NikonGear'23

Gear Talk => Other => Topic started by: Airy on November 03, 2018, 12:59:31

Title: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Airy on November 03, 2018, 12:59:31
First trouble was losing one in the woods. It would easily unscrew itself from my Df, and I lost it several times. This time, it probably fell silently into the mud.

While ordering a new one, I tried to re-use the one mounted on my D800. As it was not clean, I washed it with lukewarm water and mild liquid soap. Now it is clean but, lo and behold, water made its way between the two elements - they are not cemented, it seems, or at least not properly. Now it looks like a mild case of cataract...

... sigh ... not sure what to do.
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Birna Rørslett on November 03, 2018, 13:33:36
Put it into the oven and bake for 50-70 C overnight or as long as it takes to be clear view. If condensation or fog returns after the piece is cooled to ambient temperature, repeat the treatment.
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: atpaula on November 03, 2018, 14:38:01
I lost mine a few times and had the luck to hear the noise and recovered it.
Tried unsuccessfully fix it with superglue. It still remains unscrewing. I hate it.
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Airy on November 03, 2018, 14:52:48
Put it into the oven and bake for 50-70 C overnight or as long as it takes to be clear view. If condensation or fog returns after the piece is cooled to ambient temperature, repeat the treatment.

Thanks. Just had a successful try with the heater (60°C water circulation) and all went well...
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Olivier on November 03, 2018, 15:27:16
A Tupperware box with a few silica gel bags would also do.
Good to hear you fixed the problem anyway!
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Airy on November 03, 2018, 15:36:34
yes, thanks - except that the very short screw thread remains an issue with these things.
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Jacques Pochoy on November 03, 2018, 16:30:47
yes, thanks - except that the very short screw thread remains an issue with these things.

After my third DK17 loss, I bought also a DK 19 (rubber ring eyepiece). Since it hasn't moved a bit... The DK17 isn't easy to fit in the DK 19 without getting fingerprints on the DK17, but when it's done it seems to screw a bit better. At first I thought that the rubber cup would allow it to unscrew easily when having the camera on strap on the shoulder (more friction with clothes) but it seems to hold on better !

Go figure ?

Is the enlargement (DK 17m) beneficial on the Df ?
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: John Geerts on November 03, 2018, 17:09:49
I also use the DK-17M in combination with the DK19. Never had any problems.
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Airy on November 03, 2018, 17:19:58
Thanks Jacques for the tip, and John for confirmation.
Yes, the magnifying eyepiece was beneficial to me on all cameras - a bit troublesome on D700 ("clipped corners"), not a problem on D800 nor on Df.
I do not wear glasses when I shoot despite some astigmatism. Not sure my focus hit rate with glasses + no eyepiece would rise, and I do not even want to try - I prefer the larger view with the eyepiece.
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Jacques Pochoy on November 03, 2018, 17:54:25
I prefer the larger view with the eyepiece.

Mmmm, might give it a try. But nowadays I have to wear glasses for all near objects. The latest are of the varifocal type (I do drive) as my two eyes aren't any more identical at distances... (darn thing getting old).
So I first tried shooting without glasses but with the diopter up, then I gave up, because even with the string thing, I would end twisting my glasses (or them getting drops when raining).
That's why I got the DK 19, thinking it would help with the glasses (and it did).
Of course, while manual focusing with older lenses, the DK 17m might be of interest  8)
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Airy on November 03, 2018, 18:13:34
Definitely, MF lenses are my main use case.
Not all of them are old - Zeiss comes to mind.
Some Leica R glass is definitely worth the trouble (in my case: Summicron 50/2).
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Øivind Tøien on November 03, 2018, 21:52:26
First trouble was losing one in the woods. It would easily unscrew itself from my Df, and I lost it several times. This time, it probably fell silently into the mud.

While ordering a new one, I tried to re-use the one mounted on my D800. As it was not clean, I washed it with lukewarm water and mild liquid soap. Now it is clean but, lo and behold, water made its way between the two elements - they are not cemented, it seems, or at least not properly. Now it looks like a mild case of cataract...

... sigh ... not sure what to do.

I lost my DK-17M on the tundra north in Alaska during field work one year due to that my my modified DK-22 adapter cracked in the -34°C weather. More than one year later one of our students found it 100-200 meters from the area I had been in, likely carried there by an arctic ground squirrel that chewed up part of the attached rubber eye cup. The DK-17M was covered in silt, but except from slight irregularities of the coating it was unscratched and no water had gotten into the internals. It is presently still in use.

(https://otoien.zenfolio.com/img/s/v-2/p1263560865.jpg)
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Airy on November 03, 2018, 22:31:26
OK... I'll wait for the next glaciation then.
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Jacques Pochoy on November 03, 2018, 23:53:55
LOL  ;D
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Øivind Tøien on November 04, 2018, 10:19:28
 ;D ;D
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: John Geerts on November 04, 2018, 10:25:06
 ;D   And a great story  Øivind !
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Øivind Tøien on February 05, 2019, 11:51:33
A very late thanks for your comment, John.  :)

Back to the initial question, I am curious how the DK-17M is getting lost on the bodies that have the round eyepiece, as the eyepiece is supposed to be locked in place by opening the viewfinder shutter, preventing rotation? There is mention of shallow threads - have the threads perhaps been stripped or is the fit not so good?


I also found a very useful old DPreview thread about how to correctly attach DK-19 eye cup to the DK-17M:
https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/26558579 (https://www.dpreview.com/forums/post/26558579)

There are also some useful information about a part number down in the thread.

With my adaptation to the square eyepiece of the consumer bodies, I have however just slid the eye cup over/behind the rim of DK-17M, keeping the original rubber on the DK-17M.
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Airy on February 07, 2019, 07:08:23
The Df has no viewfinder shutter.
Strangely, I mounted the one I had on the D800 and it fits well.
Title: Re: Trouble with DK-17M
Post by: Øivind Tøien on February 07, 2019, 13:03:03
Thanks Airy, I was not aware of the lack of viewfinder shutter. Now it makes sense.