[BigMackCam]

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I have it and would urge you to reconsider buying it. I also own the Tenpa 1.22 which is leaps and bounds better in terms of optical quality and sharpness than the the O-ME53. The O-ME53 is like a toy and the Tenpa the real deal.

I'm surprised you think this. I like the O-ME53 so much that I have one fitted to each of my K-3II, K-3, K-5 and two Samsung GX10 bodies. I wouldn't want to be without them - ever. I may yet get one for my old Samsung GX1L, even though the price is about a third of what I paid for the camera and kit lens. I generally recommend them unequivocally to other folks...

[BruceBanner]

Probably trying to "teach my grandmother to suck eggs" here, but have you tried the "Catch in Focus" feature. With the camera set as per the book, hold the shutter button down and slowly rotate the focus. The camera won't make an exposure until it's in focus! Not perfect in every circumstance, but it can help

Not trying to be funny but I don't think you're reading my posts properly. Have a reread again

I'm surprised you think this. I like the O-ME53 so much that I have one fitted to each of my K-3II, K-3, K-5 and two Samsung GX10 bodies. I wouldn't want to be without them - ever. I may yet get one for my old Samsung GX1L, even though the price is about a third of what I paid for the camera and kit lens. I generally recommend them unequivocally to other folks...

Make sure you fully read my post and understand where I am coming from with my perspective. If you shoot (manual focus) purely at the Spot focus point, then sure it can be helpful as this part of the magnifier is relatively clear, but in comparison to the Tenpa it is inferior in every way. There is a pattern here, those that have never tried the Tenpa agree that it's better, those that haven't well... they can only go off by what they know and have experienced to date.

Think of it like this. You might be introduced to a smartphone that is powerful and said to offer a smooth experience with no input lag. You swipe back and forth throughout the home screens, open the app drawer etc and indeed it feels really smooth and impressive.
Then someone hands you the Razer Gaming Phone which offers a 120hz panel, now you interact with the device and are left stunned at just how significantly smoother and faster the experience is, due to a different implementation of screen tech.

This is a little like the 53 vs the Tenpa or it's the best analogy I can come up with

But lets remember here folks, they do have a price difference, I think the Tenpa almost cost 3x the price of the 53! So if someone was to ask me which OVF Magnifier to get I would ask/make these few points;

1) If money isn't a concern, the Tenpa, it's superior in every way.
2) If you like to attain focus off centre and shoot objects that are not always in the middle of the frame but rather towards the edges, then don't get the 53 at all, it will hamper you.
3) If you mainly achieve focus of things in the centre (Spor Focus), also tend to use CiF, and money is a concern, then the 53 is not a bad deal.

Simply put I just find the 53 inferior with limited applications, mine sits off my KP and K-1 and is collecting dust, I really ought to flog it.

My next purchase will be the Tenpa 1.36, there is however some debate to how well it will work on FF, but seeing as I have a crop sensor camera also I don't think it will be a negative investment.

Edit: I should also like to point out that the Tenpa is larger, I mean you can't just flip that thing off, doing so and you would damage the OVF. You have to unscrew the optical magnifier first at least for a little while till it 'clears' the screen and can be removed safely. My point saying this is not to say that's a negative thing (as in practice mine pretty much stays on all the time), but I mention it because the Magnifier element is larger, bulkier and therefore quite obviously different compared to the 53. The 53 slips on and off easily, and perhaps for this reason there were some shortcomings in making it like this, such as overall sharpness and corner/edge blur.

[Kerrowdown]

If you wear glasses, you may not see the data display along the bottom all the time though. Glasses off, no issues with seeing the whole screen

Agreed, but glasses off I can't find the damned camera...

[BigMackCam]

Make sure you fully read my post and understand where I am coming from with my perspective.

Thanks for the explanation. I hadn't read the entire thread - only your post that I responded to. For your use case, the Tenpa sounds far superior. For mine, and the way I work, the O-ME53 is sufficient... but I'd be interested to try out the Tenpa 1.22. Is it still available brand new?

[stevebrot]

Probably trying to "teach my grandmother to suck eggs" here, but have you tried the "Catch in Focus" feature. With the camera set as per the book, hold the shutter button down and slowly rotate the focus. The camera won't make an exposure until it's in focus! Not perfect in every circumstance, but it can help

Catch in focus is a cool feature, though it application for fine focus is limited.


Steve

[stevebrot]

Is it still available brand new?

Amazon used to carry, but lately eBay is the place...

Universal TENPA Camera Eyepiece 1.22x,ViewFinder Magnifier Eyepiece for SLR/DSLR | eBay


Steve

[BigMackCam]

Amazon used to carry, but lately eBay is the place...

Universal TENPA Camera Eyepiece 1.22x,ViewFinder Magnifier Eyepiece for SLR/DSLR | eBay

Thanks, Steve!

[BruceBanner]

Thanks for the explanation. I hadn't read the entire thread - only your post that I responded to. For your use case, the Tenpa sounds far superior. For mine, and the way I work, the O-ME53 is sufficient... but I'd be interested to try out the Tenpa 1.22. Is it still available brand new?

I believe the ebay seller Steve pointed you towards is the same as the seller I used, and it was pretty fast shipping, more like 7 business days (despite eBay saying something like perhaps 8 weeks potentially lol).

Catch in focus is a cool feature, though it application for fine focus is limited.


Steve

It is. That's because the focus confirmation is not a single point but a range (I know you know this Steve, I'm just repeating myself here for perhaps other peoples benefit).

