's finder mount as the universal mount always stays on the camera.

The eye cup is only a few dollars and comes with another complete set of the mounts. The included Pentax, as well as the Nikon, mount were perfect for my camera and resolved the loose mount issue with the right angle finder. That alone was worth the little money they cost.

The rubber of the Seagull eye cup is pretty hard and I found the shape uncomfortable.

I knew there was another eye cup on Ebay, so I ordered it. It is a piece of junk, but fortunately, the rubber eye cup on it fits perfectly on the Seagull eye cup and is softer and more comfortable in my opinion.




So now I have my perfect lazy solution. The Seagull body at $3.38 coupled with the ebay rubber eye cup at $5.50, for about a $8.88 solution. Being prone to losing things, I actually bought a 5x listing which dropped the cost of the ebay eye cup down to $3.30 each. I also put in an order for 5 of the Seagull eye cups so that I'll have them as well. This pulls the cost down to $6.68 each.

The rubber is soft enough to flip the cup down. This is pretty handy as space in my bag is tight and I had to remove the Seagull eye cup before. I can use the eye cup in this flipped position as well, and often do.





So with the eye cup and the right angle finder, I'm pretty happy and would recommend the cheaper right angle finder. This is of coarse having never used the more expensive Pentax version.

Thank you
Russell

[sbc]

You get what you pay for. I had a 3rd party unit before buying the original Pentax. The built and IMAGE quality of the Pentax is outstanding. There is this clarity and corner to corner sharpness that I can't get with cheaper alternatives.

While it is shown in manual and web catalogs. I don't think you can buy one new. I have not seen it being sold in my country for the last 10years.