[asharpe]

Wow! That is a great idea. Is a 3-D printer capable of that level of precision? We are talking about differences of 50-100 µm between shims sizes.


Steve

There are many, many different types of 3d printers. Some have better precision than others. I don't know if my friend's machine can do it or not, but the thinnest layer he has made is nearly see-though; I think it is thin enough. The more important question will be the consistency in thickness across the surface.

[stevebrot]

...The more important question will be the consistency in thickness across the surface.

Yep...it has to be perfectly consistent at all points or it could tilt the screen.


Steve

[asharpe]

An update after receiving my S-type screen (with shims):

I now have first-hand experience here.The S-type screen arrived from Taiwan with 3 shims. I first tried the S-type with the factory shim; it front-focused. I then put in the KatzEye screen; it front-focused as well. I then put in the darker-colored shim from the focusingscreen.com folks (purported to be .25mm), and the S-type. The camera still front-focused. Hmm. So, I removed the shim entirely, and with a sigh of relief, the camera slightly back-focused. So, the camera is capable of correct focus. But now, I only had the two shims from focusingscreen.com that were for back-focusing (adding them to the factory shim). Without a lot of hope, I put one of them into the camera, and, well, the focus is about as bang-on as I have a right to expect. It matches the focusing confirmation, and matches the focus peaking. I haven't tried the KatzEye now, with this shim, but it will probably be fine.

Here's where it gets more interesting, for those of you who are still with me. So, I have a decent (Browne&Sharpe) analog metric micrometer. I measured the factory shim, which is supposed to be .35mm (according to Rachael at KatzEye). I measured it at .29, but these are very thin pieces, and difficult to measure. So, let's say it is .30. It is *already* thinner than the "standard" one. So, now it becomes clearer to me what is happening. The camera *already* front-focused with the standard shim at the factory, and Pentax put in a thinner one. So when I put in the .25mm shim from focusingscreen.com (which I actually measured at about .27mm or so), it wasn't enough of a difference. When I used the *very* thin one (which I measured at about .14mm), there was now enough of a difference. Since Rachael said that she usually finds that a .25mm or .20mm shim works (based on a .35mm standard size), it looks like about .10mm to .15mm of adjustment is usually enough. I went from .29mm to .14mm, which is just about .15mm.

By the way, the shim's retaining clip is quite sturdy, but the thinner plastic shims from focusingscreen.com could be slightly distorted to slip under it. That was impossible with the factory shim; I had to lift up the clip and shake the camera to dislodge the shim.

I'm thinking I'd like to crosspost this message into the K-3 group, but 1) I have no idea how to do that, and 2) I don't even know if it is allowed on the forum. Well, hopefully someone will find this thread by searching.

[RussV]

I don't have a focusing issue but was just reading this thread out of interest. If someone want to try making their own shims it may be easier using plastic modellers card which is available in less tham 1mm thicknesess. Here's a link for a UK supplier showing examples http://www.howardscenicsupplies.co.uk/categories/Model-Building-Materials/Plain-Plastic-Sheet/
It must be easily available in the US and other places too. Cheap and a lot easier to cut than metal.

[stevebrot]

I had to lift up the clip and shake the camera to dislodge the shim.

Oh, my!!


Steve

[stevebrot]

UPDATE!

I got my KatzEye for the K-3 a few weeks ago and was dismayed to find significant front-focus. Yep, the kind of front focus that requires finding a replacement shim. I checked with my local camera tech (Knight Camera in Vancouver, USA) to see if he could get one for me. He is an authorized Pentax repair, meaning that they regularly sell him parts and he was pretty confident he could get shims for me. Several days went by and I got a call from the shop telling me that Pentax has none in stock is not aware of a source for more

Based on the discussions on this thread, I contacted Rachael Katz at KatzEye to see if they had secured stock and was very pleased to get a response from her telling me that yes, she had. I don't know if they have a public order interface up yet, but I was pleased to take delivery today of three shims. The 0.15mm one was just the right size to do the job

Thank you Rachael Katz and the crew at KatzEye!


Steve

[asharpe]

UPDATE!
Based on the discussions on this thread, I contacted Rachael Katz at KatzEye to see if they had secured stock and was very pleased to get a response from her telling me that yes, she had. I don't know if they have a public order interface up yet, but I was pleased to take delivery today of three shims.

