Maxwell screen for rollei: Hard to focus? Is it true?

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filmtime

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I recently got my first TLR: a Rolleiflex 3.5 C Planar. It's in great condition, but the shutter is a tad slow and I don't think it's been serviced in decades.

I'm going to be sending it away for a CLA, and am considering getting a Maxwell screen put in too.

I'm going to be using this camera a lot, and hopefully for a long time.

My question is this: for those of you who have opted to have a Maxwell screen installed on their rollei, is it harder to focus? I've seen some posts around the web, including on this forum, where people have said that though the Maxwell screen is splendidly bright, they find it harder to find the exact moment of perfect focus. I've seen it put as "it doesn't quite seem to snap into focus the way the original ground glass does".

True, not true?

If true, how significant is this? Is it still worth the upgrade?

Bonus question: I've noticed that the Maxwell screen used to sell for around $125. Harry Fleenor now sells the screen for $250 - anyone know why the cost of the screen has doubled? Are they still being manufactured?

Cheers,
filmtime
 
This is generally true for every ultra-bright focusing screen (except for large area microprism ones, which have other issues, like a aperture and focal length dependency and a inability to see the DOF) - a apparent speed increase at the screen can only come from making the screen more transparent and less diffuse. But only the diffuse image has a focal reference point - the aerial image through a transparent screen is perceived as in focus in every position (within the adaptability range of the eye).
 
Bill Maxwell told me once that his screen is easier to focus than other "bright screens."
I have on a 4X5 camera at present and had one on my Hasselblad in the past. No complaints with either. If you can barely see the image in the first place how are you
going to focus it? There has to be a balance.

Maxwell is still making his screens - they have gotten better known and maybe that is the cause of the increased price.
 
I just used a 2.8 without a Maxwell. Going back to mine, which has one, I was amazed at how much brighter it was. To me, this is well woth the cost, and the focusing issue is minor.
 
The same issues exist with the Hasselblad Acutte Matte screens. Focus depends on assessment of a contrast difference, the brighter the screen the less contrast it has. The first 'blad screen was re-formulated soon after introduction to improve the focussing after complaints, ie they reduced the intensity and increased the contrast. The difficulty varies depending on the scene brightness being viewed. At lower light levels, where you need it most, it is harder to hit the spot, but then so it is with a std. screen under those conditions. Personally I prefer the brighter screens, probably because I tend to use a split image screen :D
As to price the 'blad screens were over £100 in 1989, they still are S/H but obviously better, relative, value.
 
i had a Maxwell screen installed on my Rolleiflex 2.8C last year, the one with the center micro prism and it made a world of difference for my eyes. I just ordered a 4x5 screen from Bill last week. He suggested I have it professionally installed by Bill Moretz (434-979-1915) at ProCamera in Charlottesville, VA. I believe in having any screen that is not a drop-in provided by the manufacturer installed by a professional after a disaster with a Brightscreen I installed myself on a Visoflex III back in the 70s. Bill is an amazingly knowledgable guy and his fantastic products are worth every penny they cost in my opinion. with my eyes, I can't imagine working without them. You can call Bill and he will gladly go over the benefits of his products and help you find something that will suit your needs.
 
The all-matte Maxwell is harder to focus quickly but focuses more accurately than the one with the focusing aid (the same is true of a lot of focusing screen comparisons). I would recommend the grid, with cross-lines right through the middle. This is how the Rollei screens were set up, and it keeps your eye focused on the screen. But it is not the default engraving.

Dante
 
I've had the Maxwell with focusing aid, the Maxwell without focusing aid, and the Beattie plain matte. For me, the Beattie was the best, closely followed by the Maxwell without focusing aid. The Maxwell with the focusing aid was hit and miss, for me.
 
I had Harry Fleenor install one of the Maxwell-screens with focus aid. While much brighter than the original Rollei-screen focus now is hit or miss. Returning to the original focus screen requires adjusting of focus again so I leave it as it is.
 
I had Bill Maxwell screens in three of my Rolleiflexes, replacing the original ground glass each time. Never had any problems focusing with the Maxwells. They were far more usable than the original screens.

G
 
A focusing screen is used for two purposes:

* composition
* focus

It is important to understand the difference. A so-called "bright" screen may be installed in a desire to improve the first -- composition -- but usually at the expense of the second -- focus.

For my work with the TLR, focus is *much, much* more important than composition. (And that may be why it is called a focusing sceen?)

Anyway, over the years I have used all of the following screens in various Rollei: ground glass, Beattie, cut RZ67, Maxwell, and Oleson.

