Katz Eye vs. Haoda vs. Chinese eBay focus scree

Fritz · 11-30-2007, 12:05 PM

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So you are saying that the "e-bay" screen is causing AF errors on your camera? Which vendor did you purchase the screen from?

I've been using a "e-bay" screen for a month or so now and have not noticed any AF errors or really any light metering errors either (have not tried spot metering yet). The screen I have was from "jinfinance".

Was this focusing error consistently reproducible? How well lit was the subject? I have found that dim lighting will cause some front focusing issues on my camera. Nothing thing that I can't deal with, but it is there.

amateur6 · 11-30-2007, 12:19 PM

Not sure of the vendor; I could go back and check. I normally shoot (almost exclusively) in very, very low light (bar band performaces), and I had been having focusing problems regardless of whether I used MF (user error) or AF... and it would seem that I was at least occasionally justified in blaming AF for not doing its job.

Oh, and -- yes, that test was in low-ish light (indoors; indirect sun plus overhead CFs) -- it certainly wasn't studio lit. Like I said; I'll try a more fair comparison over the weekend. But it's nice to know it wasn't all in my head!

[edit: promises, promises -- trouble is, now that it's IN I don't want to take the Katz Eye out! SOMEday I'll get around to actually doing all of this testing I keep talking about...]

asharpe · 01-20-2008, 11:11 PM

Oof. Black-out at f5.6? I had been thinking about getting one of these screens, because I use a lot of manual focus lenses on my K100D, and my own manual focus eyes are a little old. But these older manual lenses are rather slow, and I shoot mostly in the middle of the range to get the maximum sharpness. That's usually around f8 or 11 for a 3.5 lens. Who actually shoots manual lenses wide open and expects them to be sharp? Sure, some of the more famous (and currently expensive) ones, like CZJ lenses and such might be ok wide open, but I buy M42 lenses because you can get quite good ones for very little money, if you are willing to stop down a bit. And I like a lot of DOF, anyway.

I tend to focus, then stop down, and shoot. I like the preset lenses because you can do this without taking your eye off the viewfinder. I suppose I could still do the same with these screens, but my Takumar 200mm *starts* at 5.6, so if there are problems at this wide of an f stop...

ennoia · 04-06-2008, 12:06 PM

whats the deal with the "blackout" ? is it any different than the split screen blackout that came on older film slr's?

Moo · 06-20-2008, 02:06 PM

KatzEye have one screen for the *istDL and another for the rest of the *ists.. Does anyone know the difference?

Matjazz · 06-21-2008, 01:47 AM

I think it's the size.

8540tomg · 06-22-2008, 02:56 AM

Let me add another testimonial for the Katz Eye screen. I got mine with Optibright for my K10. It is just so much easier to manually focus now. Expensive, but worth it in my opinion as I have a lot of legacy Pentax glass.

Cheers

Tom G

BBear · 06-23-2008, 07:05 AM

Originally posted by Fritz

So you are saying that the "e-bay" screen is causing AF errors on your camera?

Yeah, this doesnt sound right. I had the impression the only thing the focus screens could affect was metering, and not AF.

Can someone clarify this?

JJJPhoto · 06-23-2008, 07:46 AM

Originally posted by BBear

Yeah, this doesnt sound right. I had the impression the only thing the focus screens could affect was metering, and not AF.

Can someone clarify this?

Correct. The screens do NOT impact Autofocus. The screens only provide a visual indication of correct focus for the user. I have a Katz Eye screen in one of my K10D bodies and cheap chinese ebay screens in my second K10D body and my DL. If the screens are correctly installed I see no difference between the performance of the Katz Eye screen and the cheap-o ebay screens.

I decided to try the cheap ebay screens after purchasing the Katz Eye because I was blown away by the high price of the Katz Eye. Yes, I absolutely LOVE the Katz Eye screen, but I felt it was seriously overpriced based on what these types of screens cost for my old 35mm cameras.

I decided to take a risk on two ebay screens for my other K10D and my DL because the cost of those two screens (with shipping) was LESS than the price of ONE Katz Eye screen.

The cheap ebay screen in my K10D went in perfectly (without needing the included shim) and provided spot-on focus accuracy. The screen for my DL required the included U-shaped shim in order for correct focus indication. When I lined up the split prism on the cheap screen on my DL without the shim everything was out of focus. When I put the shim between the screen and the camera then the focus was perfect when the prism was lined up.

