[BBear]

I realise back in the day, people only had manual focus, but back then I'd imagine people were also more at one with the technique.

Not only most SLR owners knew how to use it, but the public also expected the photo to take a few extra seconds... nowadays it is bit harder to keep people waiting for a picture. My father had a fully manual pentax and I can clearly remember he asking us to lift our arms, trying to adjust focus and all.... it was not instantaneous like P&S these days...

are the red focus indicators kinda blurred by the circle assist aids? Once installed, am I gonna be cursing whilst using AF lenses?

Same question I have.... but from what I understand the focusing mechanism are located BEFORE the splitscreen... so it doesnt affect it at all... If anything, just metering.

[lbam]

(pictorial guide)

If you played "operation" as a kid, you'll be laughing!

Seriously, that don't look too bad.

[gkopeliadis]

Sorry I am not too good at this. Will the katz eye limit the AF to centre AF only? Can you still use k20D's 11 point AF points?

Quite the opposite. Spot metering wont work satisfactory with any lens darker than f2.

Metering Information Because of the presence of the prisms, the Katz Eye™ focusing screen for the Pentax K10D/K20D will have some effect on the camera’s light metering. Test results for each of the three metering modes are as follows:

• Center Weighted Average (CWA) Metering Mode: Our testing showed CWA metering mode to be accurate for all AF lenses having a maximum aperture of f5.6 or larger (lower f number).
• Evaluative Metering Mode: Our testing showed evaluative metering mode to be accurate for all AF lenses having a maximum aperture of f5.6 or larger (lower f number).
• Spot Metering Mode: Our testing showed spot metering mode to be within factory tolerance for all AF lenses having a maximum aperture of f2.0 or larger (lower f number). Lenses having a maximum aperture smaller than f2.0 (lager f number) will show a significant shift toward increased exposure, with the shift increasing for lenses with smaller maximum apertures. Spot metering mode is NOT RECOMMENDED when using a split prism focusing screen with lenses slower than f2.0. However, if spot mode must be used, it is strongly advised to first take a test shot, check the histogram, and adjust exposure compensation as required.

Please note that Katz Eye testing was performed on the K10D and while it is expected that the K20D results will be similar, K20D users are strongly advised to confirm metering results with a test photo prior to beginning critical work.

[lbam]

Dang it! there had to be a catch...

[nakey]

bought one of the cheap ones on ebay. i'll let you know how it fares when i get it

[rparmar]

If you played "operation" as a kid, you'll be laughing! .

So long as I don't get a shock every time I hit something bad.

[TourDeForce]

This China screen is actually the first split prism I've ever owned. The K1000 didn't have it and my K100 didn't come with it either. I had been asked to take pictures with a Minolta once upon a time that had the split prism. I was so used to concentrating on center screen for focus that the split prism seemed distracting. Now I love it.

[Wheatfield]

Will fitting the Katz Eye not void the k20D warranty?

If you damage the camera while doing it, then yes.
Otherwise, I don't think there would be a valid reason to void the warranty.
Screen replacement isn't a terribly difficult procedure. The hardest part is to not trap a bunch of dust between the prism and the screen.

[vizjerei]

Been using those one from Ebay for almost 9 months now, as I use mostly fast prime, I haven't seen any darken prism at all. The only time I saw that was when I put my 50-200 on and at 180mm it goes to 5.6 then I see some darken prism but still able to focus easily. I don't really feel it affect the metering (for all meter mode) tho.

[Transit]

Excuse me boosting this classic thread
Has anyone had experience with the K200D and one of these screens ?
Amazing that Pentax can't offer it as a fitted feature
Pete

[rparmar]

But I figure that for € 21 delivered I am not risking much. Just now I followed up with a different vendor and grabbed the Nikon DK-21M magnifying eyepiece for € 22. Everything I read says it works as well as the Pentax branded item and it's lots cheaper. I wear glasses so we'll see how that goes.

Figured I should report back on my experience.

First, I had a devil of a time getting the screen into the camera. It should be easy (though fiddly) but wasn't for me. With it in place some shots became easier but the prism effect was too distracting for other shots. After trying it for a while I got rid of it. Am much happier with the original screen.

Magnifying eyepiece: same thing. I couldn't notice any real difference to the viewfinder image but the extra protrusion of the eyepiece itself bugged me.

Oh well, it didn't cost much to check it out.

[janosh]

"What i'd like to know is if the focusing screen affects metering for you, if yes in which way (according to other threads it should even be positive) "


The Katz Eye webpage discusses metering. It's adjustable in your camera in any case. Contact Katz Eye for details...as I understand it, the prism affects metering more than does a plain Katz Eye brightened screen (which I'm considering...never did like split prisms on Canon F1s).

[janosh]

Sorry I am not too good at this. Will the katz eye limit the AF to centre AF only? Can you still use k20D's 11 point AF points?

Ask Katz Eye. They're very responsive.

[deejjjaaaa]

Amazing that Pentax can't offer it as a fitted feature

nothing amazing - it is affecting their spot metering

[alohadave]

It would look like a bright spot with no definition, like a LF camera with no ground glass.

Or like looking through the viewfinder with no lens on.