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Sdrubansky
10-Oct-2010, 06:47
Hello

Just curious to know how many out there prefer gridded focus screens as opposed
to plain ground glass - with or without fresnel.
What kind of grid does your screen have? What would be your ideal design?

I find my grid (1cm squares w/ 6x7 & 6x9 marks) helps me with balancing composition and evaluating available space.

Also:
Does anybody have usable grid designs (PDF, jpg etc.) to have etched onto a glass,
or even printed on acetate?

According to some old threads there use to be some on a 'satin snow' website.
(now offline)

Thanks,
Matteo

Jack Dahlgren
10-Oct-2010, 07:05
Hello

Just curious to know how many out there prefer gridded focus screens as opposed
to plain ground glass - with or without fresnel.
What kind of grid does your screen have? What would be your ideal design?

I find my grid (1cm squares w/ 6x7 & 6x9 marks) helps me with balancing composition and evaluating available space.

Also:
Does anybody have usable grid designs (PDF, jpg etc.) to have etched onto a glass,
or even printed on acetate?

According to some old threads there use to be some on a 'satin snow' website.
(now offline)

Thanks,
Matteo

I find too many marks distracting. 1" would be better for me than 1cm. 3cm by 3cm would be good.

jan labij
10-Oct-2010, 13:31
My B&J comm vue has the grid----I don't know if I'm going to like it though, (I've never had a view camera that had gridlines before this one, hope it's not a distraction.)

William Barnett-Lewis
10-Oct-2010, 21:02
If you wish, here's a link where the satin snow grids can be found:
http://web.archive.org/web/20061231121613/satinsnowglass.com/html/downloads.html

Sdrubansky
10-Oct-2010, 22:42
Thank you William.

M

Doremus Scudder
11-Oct-2010, 05:02
I really find a gridded ground glass helpful when shooting architecturals and city-scapes. They help me get the vertical and horizontal lines where I want them. Sure, the bubble levels help to get the verticals close, but even then the camera often needs a little finer adjustments to get them exactly parallel. As for parallel horizontals, the levels help none at all, so the grid on the ground glass is the only guide.

That said, I often use a ground glass without a pattern for landscape shooting. I have a couple for several cameras and switch them (or cameras) depending on the need.

My preference is for a 2-3 cm grid pattern.

Best,

Doremus Scudder

Jim Jones
11-Oct-2010, 05:13
I prefer a grid for the reasons cited by Doremus. A grid lightly scribed into a ground glass with a needle or ball point pen that no longer writes is unobtrusive when not used.

timparkin
16-Oct-2010, 13:02
No grid at all here and I'm using a maxwell screen - I find the lack of grid really refreshing and allows me to concentrate on compositional structure. Use the bubble levels for alignment (unless obviously wierd) and have tiny marks in the margin to show centre and assymetric axes (on ebony 45su)

dave_whatever
16-Oct-2010, 13:35
My shen hao screen has a grid by default but i've just ordered a plain screen, same reasons as Tim says above. Similarly I hate a cluttered or gridded viewfinder on an SLR.

ki6mf
16-Oct-2010, 15:48
I have a Shen Hao and it has a grid screen and also has markings in the center for 6X7 and 6X9 roll film.

I would like to have a custom screen made up with grid divided in thirds plus a diagonals marked with the golden mean 1.61 per section as opposed to the rule of thirds 1.67 per section

Sdrubansky
17-Oct-2010, 00:08
I think the best way to get a custom screen would be to design it yourself in illustrator/photoshop and having it laser etched onto a plain ground glass.

I think sooner or later I'm goin to try it since I have an old plain 4x5"glass around for
emergencies and I'd love for the grid to be clear rather than black.

Testing a design by printing it on acetate first would also make it easier to choose
the most appropriate.

What kind of alternative glasses like Bosscreen or Maxwell are still available today?
I'm not a great fan of fresnel lens (the fresnel lines bother me more than any grid)
and I haven't read nice things in regards to expensive Beattie screens.

GPS
17-Oct-2010, 00:43
...

I think sooner or later I'm goin to try it since I have an old plain 4x5"glass around for
emergencies and I'd love for the grid to be clear rather than black.

...

There is a good reason why the lines are black or dark. Clear lines get lost in the composition. But if you want to experiment in an easy way try to put on your screen narrow stripes of clear Scotch type. You can put them on your screen even in unusual patterns and take them away at will.

Sdrubansky
17-Oct-2010, 02:26
There is a good reason why the lines are black or dark. Clear lines get lost in the composition.

Thanks for the input GPS, I hadn't though of that.

I don't know about the tape method though, maybe I'd be easier just printing some designs on clear plastic on my home printer.

Arca Swiss seems like the only LF camera designer that provides clear lines
on the focus screen.

Images show the black design I currently use and an Arca equivalent that
(untill now) I would have thought of as a better option.

I suppose there is nothing like actual, first hand experience in this matter.
I'd also be curious to try a focus screen with a centre spot/hole.

M

GPS
17-Oct-2010, 04:05
The Arca Swiss gg lines are both dark and light - depending on the background of your scene. On a dark background they are light, on the light background you see them as dark lines. At least on my AS F-line camera.