Linhof super screen.

[Bob Salomon]

"I trust their judgement and when they told me that they were junk"

Sorry Michael, I just spoke to Martin at Marflex and he says he did not and his employees did not say they are "junk" this is not a word that they use for equipment they service.

And to quote him further he states that Marflex can shim the screen to eliminate problems.

Thousands of the Super Screens have been sold over the 20 odd years that we have offerd them. Yes there was a problem with warping on early ones. The second and later batches were made from a thicker material with a higher heat tolerance. But it is still plastic, unsupported, except at the extreme ends of the screen. For use in areas where warping may be a problem we recommend that shims be placed along the sides.

If this is inconvenient the latest version of the Linhof ground glass and the latest fresnel screen are substantially brighter then older ones. Of course, with Linhof, "older ones" is an uncertain amount as they have been making cameras for so long a period. But if your current Linhof screen and fresnel is 10 or more years old a newer one will be benificial.

[Geoffrey Swenson]

Thanks Bob,

This must be the reason. I was very surprised to hear of the warping, (because my hasn’t) but that might be it. And yes, the instructions that came with mine expressly stated that the original shims must be used for proper operation.

By the way I’d also like to try the Fresnel on my other (Linhof 4x5) camera. Who would sell it the cheapest?

[Bob Salomon]

Geoffrey, All authorized dealers buy the fresnel from us for the same price. You would have to contact the dealers for a retail price. Just be sure you get the latest one.

[Geoffrey Swenson]

How do I know which one is the latest one? Is it a different Part#?

Sorry, I know I'm getting pesky here :-))

[Paul Metcalf]

I bought one for my Linhof Tech V, like it so much I put in on my Wisner Tech Field with grid cover (sorry Ron). I've used it for 3 years with no warping, including shoots in Idaho in 98 deg temps and high humidity areas like the Olympics. I would think some of the other camera elements might be subject to warping (e.g. the film holders) if this was really a problem. And forget about using a Holga!

I've also hit it accidently and it didn't break!!! (Unlike the ground glass on my 5x7 and 8x10's). Try focusing around a duct taped field repair (one of my best shots was done this way). I think I'll stick with the superscreen.

Paul

[Bob Salomon]

Ask how long it is in their stock.

[Michael Kadillak]

When a reputable service entity tells me to go another direction (versus another Super Screen whatever the current technology or re-design)and it means that I need to pay to Fed Ex my camera and then pay again to have them re-calibrate my camera back, it should not (and was not) taken lightly. Whatever vocabularly was utilized to convey the recommendation is rather meaningless as the only thing I give a hoot about is results. The thought of wondering if the clips were put in the correct place or if they are still there is a variable that I cannot tolerate from purely a statistical perpective. The engineer in me trusts a precisely calibrated piece of rigid ground glass and nothing less.

When you take out your loup at some point in the future and look carefully over your light box and things look just a little less sharp than what you remembered when you made the exposure, you will remember this post. Only one corner of the screen has to move a fraction of a centimeter and you are chip beef over toast figuratively speaking.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak my mind and let the reader draw their own conclusion. Thats all folks..............