But if you use the "Apply All" setting in the AF Fine Tuning, it applies even to manual focus lenses! I used it first with my K20D which required AF adjustment of -1 for all lenses. I've also tried it with my K-S1. It works!

Thanks, I'll try it. Though that raises a different question: does the use of "apply all" do anything to the stored values I've entered for autofocus lenses? (Obviously, the documentation provided by Ricoh doesn't go into that much detail.)

In that case you could exchange the plane focus screen with a spilt screen. I havn't done it myself but I think I have read it is possible.

I have tried it. In the K-1, it was a disaster. The screen I got from "FocusingScreen.com" was a cut-down Canon screen that is smaller in width and length but thicker than the original. Just plain wrong size. Attempting to use the split-screen focusing aid was what got me to worrying about this (with concomitant testing and analysis) in the first place.

For a full manual approach and fast lenses wide open it doesn't help much, but focus confirmation (which is influenced by lens calibration) is still possible with manual lenses, too

That apparently doesn't work with back-button autofocus, which I use because I like to manually control everything - which is how I got into this - I generally use manual focus in preference to autofocus. Apparently, it works if shutter-button autofocus is turned on. I generally ignore that display in the viewfinder, anyway - can't see it all that well, anyway (wearing glasses increases eye relief distance reducing perceptible size of the viewfinder display). Another observation about the supplied documentation: the phrase, "focus confirmation" does not occur in the instruction manual that came with the camera.

[othar]

That apparently doesn't work with back-button autofocus, which I use because I like to manually control everything

It works for me when I slightly push down both buttons (shutterbutton halfway pushed + AF button)

[stihlmania]

Well it does sound like you don't believe me, right?...

Here's the same lens on the K10D with some in-focus areas at f/1.2. 10MP instead of 20MP so it will look sharper wide open.





I did several tests with the K-S1 and the issue is reproduceable. I created this thread to know if others had the same issue and how they dealt with it because I hadn't thought of doing the diopter adjustment. I'm not sure I like to come here and ask for help and then repeatedly have to keep defending myself. Maybe now that I have somewhat of a workaround this thread can be closed, because I won't defend myself any further.

Christian, after reading thru the whole thread I agree that most of the replies seem to miss what you are saying. My SMC A 50 f1.7 , and my SMC A star 400 have no manual focus issues on my 1st D, 1st DS or my K3-II so your workaround seems sensible as the only answer/ thought I have is harmonics with lens, body combo. But the diaopter adjustment contradicts what I just said....go figure, eh?

And, by the way, @ChristianRock, I had a similar experience with a lens I'd bought directly from Ricoh. It was consistently "soft" when other folks have been posting images on this website that were startlingly clear and sharp. (And that's given the translation and compression of the uploading process.) Testing indicated to me that there was no part of any picture taken with that lens that was actually in focus, and after three days of attempting to "calibrate the lens", I found that there was no amount of in-camera adjustment that would make it any better. I sent the lens back to Ricoh and did a charge-back on the credit card at my bank (when Ricoh sat on the issue without either repairing the lens or crediting my account).

"Sometimes you just get a bad lens" reminds me of a line from a movie: "Sometimes, there just aren't enough rocks." Alternatively, sometimes the candy machine eats your nickel, and sometimes you get two candy bars. (A candy bar only cost a nickel when I was in high school, and they weighed about twice as much.)

It might be worth it to send that lens to Precision Camera for adjustment. They do great work and quite expeditiously when it's on the consumer's nickel - if Ricoh has to pay for it, it appears that service can take a while since someone in Tokyo has to make a decision about whether warranty service is appropriate.

[othar]

And, by the way, @ChristianRock, I had a similar experience with a lens I'd bought directly from Ricoh.

As the OP stated multible times the lens is fine and he gets sharp images with it, just the camera/lens combination is acting strange in the optical view finder.