Mamiya 645 Screens

[edsel_adams]

My eyes are strained trying to focus at reception halls & dark

churches.I was about to order a Beattie screen for my older 645,the

catalog says "frame required" for this model.Whats a frame? Where do

I get one?Most places that sell the screens,dont list these frames?

I have used the Beattie screens in 35mm cams,and can highly

reccomend these,they really do add F stops to the VF!I have

experienced VF vignetting or darkening though, with 24mm & wider

glass.Is this a common problem with these screens?Thanks.

[jarrod_connerty]

You've gotta take the metal from the present screen you've got & transfer it to the Beattie; in otherwords they only sell the fresnel glass itself, and not the metal shell that holds it in. <p>While you'll certainly be shocked at the brightness increase of the Beattie, having used both I can tell you that the Maxwell Precision Optics screen is in a league of its own. It is a small outfit out of Atlanta but they're screens are phenomenal. I found with my 45mm tilt/shift lens that the Beattie didn't function well on it, while with the 150mm f/2.8 it was awesome. The Maxwell works well on both focal lengths, but for me I find the increased accuracy of the custom screens most helpful on wideangle lenses.

[mark_jacobs1]

I don't know exactly which Mamiya 645 you are refering to when you say older, but I bought a Beattie screen for my 645 super. To be honest, I really didn't notice all that much of a difference! I had read all kinds of hype about the enormous differnce it makes, so maybe I just had my hopes up TOO high. Or maybe there was already a decent screen in my camera to begin with. Either way, I still have a hard time focusing in low light rooms.