If you're thinking about changing screens...

[Joakim Målare]

...this may be inspiring.

I have a Rolleiflex 3.5B and I changed the original screen to one designed for the Mamiya RZ67, going by these instructions: http://www.panum.de/rolleiflex_screen.htm (for focus adjustment, read the comments further down on that site for doing it properly).

Comparisons have been done before, but I took a couple of shots before and after for my own sake. Since sharing doesn't hurt, here's the difference...

Shot in the same lighting at the same exposure. What looks a bit like vignetting on the new screen is just the shadow from the lampshade above the view. The vignetting in the left shot... is just that 😉

Well, that cured me a little bit from craving a GF670W... at least for a while. It'll be fun to see what it looks like in daylight tomorrow!

Have a nice evening!

 

[miragem5]

On my same era Rolleicord IV I cut down a 124G fresnal and fitted it on top of the screen which requires no other adjustments with great results, and yesterday I recieved a Rolleigrid and fitted it this morning ,the rollei grid is ok but not near the brightness of the 124G screen.
012 by steveod2007, on Flickr
010 by steveod2007, on Flickr
Top is Yashica-mat 124G , Lower is Rolleicord IV with Rolleigrid fresnal fiitted .
Rolleigrid bought through on line auction for $37.00 including post and required a little clean on the top surface with metal polish to remove some cleaning marks othewise it fits well and does the job required

 

[jpa66]

Yes, it's amazing what a new screen can do. I had used a couple of tlr's before I got my Rolleiflex, and the screens were OK. The Rollei I got had a Maxwell screen fitted to it, and the difference was like night and day! I would definitely recommend getting a new screen for any of the old Rollei's.

 

[triton3k]

wow what a big difference. I wonder if anyone has done it to their 124G.

 

[Spanik]

Makes me wonder about what it would do to a C330.

 

[miragem5]

wow what a big difference. I wonder if anyone has done it to their 124G.

Don't think you would see a very noticeable difference , my 124G and Mat66 have quite bright screens, The 124G with its 2.8 viewing lens is the brightest and easyest to focus of all my TLRs

 

[triton3k]

Don't think you would see a very noticeable difference , my 124G and Mat66 have quite bright screens, The 124G with its 2.8 viewing lens is the brightest and easyest to focus of all my TLRs

maybe its just me but even though I find the screen a bit bright I just wish it were a bit brighter. Also isnt it a 3.5 oppose to 2.8?

 

[miragem5]

maybe its just me but even though I find the screen a bit bright I just wish it were a bit brighter. Also isnt it a 3.5 oppose to 2.8?

My 124G has a 2.8 viewing lens and I think all the later 12,24, and plane Mats from the late 1960s had the same ,but i have been wrong before so my ex wife kept telling me.

 

[miragem5]

You can dramatically increase the brightness of an old standard screen by several methods. One which I use is to wax it which is very simple to do. Any solid wax like beeswax should work dissolved in a bit of solvent. I use Butcher's Wax. You have to see it to believe how much of a difference it makes.

The other method I can recall off the top of my head is shellac. Shellac isn't as easy to reverse though for obvious reasons.

If your camera has a fresnel, you don't want to apply anything to it, only apply the wax to the ground glass. Cleaning the fresnel will usually make a difference though.

Will give the beeswax ago .Do you apply to both sides of the gound glass?

 

[wallace]

I am also interested in the beeswax method. So one more time:
Do you apply to both sides of the ground glass?

 

[Brian Legge]

Does anyone happen to have comparisons with a later Rollei like the 3.5F? I'm curious if there is much benefit updating from it. I'm as interested in focusing accuracy as I am in brightness.

 

[Ljós]

I have a Rolleiflex MX-EVS type 2 (also a member of the "B" family, I think) coming my way, so depending on how "the view" is, I am certainly thinking about making a move.
Joakim, how hard was it to find a suitable RZ67 screen, and what is a ballpark going price?
Other than that, after having read some threads here and elsewere, Rick Oleson's screen(s) is sounding promising: http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-175.html
(no affiliation, no personal experience so far).

Thanks Joakim for the side-by-side-comparison!

Greetings, Ljós

 

[Vics]

I put Beattie screens on both of my Rolleis (MX and 3.5F) and I like them a lot, but now the price has more than doubled. I hear that the Maxwell screens are much easier to focus, but also pricey.

 

[Godfrey]

I put Maxwell screens in all my Rolleiflexes. They were worth the money.

I've debated replacing the Acute Matte in the Hassy with a Maxwell screen too, but I'm not sure that the difference is so pronounced.

G

 

[Dave Jenkins]

I had an Acute Matte screen in a Hasselblad 500CM some years ago and replaced it with a Maxwell screen. The Maxwell was clearly better.

 

[Godfrey]

I had an Acute Matte screen in a Hasselblad 500CM some years ago and replaced it with a Maxwell screen. The Maxwell was clearly better.

Thanks! Now I'll need to spend more money ... :-/

G

 

[pakeha]

Bronica s2 eye level finder and split focus screen goes straight onto Minolta Autocord, sorely needed with my deteriorating eye sight.