K20d with O-ME53 Eyecup review (with pictures)

Jewelltrail · 01-17-2009, 09:21 PM

I bought mine to aid with manual focusing back in April 2008. I do not wear glasses. I expected the eyepiece to do more for me than it did, that is for sure. Though I do not get any darkened corners, I do have to adjust my perspective in order to see the entire frame. However, I can see the exposure information without much trouble.

8540tomg · 01-17-2009, 09:55 PM

I wear glasses and I have to use the eyecup. I can't see all the information in the viewfinder as has been noted above but it is a moot point for me. I can't focus manually at all without it.

As I have a bunch of old glass it is indispensable for me.

Tom G

ivoire · 01-17-2009, 10:50 PM

I have it, wear glasses, use a K20D and like it.

ll_coffee_lP · 01-18-2009, 07:48 AM

I have it, wear glasses, use a K10D and like it.

I wouldn't go without now that I'm used to it.

c[_]

Marc Sabatella · 01-18-2009, 09:59 AM

FWIW, this thread inspired me to take mine off again for a concert last night. I'm still on the fence. I can't say that focus was that much harder, and the fact that without it I can actually see the focus confirmation hexagon while focusing might make up for any loss in my own ability to judge focus. I got at least as many in-focus shots as usual - I think. Hard to tell because the conditions (lighting, distance from stage) were especially challenging, so I can't say I *like* the pictures as much as usual.

filmamigo · 01-18-2009, 06:30 PM

I tried the Nikon DK-21M eyepiece instead. It was cheaper than the Pentax, and more readily available. It slides on to the Pentax viewfinder mount (a little bit tighter than a regular Pentax, but you could probably adjust the fit if you needed to.) I use it, occasionally, on my *ist DL.

My experience with the DK-21M is comparable to the OP. The magnification is slightly improved, and seeing the edge of the frame can required jiggling your perspective a bit.

I would recommend the Nikon if you are curious about a magnifying eyepiece, but as a general rule these do not seem to be a replacement for a better viewfinder.

What would be MORE useful is a "critical focusser." Something that you could quickly flip into place to get SERIOUS magnification. (2x? 4x?) I love focusing my Yashica TLR, and it's second nature to focus the overall scene, then flip the critical focuser into place and fine tune the focus on the central circle of the image. This experience makes me think that the magnifying right-angle finders (switchable between 1x and 2x mag) might be useful. Perhaps trying to adapt the Nikon DG-2 finder (a flip down 2x magnifier) might be the trick.

PentaxPoke · 01-18-2009, 07:43 PM

Well if nothing else, people can at least see the magnification they are going to get with this device. To me, it was so slight, that I didn't really notice the difference until I posted the pictures in the first post. I did however notice the "vignetting" as soon as I put the camera up to my eye. My dream viewfinder is big, bright, and wide with lots of eye relief. This took me the opposite way. That is just me though, and maybe my nose is too long and my eyes too deep...

dugrant153 · 01-18-2009, 08:04 PM

I bought one and actually liked it for a little but, I noticed that I was missing some of the scene due to the vignetting. (I wear glasses, by the way). For me, I think the Katz Eye optics upgrade was what I really needed. The eyecup helped a bit, but I found that it was not worth having to re-crop a lot of my pictures b/c I missed out on the shoe that was in the corner of the frame (or something). Basically, the heavy vignetting made me miss certain details in my composition, and that made it not worth the upgrade for me. I now use the original Pentax eyepiece.

I'm actually experimenting with an old film camera: a TOPCON IC-1 Auto (Can you believe it?? And it still works!). The viewfinder on this camera is magnificent!! It is amazingly huge. Feels like I don't have a camera mashed against my face as the view ALMOST feels like I'm just seeing through my own eyes! The K200D and K100D viewfinders are quite slim, providing almost a 'tunnel vision' feel to them in comparison. They're good compared against the competition in the same price range, but ... I dunno. I kinda want to shoot film now just to get that massive viewfinder!!

