[FHPhotographer]

I just got the new Kx in time for Christmas and am impressed so far (although I think I'll have to go to a prime to really exploit the camera's abilities), but I'm having some trouble seeing the VF data. If I'm in the shade, all is well, but if I'm in direct sunlight (no matter what angle the VF is to the sun) the data line washes out. I can see it, but it's a real strain and I often have to revert to the LCD for the info (and of course in bright light that washes out as well, but I can fiddle with the brightness and colors). I expected a slightly dimmer VF after using the K20 with its pentaprism, but this may be a deal breaker. I'll have to send it back to Adorama if I can't solve this problem. Will I get noticeably more VF light with an f/2.8 or faster prime instead of the kit lens?
Brian

[hcc]

Does your lens have a hood?

When in direct sunlight, the lens hood is a necessity to reduce flare.

Since the VF views through the lens, I would suspect that you see some flares in the VF, reducing the 'visibility'.

If your lens(es) does(do) not have a hood, you can make a simple one easily in paper (like a truncated cone around your lens) and user a rubberband to fix it to the lens.


"Will I get noticeably more VF light with an f/2.8 or faster prime instead of the kit lens?"
With my fast prime lenses (Nokton 58mm, FA31mm, and even Tamron 90mm), I do not have any VF issue. I would not expect any VF issue different from any other lenses.

Hope that the comments will help.

[kxr4trids]

I confirm your observation of crappy viewfinder & unreadable data under sunlight. Unfortunately it's not a K-x problem as much as a pentamirror problem.
I do have a tenpa magnifying eyepiece coming as a late xmas gift to myself and will post back to this thread if it seems to help at all.

[Big Dave]

Try it at 18mm and see if it makes a difference with the f3.5 aperture. At 55mm, you are down to f5.6. You will get a lot more light at 18mm and if it doesn't make a difference, then it isn't the lens. I found the improvement of the penta prism on my K20D over the K100Ds penta prism to be amazing. When I was a kid, I used full frame penta prisms with 50mm f1.4 lenses for super bright finders. Now that I'm old and my eyes aren't so good, we have these small dim finders to deal with. life is backwards.

Dave

[Ira]

As a K-x user, I can affirm that the viewfinder experience is sorely lacking.

I live in sunny South Florida, and I can't see half the crap on there working out of doors.

[boriscleto]

I live in gloomy upstate New York and can't see the data line while outdoors without squinting.

[FHPhotographer]

kxr, dave, ira et al Good camera, great sensor but there's only so much that can be done with the mirror I guess. I may have to just suck it up and move back up the food chain to a K7 or jump over to the Nikon D90. They may not match the Kx sensor at low light, portability etc, but at least I'll be able to see the data line plus I kinda miss using the twin dials,

I'm afraid the Kx is going back, but here's a parting shot heheheheh,
Brian

[mlatour]

I confirm your observation of crappy viewfinder & unreadable data under sunlight. Unfortunately it's not a K-x problem as much as a pentamirror problem.
I do have a tenpa magnifying eyepiece coming as a late xmas gift to myself and will post back to this thread if it seems to help at all.

kxr4trids, would you have a web link/pic/online store for that eyepiece, thanks!

Michel

[kxr4trids]

You'll have to go to ebay and type pentax tenpa in the search bar. I'm not aware of any "real" store stocking it. There are two magnifications. Apparently (from web searches) the 1.22 is better for people who wear glasses (less vignetting). I got the 1.36. The alternatives are the KPS and the Pentax O-me53. I went with the tenpa because it came with both eyecup and ring.

[KxBlaze]

Maybe it's because the only DSLR I have ever had is a Kx but I think the VF is fine. I have the Pentax magnifying eyepiece but even before that I never had a problem seeing the data lines or anything in the VF for that matter. The magnifying eyepiece does help so maybe you can start there before you return the camera.

[FHPhotographer]

KxBlaze, thanks for the feedback, but this isn't a image size problem but an image clarity problem and Ira pointed out earlier. The numbers are too dim, not too small. I had the OME magnifying eyecup on my K20, and while it made things larger it made them no brighter. Maybe too much light getting into the VF through the eyepiece and washing out the data line? [/I]
Brian

[FHPhotographer]

Well now, that's good to know: a read on the other site that the data line is not reflective but transmissive (LED's?). So the VF brightness has little to do with it, that means nothing can be done and it is what it is. Although I might try a set of Eneloops to see if that helps,
Brian

[kxr4trids]

Just a report back on the tenpa 1.36 ...

The packaging, materials, and lens are all of good quality, and the eyepiece fits very snugly on the K-x without interfering with the LCD protector. It does magnify, and the optical quality is fine.

I don't think for a minute it cost the manufacturer much more than 10% of what was paid for it, which is a tough pill to swallow when ordering direct from China, but at least it was comparable in price to other adapters on the market.

Criticisms:
1)Vignetting - Even with my eye jammed into eyepiece (and no glasses), there is vignetting at the sides and corners.

2)Flare - I can't determine if the adapter lens itself is flaring or if it is just magnifying edge flare from the Pentax optics, but in combination with the aforementioned vignetting, the end result is that there is flare over the status bar such that it is more difficult to read in bright light than without the magnifier.

3)Eyecup - I thought that in the worst case, I could remove the lens and just use the rubber eyecup.. One of my problems with the viewfinder was not light through the viewfinder, but incident light, making it difficult to see the status bar. Unfortunately the double "flip" design of the eyecup means that when you press your face into it hard enough to seal all external light, the whole thing flips back into its secondary configuration.

Conclusion: Don't waste your money - unless you want to buy mine, of course.

[StepOne]

From my (limited) experience with K-x i find it hard to read the info on the bottom of viewfinder in daylight, but i can live with it...is my first DSL-R, don't miss illuminated focus points, pentaprism, etc.

[Ira]

From my (limited) experience with K-x i find it hard to read the info on the bottom of viewfinder in daylight, but i can live with it...is my first DSL-R, don't miss illuminated focus points, pentaprism, etc.

That's the main point for me:

I shoot manual, so all I ever have to really see in the VF is my shutter speed:

I use manual lenses and select F stop manually on the lens, my ISO is manual, and I use my green/ev button to lock in shutter speed in M mode. And that's the only thing I care to see there.

It might be considered a positive by many that the data line is so out of the way and minimal, because the last thing I want to see when taking pictures of something is the distractions of all that data flashing at me.