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Are alternative focusing screens available for K10D?


wpoupore

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K10D does have interchangable focusing screens. I'll let others comment on specifically

which ones are best for MF lenses. A little googling came up with this third-party screen

that mimics the appearance of traditional SLR focusing screens:

 

http://www.katzeyeoptics.com/item--Katz-Eye-Focusing-Screen-for-the-Pentax-

K10D--prod_K10D.html

 

In the little bit I've been using mine so far, the default screen doesn't seem to be all that

bad for focusing manually by my standards. The K10D/K20D are the best Pentax DSLR

bodies for using old MF lenses; they have better finders than the K100D/K110D/K200D.

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I have one of the Chinese jobs (which is a K1000 screen cut down to fit the K10D, although it's a bit too thick). It has helped manual focusing *a lot*, and as far as I can tell, does not affect metering or autofocus in any significant way.

 

The reason I didn't buy the Katz Eye was due to many reports I read about it messing up the metering. I thought that if my metering was going to go funny, I'd rather pay $29 shipped for a Chinese model than $70-80 for the Katz Eye.

 

I do think Katz Eye is working on fixing the current issues with their Pentax screens, and as soon as they get it right I'll probably put the Chinese one on eBay and upgrade.

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The Chinese screen has instructions on the website for the K10D. I assume that the Katz Eye also comes with instructions. I put one on my istD and it was very easy using just a fingernail and tweezers. The only problem seems to be getting the wrong side down. If that happens (it won't focus correctly), just take it out and turn it over.
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I heard the word "horror". I am living proof of the difficulties that can arise from changing/cleaning the focusing screen. (see my posts on this subject) Although, I must admit it was 100% operator error. It really is a snap to do. On another point, I dealt with Katz Eye to assist me in removing/installing my Pentax screen. I could not beleive the level of customer satisfaction that I encountered. I did not buy anything from them but the President contacted me and provided me with a manual relevant to the K10D. She did not have to do that as the info was proprietary. My opinion is they sell an excellent product far superior to the Chinese makes and provide exemplerary assistance and customer service. To me it is well worth the $100.00 to buy a product of this quality from a company that provides such outstanding support. Just my 2 cents worth. Oh, and by the way, I know at least a dozen people who put a Katz Eye in their K10D and have absolutely no problems with focusing/metering and they all love it.
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