I illustrate things like the image below. When using either CIF or AF it's at point A that the system initiates, but you'll get a better sharper image at point C. Trying to find point C through the OVF even with a Tenpa attached I don't think massively helps, I mean I think it does assist but really more from a point that you can see point A through to point E more clearly, and if you go back and forth with the focus ring you can approximate point C perhaps a little better. But this takes time, so this is why I suggest you exploit the main advantage digital cameras have over film and spam that shutter throughout that range of A-E by rotating the focus ring slightly throughout. Done, dusted, one of those shots will be sharper than the rest and you didn't fret and stress over it, all you did was hit the buffer (lol) and eat up sd card space

When stopping down, f2.8-f4 etc and not trying for those f1.8 stuff, then you get a little more help. Instead of point C being the only acceptable sharp focus point it is now B, C and D that are all acceptable, only A and E that are 'fuzzy'.


I'm in two minds whether to pursue another Tenpa, or try a Canon S Type Focusing screen replacement, if I understand things correctly the feed back will be as of such that point C (optimal sharpness) will be far easier to see compared to how currently A-E all look relatively similar in sharpness through the OVF.

[RKKS08]

I just ordered an O-ME53 from a Japanese seller (used, but "no signs of use, original packaging") for less than € 20 (including shipping to Germany).

The Tenpa 1.22 on German eBay is more than € 100, even used ones!
Indeed it should be better.

[BigMackCam]

I'm in two minds whether to pursue another Tenpa, or try a Canon S Type Focusing screen replacement, if I understand things correctly the feed back will be as of such that point C (optimal sharpness) will be far easier to see compared to how currently A-E all look relatively similar in sharpness through the OVF.

Before you try the S type screen, I'd recommend some research on the effects it will have on metering...

See recent thread of interest:

Pentax K-1 with Canon S-type screen from focusingscreen.com - PentaxForums.com

[BruceBanner]

I just ordered an O-ME53 from a Japanese seller (used, but "no signs of use, original packaging") for less than € 20 (including shipping to Germany).

The Tenpa 1.22 on German eBay is more than € 100, even used ones!
Indeed it should be better.

Ouch!

Before you try the S type screen, I'd recommend some research on the effects it will have on metering...

See recent thread of interest:

Pentax K-1 with Canon S-type screen from focusingscreen.com - PentaxForums.com

Yeah, that's whats putting me off. I might focus better but encounter other issues that make it not worth it. I can't help that feel the spam and rotate focus ring throughout is just the lesser of two evils.

[BigMackCam]

Yeah, that's whats putting me off. I might focus better but encounter other issues that make it not worth it. I can't help that feel the spam and rotate focus ring throughout is just the lesser of two evils.

Can I ask, is there a reason why you're not using live view and an LCD loupe? It's not a particularly elegant solution ergonomically, but for accurate focusing of faster MF glass on DSLRs, it works superbly. It's what I'm using on my K-3 with the greatest success. It really does allow for excellent accuracy, right across the entire frame... which seems to suit your use case well.

[stevebrot]

I illustrate things like the image below.

That is a VERY fine image that shows what often (usually?) happens.



All those green arrows are in the range where the PDAF system can't tell the difference between in-focus and out-of-focus. With any luck, shutter lag is on the side of the photographer.


Steve

[BruceBanner]

Can I ask, is there a reason why you're not using live view and an LCD loupe? It's not a particularly elegant solution ergonomically, but for accurate focusing of faster MF glass on DSLRs, it works superbly. It's what I'm using on my K-3 with the greatest success. It really does allow for excellent accuracy, right across the entire frame... which seems to suit your use case well.

Yeah this too is an option. A couple of turn offs;

1) Extra bulk of that utility to ferry around
2) Using LV all the time drains battery life faster, ovf shooting gives more battery life
3) Cost

So I tend to stick with my spamming method.

That is a VERY fine image that shows what often (usually?) happens.



All those green arrows are in the range where the PDAF system can't tell the difference between in-focus and out-of-focus. With any luck, shutter lag is on the side of the photographer.


Steve

Yeah. Live View seems to have far better accuracy in my experience, when it's found focus and you take the shot, the results tend to look like they all landed at 'C' rather than A or E etc (due to the different AF system at play).

[BigMackCam]

Yeah this too is an option. A couple of turn offs;

1) Extra bulk of that utility to ferry around
2) Using LV all the time drains battery life faster, ovf shooting gives more battery life
3) Cost

So I tend to stick with my spamming method.

I understand where you're coming from.

However, you can knock number 3 off your list. I use a Matin LCD loupe which cost me under GBP 50 (less than a Tenpa eyepiece at today's prices). I'm sure it's not as good as the higher-priced, better quality products, but that doesn't concern me, as it works very well indeed. The quality of the optics really doesn't matter here, as you're only concerned with being able to tell if the subject is accurately focused on the LCD screen. The optics in the Matin loupe are more than good enough for that. And in any case, it's a very well-made product. I have no complaints, and I'm quite a fussy guy

As for number 2, yes - live view drains battery more quickly. But with this method, you get pin-sharp focusing every time... no having to take two or three shots to get one you're happy with. I can quickly achieve very accurate focus with a Helios 85mm f/1.5 lens wide open 99% of the time on my first shot using live view and the loupe. So battery use should be quite economical because of your efficiency. If it's not, carry an extra battery or two

Which leaves us with number 1. As I said, it's not an elegant solution ergonomically, and I really didn't like the look of it, or the feel of it in use, at first. After a while, though... well, I still didn't like it But I liked the results enough that I learned to live with it. It's pretty clear that manual focus work is important to you, so - given the modest cost - I think you should at least consider it...