eBay Focusing Screen

Diffusion · 01-30-2010, 05:48 AM

I finally bought a split focusing screen, not from jinfinance, but Trevor (in Singapore). They currently run at about 17€ with free shipping.
It came with "finger protectors" (I used nitrile gloves, though) and two tweezers. The plastic tweezers are unnecessary, the metal tweezers should only be used on the tab to put the screen in.

I was able to put it in today.
At first, all drawings I have seen say to put the tab in on the left, but it turned out I needed to flip it around. Got me a thing of dust that I will need to remove at some point, but does not bother me greatly.

While the lines are not perfectly cut, it works perfectly, and I am happy not to have bought something more expensive.

Focusing with the 85mm/1.4 is very good even wide open now, but even the slightest misalignment of the focus gives OOF results, since the DOF is so narrow.

I am very happy. Finally I can fully use my manual lenses.

Dan

GeneV · 01-30-2010, 07:54 AM

Lots of folks on this forum, myself included, have had good results with that screen. The other Ebay offerings are less sucessful, as they often require shims.

Diffusion · 01-30-2010, 09:25 AM

I did not realize that this was one of the better ones on ebay. It was the only one I found at the time.
It still takes me a bit occasionally to get the focusing done quickly. Shifting targets can be difficult to shoot.

Jewelltrail · 01-31-2010, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Genev: Lots of folks on this forum, myself included, have had good results with that screen. The other Ebay offerings are less sucessful, as they often require shims.

Yes. myself included as well--I could not be without my Ebay split prism. However, many of the other Ebay sellers, who offer shims, are in big demand too because some of the Pentax cameras do apparently require shimming.

In fact, throughout these past 2 years on the board, there have been many posts by owners (some of whom were angry) who bought a screen which did not come with a shim--they wanted/needed shims to make their screens spot-on.

GeneV · 01-31-2010, 01:03 PM

Originally posted by Jewelltrail

Yes. myself included as well--I could not be without my Ebay split prism. However, many of the other Ebay sellers, who offer shims, are in big demand too because some of the Pentax cameras do apparently require shimming.

In fact, throughout these past 2 years on the board, there have been many posts by owners (some of whom were angry) who bought a screen which did not come with a shim--they wanted/needed shims to make their screens spot-on.

The Jinfinance is a tight fit in my cameras. You couldn't put a shim in there if you wanted to. The others rattle around without shimming. The Jinfinance is cut from a K1000 screen, while the others are Canons cut to size.

Diffusion · 01-31-2010, 01:36 PM

I think Jinfinance is another of the "good ones". Maybe Travor and Jinfinance use the same source anyway.

I also noted that the Travor screen fits very tight. I think it may be minimally off, but so far the biggest cause of error is still me. If you have a moving target, you gotta be FAST. I still get OOF pictures, but at least now, it is me. Not the camera.

On the other hand, I do frequently hear the autofocus beep. But I think I made the mistake often recently to not wait for the SR to finish. Need to start half pressing while I focs.

stevewig · 02-01-2010, 07:17 PM

I have just removed the jinfinance screen from my K10D because when using manual focus (M42 screw mount lenses) the result was:

(a) Very difficult to to focus in poor light condition with smaller aperture than f5.6 - necessary to go wide open to focus - due to prism black-out.

(b) Erroneous metering (overexposure) with aperture off the wide open selection. This is true at least in heavy cloud (poor lighting condition). Problem was fixed as soon as I put the original screen back in. It is as if the prism blacking that occurs in low light, interferes with metering.

I use the Katz Eye Optibrite system on my Nikon D80 with very positive results - I love it!

Jewelltrail · 02-02-2010, 02:19 AM

Quote:

stevewig: have just removed the jinfinance screen from my K10D because when using manual focus (M42 screw mount lenses) the result was:

(a) Very difficult to to focus in poor light condition with smaller aperture than f5.6 - necessary to go wide open to focus - due to prism black-out.

(b) Erroneous metering (overexposure) with aperture off the wide open selection. This is true at least in heavy cloud (poor lighting condition). Problem was fixed as soon as I put the original screen back in. It is as if the prism blacking that occurs in low light, interferes with metering.

I use the Katz Eye Optibrite system on my Nikon D80 with very positive results - I love it!

I've had a jinfinance screen in my K20d for almost 2 years and love it. In fact, I returned my Katz Eye with "Opibrite" to Rachael Katz for a full refund once I compared the 2 screens. I write in more depth here on this: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/camera-studio-accessories/88650-focusing-...rightness.html

BTW, the correct way to use a split prism is to focus wide open with the lens. You can take your meter reading wide open too, and do the math for a correct reading at the destination aperture.

All split prisms affect spot metering. obviously. The Katz Eye people have this warning written at their site.

brkl · 02-08-2010, 05:41 AM

I just got a Travor screen. I sold my KatzEye earlier because I've been shooting so much film I figured I didn't need it. I was wrong though. The Travor screen would be terrific with the diagonal split, except it's off. I cut off the tab and turned it around to see if that was the problem, but no. It's just off, and a very tight fit too, so no shims. I need a focusing screen I can use with shallow depth of field. Any tips?

rockmaster1964 · 02-08-2010, 05:55 AM

Get the K3 from focusingscreen.com. I had the Travor screen and replaced it with the K3. I think the K3 is a much better screen.

brkl · 03-02-2010, 04:56 AM

K3 is too expensive for me, that's why I got the Travor.

I got another one, this time with a single diagonal split. It's off, front focuses.