I'm reasonably certain the only time the cheap ebay screens don't indicate accurate focus is if the screen/body in question requires the spacing shim and the user doesn't install the provided shim.

Sure, the Katz Eye screens don't require a shim, but they're also way overpriced.

Both the Katz Eye screens and the cheap ebay screens work perfectly ... assuming you correctly install them.

Zewrak · 06-23-2008, 10:05 AM

My chinese screen did not include no shim and was almost to thick to fit. Its some micro millimeter too thick.

BBear · 06-23-2008, 07:55 PM

which ebay seller did you guys use, JJJ and Zewrak?

Zewrak · 06-24-2008, 12:25 AM

Originally posted by BBear

which ebay seller did you guys use, JJJ and Zewrak?

Split Image Focus Screen for Pentax *ist D DL K10D K100 on eBay, also, LCD Hoods Screens, Digital Camera Accessories, Photography (end time 25-Jun-08 11:38:37 BST)

Dont get me wrong, I see that my message sounds a bit negative. It's not it works as a charm, was just a bit hard to get in place. Took me 30 seconds instead of the ordinary 15 seconds.

Tom S. · 06-24-2008, 05:52 AM

Mine came from ebay seller jinfinance and although I haven't put it in yet, so far I am underwhelmed. The screen came with no instructions or tools (or shim), and is dirty to boot.

JJJPhoto · 06-24-2008, 08:34 AM

Originally posted by Tom S.

Mine came from ebay seller jinfinance and although I haven't put it in yet, so far I am underwhelmed. The screen came with no instructions or tools (or shim), and is dirty to boot.

If you do a quick search in the forums you can find a link to a webpage that jinfinance created that provides instructions for installing the screen. That said, I didn't need instructions because I've installed other focusing screens on older Pentax 35mm cameras and I read several posts in these forums mentioning that sometimes you need to use the shim for correct installation.

I purchased both my screens from jinfinance.

Both my screens were clean, though it's easy to get them dirty during the installation process unless you're working in a manufacturing clean room with industrial ventilation. Use a hand pump air blower (rocket blower) during the installation process and you should be able to install the screen with a minimum of dirt/dust contamination.

Whenever I install a focusing screen I usually have to use several puffs of air from an air blower and install/uninstall/install the screen several times in order to do it without getting dust in the viewfinder. This was the same with both the Katz Eye and cheap jinfinance screens. You can't expect to open up the viewfinder and not contaminate it with dirt/dust unless both you and your environment are ridiculously clean.

Tom S. · 06-24-2008, 09:49 AM

Originally posted by JJJPhoto

If you do a quick search in the forums you can find a link to a webpage that jinfinance created that provides instructions for installing the screen. That said, I didn't need instructions because I've installed other focusing screens on older Pentax 35mm cameras and I read several posts in these forums mentioning that sometimes you need to use the shim for correct installation.

I purchased both my screens from jinfinance.

Both my screens were clean, though it's easy to get them dirty during the installation process unless you're working in a manufacturing clean room with industrial ventilation. Use a hand pump air blower (rocket blower) during the installation process and you should be able to install the screen with a minimum of dirt/dust contamination.

Whenever I install a focusing screen I usually have to use several puffs of air from an air blower and install/uninstall/install the screen several times in order to do it without getting dust in the viewfinder. This was the same with both the Katz Eye and cheap jinfinance screens. You can't expect to open up the viewfinder and not contaminate it with dirt/dust unless both you and your environment are ridiculously clean.

I found the instructions elsewhere, but I just thought it was cheap not to put a copy in with the screen. My screen is still in the plastic bag it came in, and I thought is was dirty, but after removing it I see it's a plastic film on the screen.

