Topic: Replacing focusing screen of Lipca Rollop I with "brightscreen"

[cs1]

Disclaimer: I'm in no way affiliated with Rick Oleson other than that I bought his Brightscreen. This post merely describes how I replaced the focusing screen of my Lipca Rollop I, it's not meant to be instructions and I don't have any screen replacement experiences other than this particular one here. Use the information at your own risk. Rick Oleson's general instructions that come with the brightscreen are very nice and detailed, stick closely to them. However, since he didn't have Rollop specific infos about removing the hood and screen, I thought other Rollop owners might find this post useful. So, that's that.

I really like my Lipca Rollop I. I got it a few weeks ago and it's in a lovely shape cosmetically and also technically. The only downside of this camera is its original focusing screen. ManuelL told me about Rick Oleson's Brightscreens (link: http://rick_oleson.tripod.com/index-175.html) that are not only brighter than the original screen but also come with a microprism to help with focusing. So I bought one that fits my Rollop I.

For replacing the focusing screen with the Brightscreen I used the following tools:

• Cotton gloves (they're really useful, there's a lot of fiddling with the screen and I didn't want fingerprints on the matte side of the screen)
• A small flathead screwdriver
• Small and soft lens brush
• An air blaster for getting rid of dust
• A paper kitchen towel for "debris" in mirror chamber that has accumulated over the years

This is what I did:

• I removed the four screws on the camera's top (two on the left, two on the right) to be able to remove the hood. (02.jpg)
• After removing the hood I cleaned the mirror chamber, the mirror and the inside of the focusing lens with the air blaster and the lens brush. I tried not to rub the mirror too much, you never know how fragile those old mirrors are. (03.jpg)
• I turned the hood upside down (04.jpg). On the photo you can see how the old focusing screen is held in place by a metal bracket (for lack of a better word). I removed the bracket by pushing it down at the left and right side (one after the other) so that it came away from underneath the little pins that extrude from the hood. I then removed the old focusing screen by lifting it up a tiny little bit with a finger from underneath and by pushing it out to the side from under the pins. This operation is a little dangerous because it's easy to scratch the screen with the two little pins that hold the bracket.
• I replaced the old screen with the Brightscreen by basically reversing the process in step 3. (05.jpg) It's important to make sure that the new screen's matte side faces the mirror when the hood is put back onto the camera, otherwise the focus will be off. When redoing the bracket I paid close attention not to scratch the new screen.
• I put the hood back onto the camera without putting back the screws. I first checked that focusing infinity worked (I had to shim the hood a little bit with material that Rick included with the Brightscreen). After shimming the hood I put the four screws back in.

The before/after difference is quite big (01beforeafter.jpg; this photo is not entirely fair due to different lighting conditions but it gives a good impression -- the difference is very noticeable in the case of the Rollop I). Please excuse the photo quality, I took the pictures with my mobile. I'm happy with my shiny new screen.

[jojonas~]

good write up, cs1!

I know most people don't like that he had to switch from split prism to microprism but recently I've started to like it after using my pentax spotmatic and kiev 6c

[cs1]

Thanks for your encouraging words.

I myself haven't completely "warmed up" to microprism yet, normally prefer split prisms because I find it a little easier to focus with it. However, I do see the advantages of microprims e. g. you don't have to twist the camera when you want to focus horizontal lines which wouldn't normally be intersected by the split prism. This would be a hassle with a TLR. From that perspective I understand Rick's decision to switch to microprism. Apart from that I personally find the brightscreen a vast improvement over the original screen. But I also understand purists who say that it's not an original part and who prefer the original screens for their authenticity. Still, it's a good thing that there's a choice. I love taking photos with this camera and focusing has become much easier.

[jojonas~]

I had to use the wayback machine as he removed the explanation from his page now but this is how it went with the split prism:

PLEASE NOTE: Prior to November 2015, I was able to offer a split-image focusing screen, which is the one shown on most of the illustrations on this page. That screen is unfortunately NO LONGER AVAILABLE. The screen that I now have available features a 13mm diameter MICROPRISM center focusing aid. With that exception, it is similar in appearance and design (and superior in quality and brightness) to the screens in these illustrations.

and to purists: we'll save the original screens so it's always a reversible modification

[cs1]

and to purists: we'll save the original screens so it's always a reversible modification

... and to use them to adjust the focus of other cameras. 

[jojonas~]

and to purists: we'll save the original screens so it's always a reversible modification

... and to use them to adjust the focus of other cameras. 

heck yeah! that can be a lifesaver... much better than a bit of wobbly tape

[cs1]

I had to recalibrate my Rollop's focusing this morning because it was still front-focusing a little. The old screen helped quite a bit. I strapped it to the film plane with some rubber bands and used a looking glass to look at the focusing while keeping the shutter open on bulb. Very fiddly undertaking. I shot a roll of Fomapan 400 with the Rollop today and tried to shoot a number of photos with an open aperture to check the focusing. I couldn't figure out how to adjust the focusing lens directly because (a) I couldn't see any obvious screws or other parts that would loosen the lens and (b) I couldn't find any documentation about it on the net. I guess there might be something underneath the leather application but I didn't want to remove it so I was left with shimming the viewfinder hood which seems to have worked as far as I can tell. Now I need to wait for the negatives to dry to see whether I was successful or not.

[cs1]

Great, the Rollop's focus is working properly again.