Originally posted by themugen Hmm, turns out I was mistaken, the stock shim IS there, it just wasn't what I thought it was. I removed the shim, and now it's back focussing rather than front. I'm starting to think a good solution would be to just buy an AF lens, and it's not worth the hassle!
Cheers
Moray
hehe I know how you feel.
I've gone through this exact same process myself.
Truth is, almost every camera will require shimming in order to adjust a focusing screen. However... in defense of the screen I'd say that it's worth every ounce of work getting it done right.
Having said that, if you're stressed-out over it, I would highly recommend sending your camera in to Katzeye to get it professionally adjusted. The owner is not only highly skilled at doing this but is very professional also(cleaning mirror box etc). And so I've got nothing but high recommendations for that.
The other alternative is to order order the shims from Pentax(they're pretty cheap btw), roll-up your sleeves and adjust it yourself. Surprisingly enough, it's not as hard as it sounds like, though it does take a fair amount of time and patience to get right. However the results far outweigh the efforts.
PS. I've installed and adjusted at least a dozen focusing screens in my Pentax camera's over the years. And like you, I used to dread the idea of doing this at first. But now, I actually enjoy it
Hope this helps.
And if you have any questions, I'd me more than happy to share any of my own experience on this with you.
JohnB