11-30-2007, 12:19 PM	#17
amateur6 Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Rhode Island Photos: Gallery Posts: 177	Not sure of the vendor; I could go back and check. I normally shoot (almost exclusively) in very, very low light (bar band performaces), and I had been having focusing problems regardless of whether I used MF (user error) or AF... and it would seem that I was at least occasionally justified in blaming AF for not doing its job. Oh, and -- yes, that test was in low-ish light (indoors; indirect sun plus overhead CFs) -- it certainly wasn't studio lit. Like I said; I'll try a more fair comparison over the weekend. But it's nice to know it wasn't all in my head! [edit: promises, promises -- trouble is, now that it's IN I don't want to take the Katz Eye out! SOMEday I'll get around to actually doing all of this testing I keep talking about...] Last edited by amateur6; 01-21-2008 at 05:07 AM. Reason: see above

01-20-2008, 11:11 PM	#18
asharpe Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Palo Alto, CA Posts: 221	Oof. Black-out at f5.6? I had been thinking about getting one of these screens, because I use a lot of manual focus lenses on my K100D, and my own manual focus eyes are a little old. But these older manual lenses are rather slow, and I shoot mostly in the middle of the range to get the maximum sharpness. That's usually around f8 or 11 for a 3.5 lens. Who actually shoots manual lenses wide open and expects them to be sharp? Sure, some of the more famous (and currently expensive) ones, like CZJ lenses and such might be ok wide open, but I buy M42 lenses because you can get quite good ones for very little money, if you are willing to stop down a bit. And I like a lot of DOF, anyway. I tend to focus, then stop down, and shoot. I like the preset lenses because you can do this without taking your eye off the viewfinder. I suppose I could still do the same with these screens, but my Takumar 200mm starts at 5.6, so if there are problems at this wide of an f stop... Last edited by asharpe; 01-20-2008 at 11:17 PM.

06-22-2008, 02:56 AM	#22
8540tomg Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,461	Katz Eye Let me add another testimonial for the Katz Eye screen. I got mine with Optibright for my K10. It is just so much easier to manually focus now. Expensive, but worth it in my opinion as I have a lot of legacy Pentax glass. Cheers Tom G

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11-30-2007, 12:05 PM	#16
Fritz Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2007 Location: Tillamook, OR Posts: 1,222	Staff note: This post may contain affiliate links, which means Pentax Forums may earn a small commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase. If you would like to support the forum directly, you may also make a donation here. So you are saying that the "e-bay" screen is causing AF errors on your camera? Which vendor did you purchase the screen from? I've been using a "e-bay" screen for a month or so now and have not noticed any AF errors or really any light metering errors either (have not tried spot metering yet). The screen I have was from "jinfinance". Was this focusing error consistently reproducible? How well lit was the subject? I have found that dim lighting will cause some front focusing issues on my camera. Nothing thing that I can't deal with, but it is there.

04-06-2008, 12:06 PM	#19
ennoia New Member Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Vancouver Island Posts: 23	whats the deal with the "blackout" ? is it any different than the split screen blackout that came on older film slr's?

06-20-2008, 02:06 PM	#20
Moo Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Posts: 173	KatzEye have one screen for the istDL and another for the rest of the ists.. Does anyone know the difference?

06-21-2008, 01:47 AM	#21
Matjazz Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: EU/Slovenia Photos: Gallery Posts: 774	I think it's the size.

06-23-2008, 07:05 AM	#23
BBear Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: CT / NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 822	Originally posted by Fritz So you are saying that the "e-bay" screen is causing AF errors on your camera? Yeah, this doesnt sound right. I had the impression the only thing the focus screens could affect was metering, and not AF. Can someone clarify this?

06-23-2008, 07:46 AM	#24
JJJPhoto Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 419	Originally posted by BBear Yeah, this doesnt sound right. I had the impression the only thing the focus screens could affect was metering, and not AF. Can someone clarify this? Correct. The screens do NOT impact Autofocus. The screens only provide a visual indication of correct focus for the user. I have a Katz Eye screen in one of my K10D bodies and cheap chinese ebay screens in my second K10D body and my DL. If the screens are correctly installed I see no difference between the performance of the Katz Eye screen and the cheap-o ebay screens. I decided to try the cheap ebay screens after purchasing the Katz Eye because I was blown away by the high price of the Katz Eye. Yes, I absolutely LOVE the Katz Eye screen, but I felt it was seriously overpriced based on what these types of screens cost for my old 35mm cameras. I decided to take a risk on two ebay screens for my other K10D and my DL because the cost of those two screens (with shipping) was LESS than the price of ONE Katz Eye screen. The cheap ebay screen in my K10D went in perfectly (without needing the included shim) and provided spot-on focus accuracy. The screen for my DL required the included U-shaped shim in order for correct focus indication. When I lined up the split prism on the cheap screen on my DL without the shim everything was out of focus. When I put the shim between the screen and the camera then the focus was perfect when the prism was lined up. I'm reasonably certain the only time the cheap ebay screens don't indicate accurate focus is if the screen/body in question requires the spacing shim and the user doesn't install the provided shim. Sure, the Katz Eye screens don't require a shim, but they're also way overpriced. Both the Katz Eye screens and the cheap ebay screens work perfectly ... assuming you correctly install them.

