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  #21  
Old 29th June 2016, 12:20 PM
DaveP DaveP is offline
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Just be wary of cheap far-east screens from eBay - I got one for the rolleiflex and it was terrible, dark corners and unusably grainy/coarse. Lasted about 2 minutes in the camera before switching back to the battered and scratched original.
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  #22  
Old 29th June 2016, 12:33 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Good tip Dave -- thanks.

This is an interesting topic, actually. In reading other TLR users comments on replacement screens, it seems that some of the plastic ones (including some of the expensive ones), while undeniably brighter, may actually make it harder to focus because the image doesn't snap into focus like on the old ground glass. Precise focus may therefore be a bit vague. Composition, on the other hand, being the second thing one does on the screen, is of course much easier with a brighter screen.

I briefly toyed with the idea of getting one of the Rolleimeter rangefinder attachments and using it for composing and focusing. But looking at that gestell sticking up, I would probably snap it clean off within the hour, or at very least knock the rangefinder thingy out of alignment. Doesn't seem very practical for use out in the real world.

Svend
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  #23  
Old 29th June 2016, 12:35 PM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is offline
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Svend, the Chinese screen on my Microcord is about the same brightness as the screen of my Automat but sunstantially brighter than my Rolleicord II's screen.

I make focus screens on quite a regular basis mostly for LF cameras but have made 2 or 3 for TLRs, my experience is that older screens are always a lot dimmer however by the 60's though they were usually far better.

Ian
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  #24  
Old 29th June 2016, 12:50 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Thanks Ian. Good to know. Makes sense, actually. The camera in question is a 'C model, which puts it in the late '50's. My other 'Flex is the 3.5F from the early 60's I think, and it has a much better screen (which I do not intend to replace).

I still wonder about having to re-collimate the lens after installing a new screen. In everyone's experience, is this mandatory whenever a new screen is installed? Or is it just swap and go?

Svend

Last edited by Svend; 29th June 2016 at 12:59 PM.
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  #25  
Old 29th June 2016, 01:04 PM
Lostlabours Lostlabours is offline
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The screens don't alter the focus so there's no adjustmenys needed. I was wrong the Chinese screen I used is not a fresnel it just has the centre focus spot.

Ian
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  #26  
Old 29th June 2016, 01:25 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Excellent. I would not want to have to bring the camera back to the tech to readjust the lens.

I will put the camera into active service now that it's back from the service tech (shutter speeds were pretty badly off, among other things), and then put in a new screen at some point soon. Looking forward to using it. If anyone is interested, I may do a simple Planar vs. Xenotar sharpness test with my two cameras, and could post the results here. Let me know...

Thanks to all for the excellent feedback.

Best,
Svend

PS -- Pete, apologies for drifting this thread off-topic.

Last edited by Svend; 29th June 2016 at 01:33 PM.
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  #27  
Old 4th July 2016, 07:49 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mike O'Pray View Post
Svend, some of us soccer fans from one of the Celtic races regret that our team never got there in the first place but others such as the Irish did quite well and the Welsh are still there.

Mike
And still the Welsh are in it! Impressive! Missed watching the game, but heard it was a good one. First time ever to a semi-final game - congrats to them!

Wanted Iceland to take it to the French, but they were just thoroughly outplayed. Sad to see the Vikings out of it. Still, an impressive performance for that tiny country.

Seeing these small countries do so well sure makes watching these tournaments so much more interesting.

Svend
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  #28  
Old 22nd July 2016, 08:39 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Back to the dim focusing screens of the older Rolleiflex's -- I've read a couple of comments over on APUG or RFF about people waxing these screens to make them brighter?! Apparently applying a thin layer of clear wax to the ground glass (textured side) greatly increases view-ability, esp. around the edges. A web search brings up exactly zilch on this. Has anyone here ever tried this trick, or heard reports of someone who has? Is this bogus or legit?

Regards,
Svend

Last edited by Svend; 22nd July 2016 at 08:48 PM.
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  #29  
Old 23rd July 2016, 06:43 AM
John King John King is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SvendN View Post
PS -- I may actually sell the 3.5F if I end up not using it. If the Xenotar in the 'C is as good as they say, and the body is a good performer (ie. reliable; no other issues) then I will have no reason to keep the 'F. Too much overlap. That money would be better put to use for re-establishing a darkroom. At the moment the only thing I dislike about the 'C is the dim viewfinder. I will have to find a fix for that....

Cheers,
Svend
A few years back I owned a Rollie F with a 3.5 Xenotar and found that the lens had incredibly high contrast to what I was used to and had to modify my development to make the negatives manageable. It was a wonderful camera and the meter was almost always spot on.
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  #30  
Old 24th July 2016, 01:19 PM
Svend Svend is offline
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Hi John,

That's great info to know. I haven't used the camera much as yet -- too busy with work, etc., and using other newly-acquired cameras lately for the little shooting that I'm doing. The few rolls I have put through the 3.5C have been HP5 in D76 and Perceptol, and all in flat light, so somewhat low contrast scenes and film/dev combo, and no issues with excessive contrast were found. But I will start using it much more soon and your comments will certainly help avoid any consternation should the negs start showing unexpected high contrast.

BTW, I wonder if the Xenotar in my 3.5C is the same as in your 'F model? I know that Schneider changed from a 6-element design to 5-element for this lens, but I'm can't recall when Rollei decided to make the switch in their TLRs, or if it only applied to the 80mm f2.8 model. As far as I know, the Xenotar in mine is a 6-element. I will check into this when I have a moment...

Best,
Svend

Last edited by Svend; 24th July 2016 at 01:30 PM.
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