"Maxwell Screen" vs "Brightscreen"

[Kucho]

Hi

I finally have the money to buy either a "brightscreen" or "Maxwell screen" for my Hasselblad.

Dead Link Removed

http://www.mattclara.com/maxwell/index.html

However, I have read some many favorable reviews for both, that I cannot make up my mind which to buy.

I would love to hear everyone's opinion regarding which of these two screens provides the best "SNAP FOCUS".

What I mean, is that I want to choose the screen that allows your eye to snap the subject into focus the easiest/fastest.

If anyone has owned both of these screens, please tell me which one you think helped you focus the fastest and had htat "contrasty" snap factor.

By the way, I plan to shoot holding the camera at waist level and looking down at the focus-screen without the aid of the WLF "magnifier".

Thanks everyone in advance.

 

[johnielvis]

hmmmmm...you should also plan on blurry pictures if you do that--unless you use the 30mm fisheye or something like that

you should forget the screen for focusing like that and just use the stock one for composing--best for you is the one with the middle rangefinder prisms then--that would work best for what you have in mind. Or the one with the many prisms in themiddle--the "central grid"

 

[Leigh B]

You can only "snap focus" a scene that's already in focus.

BTW, I've never heard that term in the 50+ years that I've used LF. Did you make it up?

I cannot compare the two since I only have the Maxwell. Very bright and very easy focus.

I normally don't even bother with a dark cloth, unless the sun is shining directly on the GG.

- Leigh

 

[Brian C. Miller]

For a Hasselblad MF camera, I'd only change the screen if I was really dissatisfied with it. I have stock screens in all of my MF cameras, and the only screen that's not stock is my Graflex Super Graphic.

I have a Brightscreen in my Graflex. The camera came with a replacement GG, which threw off the focus. I didn't initially realize that, and I bought a Brightscreen as a replacement. It required a little shimming (1 35mm strip, 1 LF strip) and it's absolutely great.

I was out photographing with another LF photographer, and he said that he had never seen a GG as bright as mine. It's a really excellent GG and Fresnel combination.

But I'd only upgrade a MF GG if you're really unhappy with what you have, not as something to blow some bucks on it. I'd buy more film first.

 

[lxdude]

How does the Acute Matte screen compare?

 

[Leigh B]

I have to go by marketing hype here, since I've never used the non-Acute-Matte screens in many decades.

I do believe the Acute-Matte screens are brighter, but I can't tell you by how much. All of my Hasselblad bodies have them.

- Leigh

 

[SkipA]

I had an Acute Matte screen on my Hasselblad before I switched it for a Maxwell. There is no perceptible difference in brightness, that I could detect. They seemed about the same. I switched to the Maxwell to get the rangefinder split prism since my Acute Matte screen was a plain screen.

 

[resummerfield]

I had an Acute Matte screen on my Hasselblad before I switched it for a Maxwell. There is no perceptible difference in brightness, that I could detect. They seemed about the same. I switched to the Maxwell to get the rangefinder split prism since my Acute Matte screen was a plain screen.

That is exactly my experience... no difference between Acute Matte and the Maxwell, except for the focusing aid. They are both excellent.

 

[darkprints]

Hi
What I mean, is that I want to choose the screen that allows your eye to snap the subject into focus the easiest/fastest.
Thanks everyone in advance.

For "snap", you would want a microprism or split-image. At one time, Hasselblad came with the microprism as the standard screen (I have one).

 

[Oren Grad]

I had a Maxwell screen installed in a Rolleiflex 3.5E during a general overhaul, in place of the original factory-installed screen. It was much brighter, all right, but I found it very difficult to focus. If I had to make the decision again, I would stick with the original, or look for alternatives to the Maxwell.

As always with subjective judgments, YMMV.

 

[jelke]

i just bought a new screen http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-175.html for my rolleicord Vb and i love it

 

[SpunkySpine]

I don't have any replacement/upgrade screen in either of my MF or LF cameras but I've been curious and tempted to try a "Beattie Intenscreen" as advertised at Kohscamera.com Supposed to increase brightness on the GG equivalent to about 2 f stops.

 

[jochen]

I have an Intenscreen in my Rolleiflex 2,8 F and I had a factory installed ground glass screen in the 3,5 Automat MXV. The Intenscreen is much brighter especially in the corner, it has a very fine "grain", but the exact focus is easier to detect on the ground glass (but only in the middle). I changed the ground glass against a cutted to fit Mamiya RB 67 screen, this works perfect for me. This solution was much much cheaper than an Intenscreen would have been. I'd not spent so much money.