06-23-2008, 10:05 AM	#25
Zewrak Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Nowhere, Sweden Photos: Gallery Posts: 654	My chinese screen did not include no shim and was almost to thick to fit. Its some micro millimeter too thick.

06-23-2008, 07:55 PM	#26
BBear Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: CT / NY Photos: Gallery Posts: 822	which ebay seller did you guys use, JJJ and Zewrak?

06-24-2008, 12:25 AM	#27
Zewrak Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Nowhere, Sweden Photos: Gallery Posts: 654	Originally posted by BBear which ebay seller did you guys use, JJJ and Zewrak? Split Image Focus Screen for Pentax *ist D DL K10D K100 on eBay, also, LCD Hoods Screens, Digital Camera Accessories, Photography (end time 25-Jun-08 11:38:37 BST) Dont get me wrong, I see that my message sounds a bit negative. It's not it works as a charm, was just a bit hard to get in place. Took me 30 seconds instead of the ordinary 15 seconds.

06-24-2008, 05:52 AM	#28
Tom S. Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Michigan Photos: Albums Posts: 4,317	Mine came from ebay seller jinfinance and although I haven't put it in yet, so far I am underwhelmed. The screen came with no instructions or tools (or shim), and is dirty to boot.

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06-24-2008, 08:34 AM	#29
JJJPhoto Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Cincinnati, OH Posts: 419	Originally posted by Tom S. Mine came from ebay seller jinfinance and although I haven't put it in yet, so far I am underwhelmed. The screen came with no instructions or tools (or shim), and is dirty to boot. If you do a quick search in the forums you can find a link to a webpage that jinfinance created that provides instructions for installing the screen. That said, I didn't need instructions because I've installed other focusing screens on older Pentax 35mm cameras and I read several posts in these forums mentioning that sometimes you need to use the shim for correct installation. I purchased both my screens from jinfinance. Both my screens were clean, though it's easy to get them dirty during the installation process unless you're working in a manufacturing clean room with industrial ventilation. Use a hand pump air blower (rocket blower) during the installation process and you should be able to install the screen with a minimum of dirt/dust contamination. Whenever I install a focusing screen I usually have to use several puffs of air from an air blower and install/uninstall/install the screen several times in order to do it without getting dust in the viewfinder. This was the same with both the Katz Eye and cheap jinfinance screens. You can't expect to open up the viewfinder and not contaminate it with dirt/dust unless both you and your environment are ridiculously clean.

06-24-2008, 09:49 AM	#30
Tom S. Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: S.E. Michigan Photos: Albums Posts: 4,317	Originally posted by JJJPhoto If you do a quick search in the forums you can find a link to a webpage that jinfinance created that provides instructions for installing the screen. That said, I didn't need instructions because I've installed other focusing screens on older Pentax 35mm cameras and I read several posts in these forums mentioning that sometimes you need to use the shim for correct installation. I purchased both my screens from jinfinance. Both my screens were clean, though it's easy to get them dirty during the installation process unless you're working in a manufacturing clean room with industrial ventilation. Use a hand pump air blower (rocket blower) during the installation process and you should be able to install the screen with a minimum of dirt/dust contamination. Whenever I install a focusing screen I usually have to use several puffs of air from an air blower and install/uninstall/install the screen several times in order to do it without getting dust in the viewfinder. This was the same with both the Katz Eye and cheap jinfinance screens. You can't expect to open up the viewfinder and not contaminate it with dirt/dust unless both you and your environment are ridiculously clean. I found the instructions elsewhere, but I just thought it was cheap not to put a copy in with the screen. My screen is still in the plastic bag it came in, and I thought is was dirty, but after removing it I see it's a plastic film on the screen.