Look, I'm sorry about the "hogwash" comment - that wasn't meant to suggest that anyone else's experience was hogwash (how could it be?) but rather a simply reflect my annoyance at having read dozens and dozens of glowing reviews about this product, only to have my high expectations dashed once I bought it.

As for talking about the 58mm lens issue - of course I spoke with Bill about it. How can you not? He insists on verbal phone conversation for everything, and he told me that I should try his normal screen first even if I wanted a dedicated wide angle screen, because it's good enough for most people, etc. I'm just reporting my experience. I had the original linhof GG in there with some kind of normal fresnel, and when I replaced it with the Maxwell screen, I expected the difference to be, as many people have said, "night and day." Well, I didn't see it, and I have photographs taken through both fresnels that indicate that the light transmission was practically identical. My original fresnel might have even been a bit brighter. Needless to say, the Maxwell got sent back. I guess the fresnel that came with the camera was better than I thought.

Now the Maxwell screen was much better with my 150mm (which is what it is designed for) but as I explained to Bill, I never had a problem with the 150mm. I wanted something that would allow me to see to compose quickly and easily with the 58mm in low light situations - a pretty tall order. Bill, to his credit, told me right off that the wide angle screen was much better for this, but then he wouldn't give a price for it (I'm guessing it's MUCH more), and insisted that I try the normal screen first.

Maxwell's screen is gorgeous, and I'm prepared to admit that the glass and fresnel may well be higher quality than anything else out there. But as Bill himself will tell you, there are simple laws of physics involved. A fresnel is just a kind of lens, and you can't have something that resolves 240mm or 360mm on 4x5 and then does a great job with the 47XL well into the corners - it's not physically possible. Maxwell's wide angle screen isn't supposed to be used over 150mm, but it supposedly images 47 very well. Everything is some kind of compromise.

Anyway, I was being stupid in the first place, because I though that I could just get a really bright fresnel and then not have to use a dark cloth, even with a 58mm in low light or with a center filter. I realize now that the differences between different fresnels and ground glasses pale in comparison to the difference between bring under a good dark cloth for 5min while your eyes adjust and just glancing through a linhof pop-up finder. Should have just paid more attention to Ansel in the first place.