HGMonaro · 01-18-2009, 08:52 PM

whilst mucking around with some nikon lenses on my K10D I decided to have a look thru the viewfinder of my FM2n sitting in the bag... wow, what a view! Also, so easy to see the split-image focusing aid. I have a 'chinese-cheapo' split-image screen in my K10D and I always find I need to go back and forward several times to establish focus, on the Nikon it was so easy to see the images halves line up.. However, I tried switching the Nikon to AF and not much happened

Marc Sabatella · 01-27-2009, 04:58 PM

Originally posted by Marc Sabatella

FWIW, this thread inspired me to take mine off again for a concert last night. I'm still on the fence. I can't say that focus was that much harder, and the fact that without it I can actually see the focus confirmation hexagon while focusing might make up for any loss in my own ability to judge focus. I got at least as many in-focus shots as usual - I think. Hard to tell because the conditions (lighting, distance from stage) were especially challenging, so I can't say I *like* the pictures as much as usual.

After some shooting a couple of other concerts in low light, I'm back to using the O-ME53. I'm becoming more convinced I get more pictures in focus with it than without it. I may still remove it in daylight, though, because of the issue I have as a glasses-wearer of not being able to see the whole frame at once. I can live with it, but I do enjoy being able to see the focus indicator and meter reading while viewing the scene.

khardur · 01-27-2009, 05:43 PM

I had one, and it worked quite well for me.
My problem was that it juts out farther than the regular eyepiece. I'm fine with that, but my camera bag was not, so one day putting my camera away the edge of my camera bag snagged the eyepiece and popped it off into the snow. I didn't notice until the next time I went to take a picture, about 5 minute walk away. I returned to my previous location but failed to locate it.

Next time I have money to burn I'll be buying a new one. I must say though, when I end up buying a second DSLR (to have a backup) I'll be buying one of the Pentax models that have the better viewfinder to begin with.

FotoPete · 01-27-2009, 05:57 PM

I shoot with a K200d and recently read some user reports on the O-ME53, Nikon DK21M and the 1.3X ebay one and heard at one point that the O-ME53 was the best for eyeglass wearers and decided to give the accessory a shot.

Its expensive here in Canada at $49.99CAN a pop. While the magnification difference was small and there was more vignetting in the viewfinder, I can say that I'm beginning to appreciate the larger view of the split screen.

If you shoot on manual focus alot, I'd suggest you give the O-ME53 a try. It will grow on you.

Ratmagiclady · 01-27-2009, 06:54 PM

Originally posted by dafiryde

This the main reason i bought it for, but i too have encountered the same problem as you do have to move your head up and down and sideways to get to see what is in the frame, i have been meaning to take out the lens to see if that would help, but i have not since tried it to see if it will help. so hopefully so i will do it and can give a feed back

Dave

Hey, I've been wondering if taking that lens out looks like it'd be easy and reversible. I'm not sure if I'd want the magnification, but I could sure use the extra shade and room to nudge my glasses out of the way. (I have kind of skinny ones that I peer over: they don't help me focus and the diopter adjustment does the job.)

Anyone with one care to peek inside?

PentaxPoke · 01-27-2009, 07:06 PM

Originally posted by Ratmagiclady

Hey, I've been wondering if taking that lens out looks like it'd be easy and reversible. I'm not sure if I'd want the magnification, but I could sure use the extra shade and room to nudge my glasses out of the way. (I have kind of skinny ones that I peer over: they don't help me focus and the diopter adjustment does the job.)

Anyone with one care to peek inside?

The problem with taking the lens out is that all you have accomplished is to move your eye further away from the viewfinder. You can do that without spending the $30.

Ratmagiclady · 01-27-2009, 07:24 PM

Originally posted by PentaxPoke

The problem with taking the lens out is that all you have accomplished is to move your eye further away from the viewfinder. You can do that without spending the $30.

Hee, well, that's the *idea,* actually. If the extra magnification isn't to my liking, (and it might well be, really) at least I could stop mashing my face and glasses up against the LCD just to keep the stray light out.

How's it held in?

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01-17-2009, 09:21 PM	#16
Jewelltrail Veteran Member Join Date: May 2008 Location: Rhode Island Photos: Albums Posts: 4,180	I bought mine to aid with manual focusing back in April 2008. I do not wear glasses. I expected the eyepiece to do more for me than it did, that is for sure. Though I do not get any darkened corners, I do have to adjust my perspective in order to see the entire frame. However, I can see the exposure information without much trouble.

