6x6 focus screens

tunalegs

tunalegs

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Kamera-Werkstätten Pilot 6 by berangberang, on Flickr

I'm looking for a screen to replace the broken ground glass on my Pilot 6. I would like to use a modern fresnel screen but have run into the problem that the ones which are available new on ebay all seem to have a split prism in the center. I need one with a plain ground glass focus spot because of this camera's slow lens and the need to not have the center of the screen black out when stopping down the lens.

Does anybody know what cameras used such a screen (I'm guessing that some TLRs must have) so that I can seek one out?
 
Yashicas, Minolta Autocords, Ricohflex, and Mamiyas all have focusing screens with fresnel, though some may have a grid on them. Mamiya offered different focusing screens, but the standard plain screen would be what you describe. Even my old Mamiyaflex has a plain screen with fresnel.

- Murray
 
a cheap DIY fresnel is easy to make. Visit the nearest office supply retailer and pick up a reading helper. It's basically a large transparent fresnel sheet. Cut a 6x6 size from the center part of the sheet and drop it on the focusing screen.
 
Rollei makes matte focusing screens. I have some around.
I've adapted them to various cameras.

That pilot looks like it uses matte groundglass.
 
Not sure what size you need, but Hasselblad screens can be had for almost nothing and might work for you. They made matte screens in various types.

I used to put them in my Kievs and Pentacons, when I had them.
 
Thanks for the comments everybody.

I remembered that I had a terminal Walzflex packed away in the garage which had a fresnel screen. Taking it apart I found out that the fresnel was actually separate from the ground glass so I trimmed that down and tried fitting it to the Pilot. I thought I was lucky that the fresnel screen measured the same thickness as the shim under the ground glass in the pilot - so I simply removed the shim and put in the screen. But unfortunately I couldn't get the focus to match, so I removed the fresnel again and put the shim back. It looks like I'll have to search out for screen with an integral fresnel screen, or try the trick of putting a thin one over the top of the ground glass.

I also noticed the mirror was in worse shape than I suspected so a new one is on its way and I believe that will make a big different in viewfinder brightness.
 
Yes a new mirror will hake a huge difference.

You mention that you use the camera by viewing through the glass with the lens stopped down. I would think that this would darken a fresnel lens quite a bit. Just something to consider. It looks like you have a piece of plain matte groundglass in that camera. Is it glass, dosen't appear to be plastic or acrylic. You could cut down a piece of plain matte groundglass of a bigger size, then you could view with the lens stopped down.
Just find groundglass the same thickness as the original. I find them sometimes in old view camera backs, or I just buy the glass. Plaubel groundglass, for instance, is European and has a unique thickness. Maybe this will help.
 
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