Fresnel for 8x10 ?

[andreios]

I apologize for a question that may seem dumb to someone...
I have been using my 8x10 Tachihara for a time now and recently I have been thinking about ways to improve the brightness of the ground glass to make the focusing easier - mainly because I quite often use it in dimly lit church interiors.
I have looked around and found some fresnel lenses - both chinese and also more expensive stuff from different places but I have often read that they are mostly to benefit users of wide angle lenses. Now, of course wide angle go with architecture but I am in 80% of my compositions using a standard 300mm f5.6 lens. Will using a fresnel improve the brighnes in this case as well?

Thank you for any advice.

[ic-racer]

You may have misread. The fresnel lenses don't seem to work very well with wide angle lenses.

[blindpig]

Try getting a page magnifier at an office supply store and test it out.Think you will be pleasantly surprised(and they don't cost much).

[mdarnton]

I bought a page magnifier on Ebay for like $9. It improved things quite a bit, including wide wide angles, at the edges and corners, which previously were totally black.

[StoneNYC]

I've been trying to figure out which is best too.

I recently put a 4 x 5 reducing back for my 8 x 10 camera, the reducing back came with a fresnel installed, it's AMAZINGLY bright, and much easier to see the whole scene.

So I've also been contemplating a fresnel for the 8x10 glass.

The company I got my gear from doesn't make an 8x10 with fresnel, so I have to find one myself, I'm not sure who makes theirs but one of the issues with fresnel is that the can interfere with focussing, I guess the light will shift the focus point or something. So I've been trying to figure out what to do.

So I don't think it's a stupid question. A member has offered me their fresnel, it's a GG and fresnel in one, so that would replace my current GG, however that means some plastic bowing, they also make fresnel's that have a class cover or ones that are glued. There's a lot of info, but assuming you install a good one that doesn't have the focus issue, I can't see why you wouldn't want to use one. I'm amazed they aren't standard on all GG since they were created.

[Jim Jones]

. . . I guess the light will shift the focus point or something. . . .

Mount the Fresnel on the outside of the ground glass, not on the lens side. Focusing will still be accurate. You can experiment with an inexpensive office supply page magnifier before investing in a Fresnel designed for photography. A loupe that can be angled for focusing in the corners of the image may be more useful than a Fresnel.

[StoneNYC]

Mount the Fresnel on the outside of the ground glass, not on the lens side. Focusing will still be accurate. You can experiment with an inexpensive office supply page magnifier before investing in a Fresnel designed for photography. A loupe that can be angled for focusing in the corners of the image may be more useful than a Fresnel.

For me, I'm just talking about for my own work, what I find most difficult is framing and composing image when I can't fully see the entire thing when "stepping back" but with the Fresnel lens I can see the entire image usually, which makes it easier to compose. So for me it's not the focussing it's just seeing the entire image under the cloth, all I see is the center right now.

[Chauncey Walden]

A simple, inexpensive, office store page magnifier fresnel will make a big difference on 8x10. Mount it on your side of the ground glass with the smooth side towards you.

[Old-N-Feeble]

A simple, inexpensive, office store page magnifier fresnel will make a big difference on 8x10. Mount it on your side of the ground glass with the smooth side towards you.

Precisely... and later, if you decide you like a Fresnel all the time, you can have it professionally installed by a qualified technician. If mounted in front of the GG, the thickness of the Fresnel will move the focus slightly rearward so a tiny bit of material must be removed from the surface where the GG meets the back. Beware though... that modification is difficult and pricey to undo. Because of the expense be sure to buy a Fresnel you really like.

Of course, this assumes the GG is mounted on the outside and not the inside (I think most are). If the GG is mounted on the inside then you may only need to modify the mounting clips.

Research Bill Maxwell screens.

[andreios]

Thanks so far - honestly I don't think I've seen those page magnifiers anywhere locally... But I'll have a snoop round or try the bay...

Otherwise, I'm not just after brighter corners but whole GG. But I haven't thought about tilting loupe, I'll think about that too.

[cowanw]

If it fits ARI's GG is what you want
http://www.largeformatphotography.info/forum/showthread.php?119423-FS-8x10-Yanke-Ground-Glass-(2-piece)

[vinny]

As others have already said, the pag magnifiers are great. There was a guy selling them for $$$$ on ebay a couple years ago as 8x10 fresnels. I just picked up two more new ones at jo-ann fabrics for $6. That said, some folks won't buy something unless it has a brand name on it.

[djdister]

As others have already said, the pag magnifiers are great. There was a guy selling them for $$$$ on ebay a couple years ago as 8x10 fresnels. I just picked up two more new ones at jo-ann fabrics for $6. That said, some folks won't buy something unless it has a brand name on it.

And if it matters, you can choose either a flexible or a rigid page magnifier - also at Office Depot/Staples or your basic office supply store, just as cheap.

[Jerry Bodine]

http://www.staples.com/Bausch-Lomb-Magna-Page-Full-Page-Magnifier/product_251959 for increased brightness in the corners, not for magnification.

Some edge trimming would be needed, since it's 8-1/2 x 11, but that's been done by some folks with a sharp knife - it's plastic.

Not sure of the method of attaching to the camera. Thoughts?

[mdarnton]

Mine, I bent the GG retaining clips a little less than they wre, and it fit under them fine. I suppose it depends on the camera.

[Liquid Artist]

Although I agree with the page magnifier, if you truly only want a brighter ground glass then there's no replacement for those made by Steve Hopf. Google up Hopf Ground Glass reviews.

The problem with them being, they are a specialty product, and very expensive.

[djdister]

Although I agree with the page magnifier, if you truly only want a brighter ground glass then there's no replacement for those made by Steve Hopf. Google up Hopf Ground Glass reviews.

The problem with them being, they are a specialty product, and very expensive.

Yes, however Steve Hopf does not offer a separate or integrated fresnel with his ground glass, just two types: borosilicate and soda-lime glass. Perhaps Hopf’s Brilliant focusing screen eliminates the need for a fresnel?

[Maris Rusis]

...
I have been using my 8x10 Tachihara for a time now and recently I have been thinking about ways to improve the brightness of the ground glass to make the focusing easier - mainly because I quite often use it in dimly lit church interiors...

I've never seen a Tachihara camera that didn't have a fresnel installed as a factory standard item. But it's possible that a camera has been modified by replacing the remarkably bright Tachihara screen with a plain ground glass. A "whole page magnifier" is a cheap (about $2 around here) flexible fresnel about A4 in size that can be cut with scissors to match a 8x10 ground glass. Screen brightness is remarkably enhanced if you centre your eye behind the screen; not so good at other angles. And the fresnel doesn't improve focussing accuracy. Sometimes the obtrusive fresnel lines confuse image detail and actually reduce focussing accuracy.