01-17-2009, 09:55 PM	#17
8540tomg Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Waterloo, Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 4,461	I wear glasses and I have to use the eyecup. I can't see all the information in the viewfinder as has been noted above but it is a moot point for me. I can't focus manually at all without it. As I have a bunch of old glass it is indispensable for me. Tom G

01-17-2009, 10:50 PM	#18
ivoire Veteran Member Join Date: Mar 2007 Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,381	I have it, wear glasses, use a K20D and like it.

01-18-2009, 07:48 AM	#19
ll_coffee_lP Inactive Account Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Ontario, Canada Posts: 1,972	I have it, wear glasses, use a K10D and like it. I wouldn't go without now that I'm used to it. c[_]

01-18-2009, 09:59 AM	#20
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	FWIW, this thread inspired me to take mine off again for a concert last night. I'm still on the fence. I can't say that focus was that much harder, and the fact that without it I can actually see the focus confirmation hexagon while focusing might make up for any loss in my own ability to judge focus. I got at least as many in-focus shots as usual - I think. Hard to tell because the conditions (lighting, distance from stage) were especially challenging, so I can't say I like the pictures as much as usual.

01-18-2009, 06:30 PM	#21
filmamigo Pentaxian Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 797	I tried the Nikon DK-21M eyepiece instead. It was cheaper than the Pentax, and more readily available. It slides on to the Pentax viewfinder mount (a little bit tighter than a regular Pentax, but you could probably adjust the fit if you needed to.) I use it, occasionally, on my *ist DL. My experience with the DK-21M is comparable to the OP. The magnification is slightly improved, and seeing the edge of the frame can required jiggling your perspective a bit. I would recommend the Nikon if you are curious about a magnifying eyepiece, but as a general rule these do not seem to be a replacement for a better viewfinder. What would be MORE useful is a "critical focusser." Something that you could quickly flip into place to get SERIOUS magnification. (2x? 4x?) I love focusing my Yashica TLR, and it's second nature to focus the overall scene, then flip the critical focuser into place and fine tune the focus on the central circle of the image. This experience makes me think that the magnifying right-angle finders (switchable between 1x and 2x mag) might be useful. Perhaps trying to adapt the Nikon DG-2 finder (a flip down 2x magnifier) might be the trick.

01-18-2009, 07:43 PM	#22
PentaxPoke Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 1,411 Original Poster	Well if nothing else, people can at least see the magnification they are going to get with this device. To me, it was so slight, that I didn't really notice the difference until I posted the pictures in the first post. I did however notice the "vignetting" as soon as I put the camera up to my eye. My dream viewfinder is big, bright, and wide with lots of eye relief. This took me the opposite way. That is just me though, and maybe my nose is too long and my eyes too deep...

01-18-2009, 08:04 PM	#23
dugrant153 Veteran Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Vancouver, BC Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,059	I bought one and actually liked it for a little but, I noticed that I was missing some of the scene due to the vignetting. (I wear glasses, by the way). For me, I think the Katz Eye optics upgrade was what I really needed. The eyecup helped a bit, but I found that it was not worth having to re-crop a lot of my pictures b/c I missed out on the shoe that was in the corner of the frame (or something). Basically, the heavy vignetting made me miss certain details in my composition, and that made it not worth the upgrade for me. I now use the original Pentax eyepiece. I'm actually experimenting with an old film camera: a TOPCON IC-1 Auto (Can you believe it?? And it still works!). The viewfinder on this camera is magnificent!! It is amazingly huge. Feels like I don't have a camera mashed against my face as the view ALMOST feels like I'm just seeing through my own eyes! The K200D and K100D viewfinders are quite slim, providing almost a 'tunnel vision' feel to them in comparison. They're good compared against the competition in the same price range, but ... I dunno. I kinda want to shoot film now just to get that massive viewfinder!!