Ah, hmm. I imagine she did this because I alerted her. However, she mentioned none of this to me, and I had to spend another $80 for the S-type screen just to get their shims. I'm not particularly happy about that. Well, I'm glad you got yours. I would have thought that she would have remembered me since I was the one that told her about this in the first place, and I have purchased 3 screens from her over the years. Ah, well, business is business, I suppose. I've emailed her for confirmation that she does have shims.

---

Last edited by asharpe; 09-05-2014 at 09:44 PM.

[stevebrot]

I would have thought that she would have remembered me since I was the one that told her about this in the first place

I might add that I inquired last week and was told then that KatzEye could not confirm availability, but would know by Tuesday (9/1). She alerted me Tuesday evening and I ordered immediately.


Steve

[asharpe]

I might add that I inquired last week and was told then that KatzEye could not confirm availability, but would know by Tuesday (9/1). She alerted me Tuesday evening and I ordered immediately.

Indeed. I just spoke with Rachael, and she confirmed that she barely has the ordering page for the shims up and running, and the page isn't public yet. So, your timing was excellent. She did tell me I could order some shims, too (and true to fashion, she apologized for not telling me sooner about the shims -- she really is something rather special in the business world), but that it would be better to wait until the web ordering page was up and running. They still have my vote for the best customer service around.

[asharpe]

Well, since I started this thread, I can wrap up the story with a happy ending. I got the shims from Rachael, and they fit perfectly (the .15mm was the one that worked for me, just like stevebrot). So, I'm back to using the Katzeye screen; it really is quite a bit brighter than the S-type for nearly all my lenses, since they are largely slower old prime lenses (f3.5 and below). I like the way the S-type focused, and I still maintained my spot metering facilities. But you know, after so many years using my Pentax Digital Spotmeter, the K-3's spot meter is really rather a large spot. So, with the Katzeye, if I want a spot reading, I'll take my meter.

[Clothears]

Stay tuned for the next installment of Nick and Nora Charles… The Shim Man.

Which one are you, though?

---------- Post added 16-09-14 at 16:10 ----------

Well, since I started this thread, I can wrap up the story with a happy ending.

Can I just say that I have found this to be a very useful thread, with a high signal/noise ratio. Thanks for posting it and persevering - I've learnt a lot.

[stevebrot]

I got the shims from Rachael, and they fit perfectly

The difference between the genuine Pentax shims and the plastic things provided by focusingscreen.com is night and day. The Pentax part simply falls into place with no drama. The plastic shims on the other hand...


Steve

[Jonathan Mac]

Well, since I started this thread, I can wrap up the story with a happy ending. I got the shims from Rachael, and they fit perfectly (the .15mm was the one that worked for me, just like stevebrot). So, I'm back to using the Katzeye screen; it really is quite a bit brighter than the S-type for nearly all my lenses, since they are largely slower old prime lenses (f3.5 and below). I like the way the S-type focused, and I still maintained my spot metering facilities. But you know, after so many years using my Pentax Digital Spotmeter, the K-3's spot meter is really rather a large spot. So, with the Katzeye, if I want a spot reading, I'll take my meter.

Good to hear. A big relief for me because a Katzeye would be essential I think, for the way I shoot.

Do you find the Katzeye affects metering at all?

[kh1234567890]

The difference between the genuine Pentax shims and the plastic things provided by focusingscreen.com is night and day. The Pentax part simply falls into place with no drama. The plastic shims on the other hand...

The plastic shims do the job and the focusingscreen.com little kit is nice. It is not as if most people would be swapping the screen that often.

[stevebrot]

The plastic shims do the job and the focusingscreen.com little kit is nice. It is not as if most people would be swapping the screen that often.

Having used both shim sets, I believe that the term "do the job" is factually correct, but should not be taken as an endorsement of the plastic shims, particularly the thin version. It is just my opinion, of course. I could go into a long explanation including photos, but figure there is little value in doing so. If anyone is interested in a full explanation, I will respond to a PM. It might not mean much, but if I sell my focusingscreen.com S-type, I will definitely not include the shims. I am not that cruel.*


Steve

* ...sounds dramatic I know, but the time to change out the shim with the genuine part is about 15 seconds vs. several minutes or more with the plastic item.



---------- Post added 09-16-14 at 05:56 PM ----------

Do you find the Katzeye affects metering at all?

On the K-3, spot metering is totally disrupted. Open-aperture metering is comparable to the stock screen for the lenses in my bag that support those modes. For those requiring stop-down metering, the meter accuracy is essentially similar to the stock screen which means OK, but could be better. I can't say for K-30/K-50 or K500.


Steve