Current state of 8x10 bright screen manufactures ?

[gabriele turchi]

Hi there
i am looking to upgrade my sinar 8x10 screen (i currently have the regular sinar screen + an old fresnel lens )
looking on eBay i see a few options for fresnel (yanke , some chinese ones etc...) but i was wondering how many custom made ultra bright screen manufactures are currently an option ,

from past research i remember many people mentioning bill maxwell (but perhaps very pricey for a single 8x10 screen? )
any other recommendation? ( i was hoping to spend no more than 350 USD or something like that )

thanks!
g

[rorye]

Steve Hopf (hopfsteve@gmail.com) can be hard to reach but makes a great ground glass.

[gabriele turchi]

thanks , i'll give it a try ( i have also tried to reach out bill maxwell by email , but no reply ...yet)

i was thinking : reading around about maxwell screens , it seems that the viewing angle is quite narrow ...considering that aim going to use a Reflex viewer on my 8x10 sinar ..i wonder if that viewing angle would be the wrong one ( unfortunately the sinar reflex viewer does not allow to charge the angle of teh mirro like the arca swiss 4x5 does ...)

does anyone by any chance has any expire with sinar 8x10 reflex viewer + maxwell screen (or similar brighter screen that has narrower viewing angle ?)

thanks

g

[Peter De Smidt]

Bill does best with phone calls, but you have to set aside a lot of time, as he likes to talk!

[StuartR]

Any updates on this? Bill Maxwell made a screen for me for my Chamonix, but it was quite expensive. It is very bright and easy to focus, but the viewing angle is indeed much more directional than his old screen I have in a 4x5 camera. I do not know if this is just a function of the larger format. But the screen in the 8x10 is a fresnel with a ground glass screen, while the one in the 4x5 is a clear glass protector and a single ground glass/fresnel in one. I much prefer the 4x5 one, but I believe he said it is not possible to make them like that for 8x10, as the plastic is not dimensionally strong enough to guarantee flatness. This was awhile ago though, so don't quote me on it.
Recently I found an 8x10 back for my Sinar, and I would like to upgrade the screen, as the existing one is just a plain ground glass and seems extremely dark too me. Granted, it is the Arctic night, so everything is dark, but that is a fact of life here and it is helpful to have an extra bright screen. The Maxwell was good, but I think it was nearly 650 dollars, and I just don't have it in me to pay that again....maybe if it was as good as the 4x5 version.

What about Arca Swiss or Linhof? Do their screens/fresnels fit in a Sinar 8x10? I would prefer not to have to resort to going to a shop to get it cut (not willing to take the risk, given the cost).
Has anyone used the Yanke glass/fresnel screens?

It seems Steven Hopf is no longer doing this business...

Thank you!

[CreationBear]

Recently I found an 8x10 back for my Sinar

Definitely interested in this topic as well--I've had no trouble with my 5x7 Sinar Norma GG, even under canopy here in the American South, but the 8x10 back I recently picked up has been a "through a glass darkly" experience. One thing I have been experimenting with is a page magnifier fresnel ($5 USD or so on Amazon) that brightens things enough for composing, though I remove it to check "critical focus" before taking the shot.

[erie patsellis]

Its been my experience that a clean Sinar ground glass with the OE fresnel is extremely bright with normal to long lenses, with wider lenses it tends to exhibit a bit of directionality. It may be worthwhile to clean the ground glass, but test a corner first, as some I’ve had, all the screen printed grids (and asymmetrical tilt lines) came right off, not a problem if you are prepared and have a overhead transparency printed with the grid and lines to overlay.

[StuartR]

Thank you Erie for the advice on cleaning. That is the first thing I did. So it seems there are no updates here? Has anyone any ideas on who to contact for a current higher end screen, other than Bill?
By the way, here is the comparison between my Maxwell screen in the Chamonix and the standard Sinar screen. They are both 5.6 lenses, but the Sinar should have the advantage, as it is a 300mm vs the 240mm. The difference in brightness is not subtle...and the Maxwell is easy to focus...as well. The Sinar can be focused in decent light, but composition is difficult. Again, this is the worst time of year to be doing this for me, as I only have about 40 minutes now when the sun is above the mountain, but still, it would be nice to find a screen that could handle that, without the extreme directionality of the Maxwell screen, even if it is not quite so bright.

222249

[bmikiten]

thanks , i'll give it a try ( i have also tried to reach out bill maxwell by email , but no reply ...yet)

i was thinking : reading around about maxwell screens , it seems that the viewing angle is quite narrow ...considering that aim going to use a Reflex viewer on my 8x10 sinar ..i wonder if that viewing angle would be the wrong one ( unfortunately the sinar reflex viewer does not allow to charge the angle of teh mirro like the arca swiss 4x5 does ...)

does anyone by any chance has any expire with sinar 8x10 reflex viewer + maxwell screen (or similar brighter screen that has narrower viewing angle ?)

thanks

g

I had several calls with Bill and placed an order a few weeks ago but never got an invoice and had trouble reaching him again by email or phone so I ended up ordering from someone else mostly due to time constraints. I suspect the screens I got (Arca Swiss and Canham) will both be good but probably not as exciting as what Bill discussed. Such is life...

Brian

[Yourix]

I have not tested it myself but here in France there is a guy who sell hand-polished custom made gound glasses... He seems to have a good reputation and they are quite cheap (40€ for a 8x10).
You can reach him here i guess : https://www.leboncoin.fr/profil/286f1491-07bc-4706-9c8a-23d54df7b729/offres

[bmikiten]

I have not tested it myself but here in France there is a guy who sell hand-polished custom made gound glasses... He seems to have a good reputation and they are quite cheap (40€ for a 8x10).
You can reach him here i guess : https://www.leboncoin.fr/profil/286f1491-07bc-4706-9c8a-23d54df7b729/offres

A "bright screen" is typically a Fresnel and high quality glass and not just a polished piece of glass. Fresnels have specific lines per inch, angles and designs.

Brian

[LabRat]

I suspect with older GG's that fine dirt/soot/dust gets into the grain darkening them... Cleaning helps, but a fresh newer regular GG is a treat to use (before spending $$$ for an ultra bright GG)...

I personally hate GG's with grids, as it is distracting while trying to find the natural flow of the subject, but might keep center lines or smaller format corners on glass, but grids make me feel subject is in jail!!! I don't worry if lines wash off while cleaning, because I just add new ones with drafting instruments and a hard lead pencil...

I recently posted about making GG's from plain glass, and it came out soooooo well, I will continue making them for all my cameras... Getting the glass cut properly is the tricky part, but grinding them very nicely was child's play (almost)... They looked as good as the "satin snow" product... Easily a stop brighter than old glass...

If not, just buy whatever blows your mind, and your mind will be blown...
Still cheaper than a new faster lens or film... ;-)

Steve K

[Yourix]

A "bright screen" is typically a Fresnel and high quality glass and not just a polished piece of glass. Fresnels have specific lines per inch, angles and designs.

Brian

I know what a Fresnel is, thank you.
But here we are talking about ground-glass I think... And a GG is, as the name sugest, a piece of glass with a grinded side...