How do I make my Graflex Crown Graphic's ground glass brighter?

[Certain Exposures]

If your Fresnel is the original, the smooth side is supposed to go forward toward the camera lens. It helps -- a little, and back in the day lots of view cameras did not have Fresnels. Personally, I find the pop-out shade, though a nifty and durable design and a good ground glass protector, inadequate for serious composition and focusing. And it makes using a loupe problematic.

If you have an accurate bed scale, and/or a working rangefinder, the metal/spring frame on the front standard is the brightest 'viewfinder' you can have. And it frames things accurately and automatically adjusts for different focal lengths, even if the rangefinder does not.

I've either got a third-party fresnel or somebody has some explaining to do! The smooth side was facing me, not the lens, when I opened up the camera. There isn't any sort of indicator on the fresnel that it was built by Graflex...I don't have an accurate bed scale or a working rangefinder . Your point still stands though! Thanks

When first offered in, IIRC, 1949 the fresnel was optional. Earlier cameras didn't come with one.

Putting a fresnel in front of the GG has two effects. It shifts the GG backwards and out of register with the film plane. Optically, it shifts the plane of best focus ~ 1/3 of the fresnel's thickness and out of register with the film plane.

Graflex Inc.'s solution? Pacemaker Graphics' GG rests on bosses on the focusing panel. The bosses on focusing panels intended to be used with a Graflex-issued fresnel are lower than the bosses on focusing panels not intended to be used with a fresnel.

Aftermarket fresnels should be mounted behind the GG.

Do you know if Graflex's ground glass for the Crown Graphic is supposed to be an opaque piece of plastic? That's what I've got. The fresnel was mounted in front of the ground glass like you mentioned. I always shoot F16 or F22 so maybe I've been lucky. Maybe I should try swapping places.

The later Pacemaker GG's have a plastic fresnel lens between lens/GG, so make sure you carefully note the orientation of grooved side of fresnel and proper stacking order and reinstall exactly, or a focusing error will come to life...

Don't scrub the plastic fresnel with anything rougher than your finger or soft cloth + dishwashing detergent...

If lines wash off, you can make new lines with a sharp pencil and a tri-square...

Good is clean...

Steve K

The ground glass is the one without any etched lines in it right? Just a smooth and a "gritty" side?

[Dan Fromm]

Do you know if Graflex's ground glass for the Crown Graphic is supposed to be an opaque piece of plastic? That's what I've got.

Absolutely not. The GG is glass, one side, which faces the photographer, is smooth. The other, which faces the lens, is matte, may be gritty. Your camera's GG is not original issue.

The ground glass is the one without any etched lines in it right? Just a smooth and a "gritty" side?

The fresnel will have concentric grooves.