01-18-2009, 08:52 PM	#24
HGMonaro Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Melb. Aust Posts: 840	whilst mucking around with some nikon lenses on my K10D I decided to have a look thru the viewfinder of my FM2n sitting in the bag... wow, what a view! Also, so easy to see the split-image focusing aid. I have a 'chinese-cheapo' split-image screen in my K10D and I always find I need to go back and forward several times to establish focus, on the Nikon it was so easy to see the images halves line up.. However, I tried switching the Nikon to AF and not much happened

01-27-2009, 04:58 PM	#25
Marc Sabatella Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Denver, CO Photos: Gallery Posts: 10,685	Originally posted by Marc Sabatella FWIW, this thread inspired me to take mine off again for a concert last night. I'm still on the fence. I can't say that focus was that much harder, and the fact that without it I can actually see the focus confirmation hexagon while focusing might make up for any loss in my own ability to judge focus. I got at least as many in-focus shots as usual - I think. Hard to tell because the conditions (lighting, distance from stage) were especially challenging, so I can't say I like the pictures as much as usual. After some shooting a couple of other concerts in low light, I'm back to using the O-ME53. I'm becoming more convinced I get more pictures in focus with it than without it. I may still remove it in daylight, though, because of the issue I have as a glasses-wearer of not being able to see the whole frame at once. I can live with it, but I do enjoy being able to see the focus indicator and meter reading while viewing the scene.

01-27-2009, 05:43 PM	#26
khardur Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: NW Massachusetts Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,560	I had one, and it worked quite well for me. My problem was that it juts out farther than the regular eyepiece. I'm fine with that, but my camera bag was not, so one day putting my camera away the edge of my camera bag snagged the eyepiece and popped it off into the snow. I didn't notice until the next time I went to take a picture, about 5 minute walk away. I returned to my previous location but failed to locate it. Next time I have money to burn I'll be buying a new one. I must say though, when I end up buying a second DSLR (to have a backup) I'll be buying one of the Pentax models that have the better viewfinder to begin with.

01-27-2009, 05:57 PM	#27
FotoPete Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Toronto Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,774	I shoot with a K200d and recently read some user reports on the O-ME53, Nikon DK21M and the 1.3X ebay one and heard at one point that the O-ME53 was the best for eyeglass wearers and decided to give the accessory a shot. Its expensive here in Canada at $49.99CAN a pop. While the magnification difference was small and there was more vignetting in the viewfinder, I can say that I'm beginning to appreciate the larger view of the split screen. If you shoot on manual focus alot, I'd suggest you give the O-ME53 a try. It will grow on you.

01-27-2009, 06:54 PM	#28
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Originally posted by dafiryde This the main reason i bought it for, but i too have encountered the same problem as you do have to move your head up and down and sideways to get to see what is in the frame, i have been meaning to take out the lens to see if that would help, but i have not since tried it to see if it will help. so hopefully so i will do it and can give a feed back Dave Hey, I've been wondering if taking that lens out looks like it'd be easy and reversible. I'm not sure if I'd want the magnification, but I could sure use the extra shade and room to nudge my glasses out of the way. (I have kind of skinny ones that I peer over: they don't help me focus and the diopter adjustment does the job.) Anyone with one care to peek inside?

01-27-2009, 07:06 PM	#29
PentaxPoke Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Oklahoma Posts: 1,411 Original Poster	Originally posted by Ratmagiclady Hey, I've been wondering if taking that lens out looks like it'd be easy and reversible. I'm not sure if I'd want the magnification, but I could sure use the extra shade and room to nudge my glasses out of the way. (I have kind of skinny ones that I peer over: they don't help me focus and the diopter adjustment does the job.) Anyone with one care to peek inside? The problem with taking the lens out is that all you have accomplished is to move your eye further away from the viewfinder. You can do that without spending the $30.

01-27-2009, 07:24 PM	#30
Ratmagiclady Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: GA Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 13,563	Originally posted by PentaxPoke The problem with taking the lens out is that all you have accomplished is to move your eye further away from the viewfinder. You can do that without spending the $30. Hee, well, that's the idea, actually. If the extra magnification isn't to my liking, (and it might well be, really) at least I could stop mashing my face and glasses up against the LCD just to keep the stray light out. How's it held in?