The best screen for focusing *bar none* is the original Rollei ground glass. Images on the screen do literally snap into crisp sharp focus that translates on film. Yes, the image on the screen is somewhat dimmer (especially at the corners) when compared to a plastic "bright" screen. But my eye/brain can somehow accomodate this. With a good clean mirror and a properly adjusted Rollei, it is no big deal to use ground glass, even when photographing at night. The best photographers in the world have somehow been managing to do this for decades.

Of the plastic screens, Beattie is the best, followed closely by the cut down Mamiya. Sure the Maxwell is "bright" (although not perceptibly brighter than the Beattie or Mamiya), but focusing with a Maxwell always feels more like guessing and money wasted.

So, just another crap internet opinion for you to disregard.
 
I personally like mamiya 6x7 screens cut down. lots of flavors to choose from.
I hear Rollei slr screens also fit well.
 
-1

No screen sucks more for accurate focusing than the Oleson.

Maybe the Oleson screen is useful for, "ooh, pretty picture in viewfinder, maybe I could be a photographer."

But if you care about sharp focusing, stick with the ground glass.
 
I purchased a bunch of "seconds" from Bill Maxwell years ago. Used them in my Exakta 66's, Pentacon Sixes, and Kiev 60/6c's. Also have Rollei HD screens, and Rollei/SL66 screens of all sorts. Also have a few of the Beatties.

Agree with the above comments. Only way to know what you prefer is to try them out. In my Hasselblads I have gone back to the original screens and they work just fine for me.
 
I have changed the original Rollei screens to Maxwell, and I find the difference substantially positive. If you want to focus wide open, you need to be very precise anyway, and I do this either from a tripod, using the loupe, or when doing portraits, with the prism finder and pistol grip. If you look at Rolleiflex portraits of Avedon, Penn or Pyke - most of the time these guys were shooting at f8.0 or more - there are films showing Avedon focusing at waist level, without even using the loupe - he knew, the dof was sufficient anyway.
I imagine, an important part of your decision could be linked, to the type of light you shoot in most of the time - unless this is bright sunshine, I would go with the Maxwell. My Tele Rollei without it would be really difficult to use.
Re price: keep it in mind, that it is so incredibly easy to scratch a Maxwell screen, that most of second hand ones will have some marks on them. I believe, that his price includes proper installation, and is worth it.
 
I would expect that everyone has different vision and perception to some degree, so this topic is predictably very subjective. And I also suspect that the degree of improvement or otherwise offered by a replacement screen over the originals in various models of Rolleiflexes could vary a lot. All I can say is that when I had Maxwell install a brightscreen (without focusing aids but with a grid) in my Rolleicord it made focusing incredibly easier than with the original ground glass.
 
What an interesting and diverging set of replies, all cogently argued, the conclusion I would draw is - suck it and see.
Each of the OP questions, other than the cost one can be succinctly answered by one word - perhaps :D
 
it's a shame that hi-d screens are not compatible with the classic tlrs, but dhw makes other screens that are compatible. very reasonably priced, too.
 
One thing that Maxwell will say is to not get one of his split image focusing screens if you are doing much close-up work, especially at wider apertures. The movement of the camera to place the center on your main subject for focusing, then movement to reframe, can lead to focusing errors.

Hmmm... this seems to be true for any split screen and TLR. I personally do find that I have more 'wobble' and drift with waist level finders than eye level finders as I focus and frame. I guess this makes sense- easy to use the arms or the whole body for framing with a waist level finder while easier to just adjust the hands ever so slightly to reframe at eye level?

I think the real answer lies in how you shoot and what is important to you in using the camera. As Vitaly says, composition and focus are two separate acts combined in one place. I can say that when I was 20, I used a Rolleicord II with a grossly tarnished mirror and plain ground glass and all was great. Now in my 50s, I couldn't see myself using such a setup. I don't know if this is from age or exposure to better options or what.

By the way, the price of a Maxwell does not include installation. He will mail you a screen, or he will ship one to whoever is doing the overhaul. It's up to you to get it installed and get the focus calibrated, etc. (he will provide materials and instructions to do this yourself).

Bill Maxwell is a very helpful and pleasant man to talk with. Send him an email with a phone number and your questions and he'll discuss your questions honestly and with solid experience. And he's no fool. He's been around the photo world a long time and knows your concerns well. He can discuss the various issues and the trade-offs he has made over the years with just these issues. He will also lay out the cost issues if you like.
 
Everyone, thank you very much for your replies. I really appreciate it.

I've decided that I'm going to get my Rolleiflex fully CLA'd, and not have the screen replaced at this time. I'm going to try using the stock ground glass for my work and see how it goes. It's possible a good cleaning, and mirror replacement if necessary, could make a big difference on its own, too.

I think this way, even if I do eventually decide on a new screen, Maxwell or otherwise, I will be able to appreciate it more, as well as be able to form an opinion of my own about the drawbacks of each.
 
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