Going to be getting a new glass and wondered who prefers what and why. I know about the other types but this will be one or the other of these two choices. Thanks, John
Going to be getting a new glass and wondered who prefers what and why. I know about the other types but this will be one or the other of these two choices. Thanks, John
Acid-etched glass involves treating the glass with fumes of hydrofluoric acid that can etch the glass while grinding involves scoring a sheet of glass with small abrasive particles to create a random scratch pattern. What I have heard is that acid-etched tends to be smoother and brighter (i.e., makes it easier to see details and focus) while the ground is coarser and somewhat more difficult to focus. On the other hand, some folks have argued that the process of grinding can be used to ensure that the focusing surface is truly flat (although I truly doubt this is an issue with etched glass, unless one was pouring the acid randoomly on the surface etc). I do find the acid-etched stuff to be nicer to focus on (although I suspect a well-made ground surface utilizing minute abrasives could be nice as well - unfortunately, most of the stuff tends to be nasty, coarse sandblasted stuff which works but not too well but they are probably responsible for the poor reputation of ground stuff). So, I think that is the difference - the acid etched stuff is a little more hard to do, so if you get it, odds are it would have been made decently. Ground stuff is a bit easier to do, so there seems to be comparatively more variance in quality. Some photo tech mag ran an article on making your own GG using really small abrasive particles and folks seemed quite pleased with the results. Have also been hearing good things about Stain Snow glasses (www.satinsnowglass.com) - sounds like they use good grinding techniques to ensure an even and small scratch pattern.
Cheers, DJ
I have three formats that I have replaced the ground glass with glass from Satinsnow and I am very pleased. Bright glass and thin. I recommend getting the glass from SatinSnow.
leec
John,
Acid etched is better, but more expensive. Satinsnow seems to be slow to deliver it's orders, but has been getting favorable comments (I suspect, partly because the price is so reasonable). Whether ground, or acid etched, if you're using a focusing screen that has grid lines, avoid the ones with black lines that are inked onto the glass. The focusing screens that have white, acid etched grid lines, are less distracting for composing the scene.
I have tried an acid etched (bought from Dagor77) and was not too impressed as it did not do any better than the glass that came on my old Korona 4x5. I have since replaced it with the Satin Snow and much better, brighter. For $10 bucks, it's awfully hard to beat. I keep the acid etched one as a backup.
For a whole lotta money more, you can get thte Beattie or Maxwell.
The satin snow is one I have been looking at as it seems to have the qualitys that I was considering etched glass for. Thanks for the feedback, John
I have tried Satin Snow in several sizes. It can take several weeks for it to arrive, they are buried with orders, it appears. (I ordered one 3/29, it arrived yesterday in the mail. This was for an Ikeda camera, which won't take the standard size listed on the website.) It is a very high quality ground glass. If you think you can spend $15 and get something as good as a Maxwell, etc. you will be disappointed. This is not a $15 miracle. If you want a very high quality ground glass, made to order and very well shipped by nice responsive people, you will be delighted. Combined with a light weight and cheap reading fresnel I get a very even, bright, sharp image which is completely acceptable. I haven't tried it bigger than 5X7, but in that size "hot spot" is minimal to non-existant, even without the fresnel.
I have been making my own ground glass for some time using lens grinding powders that are very inexpensive. I like the results as the glass is very smooth and they are easy to make. They are bright, but not as bright as acid etched. I have no problem focusing them however.
By the way, if you are interested in learning how to make your own groung glass go to www.phototechniques.com and then click on the "Articles" link on the left. Once done, look for the article "Making Your Own Ground Glass" by Dick Dokas.
The grinding powder is cheap and each bag will last a long time. I have made 4 ground glass for my camera (so I have several back ups) and the price would be about $3.00 each. Like I said, they are smooth and nice. Each takes about 30 minutes to make.
Just FYI.
Eric: How about posting details of your procedure? The link you gave indicates one must "order and pay" for the information. An impoverished photographer trying to make his own ground glass is not likely to be able (or certainly reluctant) to pay for information. I believe in sharing information - that's one reason forums like this exist.
So, how about it? Tell us.
Details.
Thank you.
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