Hi - I recently traded in my used Toyo 45A for a new Arca Swiss F 4x5 outfit (including the standard Arca gg+fresnel. I'm very pleased with the Arca and it outperforms the Toyo in all respects except one - the ground glass. Compared to the gg on the Toyo the gg on the Arca is darker, with a less even image brightness, and more difficult to focus - in particular when focusing with a 4x lupe (the same lupe I used on the Toyo) the image just doesn't seem to snap into focus the way it did on the Toyo. All these comments are based on a 150mm Rodenstock S lens with the aperture wide open.

Anyone got any suggestions?

One idea I thought of is to pick up a used Toyo gg on ebay and install it into the Arca, but I don't know if this is possible/easy? Does anyone know if this is a straightforward process.

Alternatively...

...I've thought about going for one of the well known replacement screens but on other threads I've read that the Arca gg is supposed to be quite good and that a brighter replacement screen will not actually produce much improvement over the Arca standard screen - can anyone verify this? of has anyone else replaced their standard arca gg with a brightscreen, or beattie, or ss etc.?

Thanks in advance. Paul.