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Thread: Broken Ground Glass

  1. #1

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    Broken Ground Glass

    Oh dear-oh dear-oh dear. Went all the way down to London to hand collect a Sinar Norma + accessories so that I could be sure that nothing would break in transit. Managed to get everything home in one piece. Then managed to break the ground glass when excitedly trying to point the camera (sans tripod) at a light source over my head. It's my first large format camera, and the pain in my heart is great. But lesson learned: ground glass is delicate!

    Anyhow, I now need to try and source myself some alternate 5x7 glass. I have seen Yanke and Hopf both mentioned as decent sources. What do people think of these guys? The problem with Hopf is he is located Stateside (I am UK), and the postage charges are very, very high. How does he compare to the Yanke glass? (There is a supplier of Yanke right in Glasgow, where I stay, and so this is seeming like it could be a good option at the mo. Plus, the Yanke option 15 pounds cheaper once postage is added).

    How do the two above compare to Sinar original glass?

    The Norma 5-7 back that I have is an older one, with slots for a fresnel located between the lens and glass. So, although I would like a fresnel, I'm guessing that I'm just looking at a normal ground glass replacement?

  2. #2
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Broken Ground Glass

    The Yanke, if it's the GG/fresnel-in-one, is a good screen.
    Get what you can at a good price, so you can get to shooting sooner.

  3. #3

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    Re: Broken Ground Glass

    So will an all in one work, even if originally the fresnel would go between t ground glass and lens? Would this potentially cause focus issues?

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    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Broken Ground Glass

    Quote Originally Posted by MilamBardo View Post
    So will an all in one work, even if originally the fresnel would go between t ground glass and lens? Would this potentially cause focus issues?
    As long as the point of focus (where the GG sits) doesn't change, yes.

  5. #5

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    Re: Broken Ground Glass

    Quote Originally Posted by Ari View Post
    As long as the point of focus (where the GG sits) doesn't change, yes.
    Ok, great! Thanks for the help.

  6. #6

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    Re: Broken Ground Glass

    I'm probably one of the few people here that hasn't broken a GG yet. Yet being the key word.

    So you have joined some pretty good company.

    If you can afford it get 2, and store the spare in a film box. If you keep it with you you'll probably never need it.

    Oh, you may want a spare 5x7 film box or more.
    Most people will basically give them to you if you advertise in the buy sell section.
    If I had a spare I'd just mail it to you tomorrow.

  7. #7

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    Re: Broken Ground Glass

    Been there, done that...got a Sinar and broke the ground glass in a very similar way to what happened to MilamBardo. Man, did I feel like a klutz!

    Since I didn't trust myself with an expensive ground glass, I purchased a cheap one from ebay user tesarphoto. They ship from China and I think they even do custom ground glasses. Probably the quality isn't up there with that of the custom jobs of the people mentioned in this thread, but I found the glass that I got from tesarphoto to be quite good - not inferior in any noticeable way (by me, at least) to the original Sinar glass it replaces. Currently I see no offerings by them on the bay, but my experience with them has been excellent, both in terms of the product itself and after-sales support (I mistakenly had an error in my shipping address in my PayPal account info and they sent the item again at no additional cost, despite the fault being on my side). If they are still in business, I would recommend them.

    Btw, I'm sorry if this posts breaks any rules; I'm just trying to offer one more option.

  8. #8

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    Re: Broken Ground Glass

    Quote Originally Posted by Liquid Artist View Post

    If you can afford it get 2, and store the spare in a film box. If you keep it with you you'll probably never need it.

    Oh, you may want a spare 5x7 film box or more..
    Thanks for the tip - although I can only afford one for now I think.

    I feel like I might be leaning back to Steve Hopf, since I'm not looking for a fresnel, and people seem to think his screens are bright without. Would only be a bit more expensive than the Yanke. Does anyone have experience with a non-fresnel Yanke?

    Also, does anyone have experience with GlobalMatter?

  9. #9

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    Re: Broken Ground Glass

    Quote Originally Posted by koraks View Post

    Since I didn't trust myself with an expensive ground glass, I purchased a cheap one from ebay user tesarphoto. They ship from China and I think they even do custom ground glasses.
    Thanks koraks - will take a look at these.

  10. #10
    Unwitting Thread Killer Ari's Avatar
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    Re: Broken Ground Glass

    Don't buy from Global Matter; he charges a lot of money for old stock screens that are of dubious quality and build; you'd be better off getting a no-name GG that fits your camera, and refining it further yourself, or asking a friend to do it for you.
    If you order from Hopf, may as well get the best he has, the borosilicate.

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