Shen Hao TZ45 IIB - Ground glass dim

[John NYC]

I didn't like the Shen Hao ground glass either. I bought a Canham ground glass ($42 USD from The View Camera store) which, while a bit grainy, is also slightly brighter. It is a good solution for me. YMMV.

[Michael Wynd]

Jamiek,
I had a Shen Hao, same model as you, and had the same problem. Once the light level dropped, it was almost impossible to focus correctly. I moved to a Tachihara 8x10 and the difference between the two GG's was enormous. I don't think this was due to the size difference, but because of the quality of the GG.
If you can afford it buy a new GG or grind one yourself. There is a thread here that tells you how.
Mike

[shadowleaves]

There is a slot behind the ground glass for fresnel for most Shen-hao LF cameras, and so you can buy a Shen-hao 4x5 Fresnel from Badger. It's cheap (I got mine for around $60) but pretty good in terms of quality. However, you will need to adjust the position of ground glass and fresnel with shims, as the fresnel will be placed between the GG and the lens.

[wclavey]

I have the same Shen Hao as you and I thought the GG was not as bright as the one on my old 4x5 (a Satin Snow glass). I purchased a brighter GG from Steve Hopf (photofixation on his ebay store). He sells several different types and I got his middle brighter grade - - not the most expensive stronger glass. It made about a stop's difference in brightness over the original Shen Hao glass.

Subsequently, I added a fresnel from another 4x5 behind (on the viewing side, not the lens side) of the GG with also helped a lot with the brightness. And by adding it on the viewing side, it did not require shimming or repositioning the GG.

This fresnel that I added looks like it was cut from one of the page magnifiers you buy at the office supply stores.