Originally posted by sunshine7913 I really hate Pentax 67's dark viewfinder and split screen. Almost 40~50% of pics weren't focused on subjects and I really hate this situation. Focusing is also hard to do. So I'm thinking to change the focusing screen rather then the prism head because of its price. Are there any brighter split screen to replace for Pentax 67?
Have you considered a chimney finder before changing screens? Patience on Ebay should get you a good one for less than $100. If you don't mind a TLR-like laterally reversed finder image and no meter it is like night and day compared to a prism finder. Not the folding waist level finder, though that is smaller and works ok with its magnifier. Compared to the pentaprism's relatively small view, the chimney finder has a HUGE, magnified, very bright, 100% view with enough built-in diopter adjustment to cover just about any eye. It makes focusing easy. It also weighs MUCH less than a prism so the camera is easier to handle. As long as I shot relatively still subjects I seldom used the prism once I bought a chimney finder.
But first make sure your focusing screen is set correctly or you'll never get better results. Best to send to a pro - I've only heard praise for Eric at
Home, but a quick and dirty check is to compare the ground glass image to the image on a few strips of Scotch "Matte Finish MagicTape" or similar frosted tape to simulate a ground glass on the film plane. Tape tightly across the two film support rails, not the two outer film guide rails. Use a loupe or magnifying glass. If an object on the ground glass is sharp and it isn't at the film plane, your 67 has a problem. Check with and without the prism finder - maybe your finder is the problem.