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Silfver · Joined: 15 Sep 2003 Posts: 4 Location: San Francisco, CA

How much does a Fresnel screen actually "do for you" on a Super Graphics camera? It is x stop brighter and easier to focus?

If a camera such as this does NOT come with a fresnel screen mounted what is the approx price one would have to expect to pay to get one installed (can you do it yourself?).

[ This Message was edited by: Silfver on 2003-09-28 15:46 ]

Henry · Posted: Sun Sep 28, 2003 11:54 pm Post subject:

Don't know about the Super Graphic, but I can tell you that on my Century Graphic the fresnel evens out the light level on the ground glass, i.e., the corners now seem about as bright as the center. It doesn't make focussing any easier for me because now you have the effect of those concentric rings to contend with.

There is always the question of how much, if any, does a fresnel affect the focus. The general concensus seems to be that it certainly will if the position of the ground glass is changed, but there are conflicting ideas as to whether the fresnel itself has a focal length (also which side of the ground glass the fresnel screen is on, and whether the fresnel ridges face toward the lens or toward the glass). These topics have been debated at length on this board and elsewhere. I was able to fit a fresnel into the ground glass frame of my Century, without changing the relative position of the GG, but the procedure was somewhat elaborate (it involved trimming the fresnel, leaving a tab at each corner to fit into the slots already manufactured in the frame). I haven't noticed any focus shift resulting from this set-up.

45PSS · Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2003 1:23 am Post subject:

A fresnel screen is shown in the parts manual as being installed first with the ridges facing the ground glass. If the Ektalite Screen(as it is called in the book) is missing then the ground glass will require shimming to prevent having to recalibrate the Range Finder system.
Charles Monday

_________________
The best camera ever made is the one that YOU enjoy using and produces the image quality that satifies YOU.

Dan Fromm · Joined: 14 May 2001 Posts: 2148 Location: New Jersey

Henry · Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2003 8:40 pm Post subject:

Hi, Dan!

Very interesting. If I rightly understand your fresnel set-up, then your GG position has not changed because the cutting down of the pads allowed for the thickness of the fresnel. (I achieved the same results by using the panel's corner notches to receive the tabs that I fashioned in the corners of the fresnel screen.) Do (does) your Pacemaker panel(s) have the corner notches like my Century panel? By the way, my fresnel screen is mounted on the lens side of the GG with ridges facing the GG--is that how yours is done?

Dan Fromm · Joined: 14 May 2001 Posts: 2148 Location: New Jersey

Henry · Posted: Mon Sep 29, 2003 11:59 pm Post subject:

Dan,

Yep, my panel is also #31716. Yours wouldn't show notched corners because the pads would have been milled down to their depth, obliterating them. Come to think of it, maybe that's why the notches were cast in there in the first place---to give the machinist a depth guide! Well, I found another use for them.

Ah, yes, the good old days when Shutterbug was BIG (in both senses) and filled with classified ads in back. I picked up a beautiful mint Minolta 35mm perspective control lens from a guy down South through one of those ads. Shortly thereafter I got my Century and it was goodbye small format!

clnfrd · Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2003 12:30 pm Post subject:

Dan....You said you got out your Century...it's a Pacemaker too. Did they make a Century Graphic in a Pacemaker model? Fred.

Dan Fromm · Joined: 14 May 2001 Posts: 2148 Location: New Jersey

alecj · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 853 Location: Alabama

I know there are a lot of similar features, Dan, but IMO calling a Century a Pacemaker is apt to confuse others. AFAIK, Graflex never did that.

clnfrd · Posted: Tue Sep 30, 2003 9:35 pm Post subject:

Thanks. I have a Century Graphic, all black...had two back in the '50's, one grey with the red bellows...and had never heard them referred to as "Pacemakers". But, then, there are lots of things I've never heard of...and even more things I've heard of..but then forgotten.

Fred

[ This Message was edited by: clnfrd on 2003-09-30 14:36 ]

Dan Fromm · Joined: 14 May 2001 Posts: 2148 Location: New Jersey

clnfrd · Posted: Thu Oct 02, 2003 12:16 am Post subject:

Hey, COOL! According to Paine, I've got TWO Pacemakers!! Now if I could just find that darn body release on my Pacemaker Century....

alecj · Joined: 09 May 2001 Posts: 853 Location: Alabama

Actually, my red-bellows Century DID come with a body release - of sort. It was a little plastic holder mounted on the top left side, which held a cable release which, when attached to the lens, became a ..... body release! I've seen them on 45 TR Crowns - so I guess we have to say those cameras had TWO body releases.