01-30-2010, 05:48 AM	#1
Diffusion Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 74	eBay Focusing Screen I finally bought a split focusing screen, not from jinfinance, but Trevor (in Singapore). They currently run at about 17€ with free shipping. It came with "finger protectors" (I used nitrile gloves, though) and two tweezers. The plastic tweezers are unnecessary, the metal tweezers should only be used on the tab to put the screen in. I was able to put it in today. At first, all drawings I have seen say to put the tab in on the left, but it turned out I needed to flip it around. Got me a thing of dust that I will need to remove at some point, but does not bother me greatly. While the lines are not perfectly cut, it works perfectly, and I am happy not to have bought something more expensive. Focusing with the 85mm/1.4 is very good even wide open now, but even the slightest misalignment of the focus gives OOF results, since the DOF is so narrow. I am very happy. Finally I can fully use my manual lenses. Dan

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01-30-2010, 07:54 AM	#2
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	Lots of folks on this forum, myself included, have had good results with that screen. The other Ebay offerings are less sucessful, as they often require shims.

01-30-2010, 09:25 AM	#3
Diffusion Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 74 Original Poster	I did not realize that this was one of the better ones on ebay. It was the only one I found at the time. It still takes me a bit occasionally to get the focusing done quickly. Shifting targets can be difficult to shoot.

01-31-2010, 12:49 PM	#4
Jewelltrail Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Rhode Island Photos: Albums Posts: 4,180	Quote: Genev: Lots of folks on this forum, myself included, have had good results with that screen. The other Ebay offerings are less sucessful, as they often require shims. Yes. myself included as well--I could not be without my Ebay split prism. However, many of the other Ebay sellers, who offer shims, are in big demand too because some of the Pentax cameras do apparently require shimming. In fact, throughout these past 2 years on the board, there have been many posts by owners (some of whom were angry) who bought a screen which did not come with a shim--they wanted/needed shims to make their screens spot-on.

01-31-2010, 01:03 PM	#5
GeneV Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Albuquerque NM Photos: Albums Posts: 9,830	Originally posted by Jewelltrail Yes. myself included as well--I could not be without my Ebay split prism. However, many of the other Ebay sellers, who offer shims, are in big demand too because some of the Pentax cameras do apparently require shimming. In fact, throughout these past 2 years on the board, there have been many posts by owners (some of whom were angry) who bought a screen which did not come with a shim--they wanted/needed shims to make their screens spot-on. The Jinfinance is a tight fit in my cameras. You couldn't put a shim in there if you wanted to. The others rattle around without shimming. The Jinfinance is cut from a K1000 screen, while the others are Canons cut to size.

01-31-2010, 01:36 PM	#6
Diffusion Forum Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 74 Original Poster	I think Jinfinance is another of the "good ones". Maybe Travor and Jinfinance use the same source anyway. I also noted that the Travor screen fits very tight. I think it may be minimally off, but so far the biggest cause of error is still me. If you have a moving target, you gotta be FAST. I still get OOF pictures, but at least now, it is me. Not the camera. On the other hand, I do frequently hear the autofocus beep. But I think I made the mistake often recently to not wait for the SR to finish. Need to start half pressing while I focs.

02-01-2010, 07:17 PM	#7
stevewig Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2010 Posts: 773	I have just removed the jinfinance screen from my K10D because when using manual focus (M42 screw mount lenses) the result was: (a) Very difficult to to focus in poor light condition with smaller aperture than f5.6 - necessary to go wide open to focus - due to prism black-out. (b) Erroneous metering (overexposure) with aperture off the wide open selection. This is true at least in heavy cloud (poor lighting condition). Problem was fixed as soon as I put the original screen back in. It is as if the prism blacking that occurs in low light, interferes with metering. I use the Katz Eye Optibrite system on my Nikon D80 with very positive results - I love it!

02-02-2010, 02:19 AM	#8
Jewelltrail Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Rhode Island Photos: Albums Posts: 4,180	Quote: stevewig: have just removed the jinfinance screen from my K10D because when using manual focus (M42 screw mount lenses) the result was: (a) Very difficult to to focus in poor light condition with smaller aperture than f5.6 - necessary to go wide open to focus - due to prism black-out. (b) Erroneous metering (overexposure) with aperture off the wide open selection. This is true at least in heavy cloud (poor lighting condition). Problem was fixed as soon as I put the original screen back in. It is as if the prism blacking that occurs in low light, interferes with metering. I use the Katz Eye Optibrite system on my Nikon D80 with very positive results - I love it! I've had a jinfinance screen in my K20d for almost 2 years and love it. In fact, I returned my Katz Eye with "Opibrite" to Rachael Katz for a full refund once I compared the 2 screens. I write in more depth here on this: https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/camera-studio-accessories/88650-focusing-...rightness.html BTW, the correct way to use a split prism is to focus wide open with the lens. You can take your meter reading wide open too, and do the math for a correct reading at the destination aperture. All split prisms affect spot metering. obviously. The Katz Eye people have this warning written at their site.

02-08-2010, 05:41 AM	#9
brkl Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 497	I just got a Travor screen. I sold my KatzEye earlier because I've been shooting so much film I figured I didn't need it. I was wrong though. The Travor screen would be terrific with the diagonal split, except it's off. I cut off the tab and turned it around to see if that was the problem, but no. It's just off, and a very tight fit too, so no shims. I need a focusing screen I can use with shallow depth of field. Any tips?

02-08-2010, 05:55 AM	#10
rockmaster1964 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: Frisco Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 382	Get the K3 from focusingscreen.com. I had the Travor screen and replaced it with the K3. I think the K3 is a much better screen.

03-02-2010, 04:56 AM	#11
brkl Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 497	K3 is too expensive for me, that's why I got the Travor. I got another one, this time with a single diagonal split. It's off, front focuses.