Ground glass

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Ground glass is glass whose surface has been ground to produce a flat but rough (matte) finish. A sheet of ground glass is used for the manual focusing of both still and motion picture cameras.

Some cameras have no separate viewfinder, but instead use a piece of ground glass at the focal plane to focus the scene. This type of focusing and viewing system is typically used on so-called large-format cameras (cameras which use film 4×5 inches or larger). In such a camera, before the picture is taken, the ground-glass viewer is inserted in the back of the camera, and the lens opened to its widest aperture. This projects the scene on the ground glass upside down and backwards. The photographer focuses and composes using this projected image, sometimes with the aid of a magnifying glass or loupe. In order to see the image better, a dark cloth is used to block out light, whence the image of the old-time photographer with his head stuck under a large black cloth.

A ground glass is also used in the reflex finder of an SLR or TLR camera.

In motion picture cameras, the ground glass is a small, usually removable piece of transparent glass that sits between the rotary disc shutter and the viewfinder. The ground glass usually contains precise markings to show the camera operator the boundaries of the frame or the center crosshair, or any other important information. Because the ground glass is positioned between the mirror shutter and the viewfinder, it does not interfere with the image reaching the film and is therefore not recorded over the final image, but rather serves as a reference for the camera operator.

Ground glasses commonly serve as a framing reference for a desired aspect ratio. Because most films shot with spherical lenses are shot full-frame and later masked during projection to a more widescreen aspect ratio, it is important not only for the operator to be able to see the boundaries of that aspect ratio, but also for the ground glass to be properly aligned in the camera so that the markings are an exact representation of the boundaries of the image recorded on film.