bright screens

[scott strickland]

I'm new to LF after several years of 35mm and 645 experience. One of the adjustments I'm struggling with is the relative brightness of the ground glass. In researching this, I'm interested in knowing if there are any comparisons of the "bright screen" products. If anyone has experiences with the various brands, or knows some to be superior to others, I'd really appreciate some guidance in making a choice. I'm not soliciting endorsements, just information. Many thanks for a wonderful resourse for a beginner like me.

Scott

[Leonard Evens]

When I decided the screen that came with my Toho FC-45X wasn't bright enough, I looked into the various possibilities. Some research suggested that a Maxwell screen was my best bet. I got one, and I've been very happy with it. It is extremely bright. Also, it allows me to focus easily on fine detail. At high magnification (7 X) I can see the Fresnel grooves, but they don't prevent me from focusing. At more normal magnifcations (up to 4 X), the grooves are not visible.

[William Demere]

The bossscreen is supposed to be very bright, but I haven't tried one personally:

http://www.bromwellmarketing.com/

[Ralph Barker]

Some LF cameras come standard with a fresnel screen installed, Scott, so it would be helpful to know which camera you have, along with which lenses you are using and having brightness problems with. (GG brightness issues are more pronounced with wide-angle lenses.) If your camera, for example, already has a fresnel screen installed, it may already be about as bright as it will get, and the problem may be more a matter of the lenses you are using (e.g. wide angle or small maximum aperture).

[Eric Woodbury]

I haven't used this, but it seems popular. It's listed at this (large format) website, too.

http://www.satinsnowglass.com/

[ramin]

William: Boss screens are not really brighter but they are clearly sharper and have a lot more contrast than my original Sinar f2 screen.

cheers

[Scott Walton]

Haven't done a side by side comparison but I do like my Beatties. I have them on every body from 35mm to my 4x5's.

[scott strickland]

Thanks to all of you that responded. It's wonderful to see what a great and supportive community LF is. If only historians were similarly inclined....

Scott