Bi-focals and GG focusing

laz · Nov 22, 2005

Just been searching the archives and can't find anything that addresses this. I wear progressive bi-focals and it very often drives me nuts under the darkcloth especially getting at those upper corners of the GG. I'm thinking of buying some cheap drugstore reading glasses. Any other solutions out there among my fellow "differently sighted" APUGers?
-Bob

RichSBV · Nov 22, 2005

I use the cheap drug store reading glasses. Although the newer ones seem to be a bit smaller, I but the Magnivision strong (+2.5). The are the only ones I could find wide enough to go around my regular glasses. I can use them below for repair work or above for GG focusing.

But, why not a loupe? Loupe focusing is done at more infinity focus. Your reading area should be on the lower portion of your glasses. So you would look through the 'normal' part of your glasses for loupe focusing. I only use the reading glasses as a secondary because the fold up and can be carried in case I forget the loupe. And I've never found reading glasses in the +4 range that I like my loupes. The +2.5 helps a lot but it's not good enough for critical focusing...

Gary892 · Nov 22, 2005

laz, I wear bi-focal's and I find myself straining my neck to focus on the gg. I also have a pair of progressive glasses and I can't stand them. I kept moving my eyes and head to try to get them to focus so I gave up. I bought a cheap pair of drug store glasses just for focusing and they work great. If I scratch them then it's not much of a lose.
Try the cheap drug store ones before you spend too much money on other solutions.
Gary

roteague · Nov 22, 2005

Have you thought about wearing contact lenses and just use single vision glasses? Or, bi-focal contact lenses?

resummerfield · Nov 22, 2005

I wear progressives too, and using a magnifying visor has really made my life easier. Yes, I use a loupe too, but by using the "optivisor" (about 2.5x) I can get focus and composition with the top part of my glasses, without always trying to position my eye on the "sweet spot" of the progressives. Just a thought....

laz · Nov 22, 2005

roteague said:
Have you thought about wearing contact lenses and just use single vision glasses? Or, bi-focal contact lenses?

I guess what brought this to mind is I'm due for an eye exam so I will be asking about those options. My wife is one of those who wears a single contact lens and lets her mind do the rest. I'm might give that a whirl.

I'm one of those whose eyesight has fallen victim to age and glasses fit my image of myself (perhaps the same image that has me behind an almost 100 year old camera)

I've never tried one but a focusing loupe will do nothing for over all composition will it?

-bob

Dan Fromm · Nov 22, 2005

bob, I've tried progressives, couldn't stand 'em. The ones I was sold weren't rectilinear, i.e., they rendered circles as ovals. I sent 'em back, got trifocals. Still wear trifocals.

I now use a loupe for focusing, +4 reading glasses for looking at composition on the GG.

Since I shoot with 2x3 Graphics, I've cut a piece of nominal 4" thin-walled PVC sewer pipe whose belled end just slips over the camera's focusing hood. I've lined the pipe with flocking paper from Edmund Optics. With larger formats, I suppose its a dark cloth or nothing. I've never tried a BTZS tube, have you?

You might also want to look into getting a ratty old used Hassy chimney finder for focusing and looking at more of the image than most loupes will show. Also useful for looking at transparencies on a light table.

Cheers,

Dan

Ben Diss · Nov 22, 2005

Bob- I wear reading glasses, but take them off to focus. I find that I can adjust the loupe enough that I don't need them.

nworth · Nov 22, 2005

I have regular trifocals, but I still sometimes have trouble focusing on the ground glass. When that happens, I just take off my glasses and use the loupe.

ggriffi · Nov 22, 2005

laz said:
Just been searching the archives and can't find anything that addresses this. I wear progressive bi-focals and it very often drives me nuts under the darkcloth especially getting at those upper corners of the GG. I'm thinking of buying some cheap drugstore reading glasses. Any other solutions out there among my fellow "differently sighted" APUGers?
-Bob

Bob,

I just take my glasses off and use a toyo ground glass magnifier. I do that with enlarging, too. I always have done it that way. I have progressives like you and the few times that I have left them on I was just uncomfortable with them on. So far I only had a couple slightly oof. :confused:

What do you think about lasik?

g

BBarlow690 · Nov 22, 2005

I went to the dollar store where the reading glasses cost $1. Lots cheaper than drugstores, and no apparent difference in basic quality. I think I got several and decided +2.5 was the most useful for focusing.

Then, I took out one contact lens, and now I go through life that way. Works for photography and most other things a 50-year-old does...except tennis!

hortense · Nov 22, 2005

I bought special magnifications in an extra pair of glasses. However, I hafta take off my glasses and put the special ones on.

Joe Lipka · Nov 22, 2005

I just bought a bunch of those cords that attach to the earpieces of my glasses. When I focus, I take my glasses off and they hang around my neck. I usually have two or three in the camera bag or my photo vest.

Charles Webb · Nov 22, 2005

Boy Howdy do I appreciate this post! I have fumbled with all of the above mentioned methods and devices etc. And still havn't found an answer for me, I wear progressive lenses and they eliminate the white horizontal streaks caused by regular multifocal lenses but still create a lot of problem for me. I have marked basic distances on the bed and front standard of my boxes, that works right up to the time you want to change lenses. Then I am lost, I had thought of perhaps a second or third set of marks for other lenses on the base board, but they over lap at times so that is not the answer. I will continue to try to come up with some revoultionary method to quickly and easily focus on the GG, I am still open for more suggestions. I keep losing or sitting on my reading glasses, but the next ones will come from the "Dollar store". Thanks for everyones in put on this troublesome thread. I will continue to try to see the difference between "Sharp" and "Near Sharp" in my fumbling way. Charlie..........

Dan Fromm · Nov 22, 2005

Charles, have you washed your ground glass recently? That will make a difference.

I recently replaced my old Graflex-issue GGs with new ones from Dave Parker. Focusing with the naked eye -- sorry, without a loupe -- seems much easier with them but I still use the loupe to be sure.

Cheers,

Dan

Troy Ammons · Nov 22, 2005

You should have seen me with my new set of bifocals, trying to focus an 8x10 camera in the heat a few months ago. Very difficult and much harder than 4x5.

If you want to make your life much easier, buy a Binocular viewer. I have one for my 4x5 camera and it is great. I just wish I could adapt it to 8x10.

MikeS · Nov 22, 2005

I too wear progressive glasses. If I'm using a loupe I don't find any problem with them. When I was using a Graflex Super D which has the long focusing hood, making loupe use impossible I switched to using single vision glasses and a pair of clip on flip up magnifiers. I believe they're 2.5x but I'm not sure but they did make it possible to focus the camera correctly most of the time.

laz · Nov 22, 2005

resummerfield said:
using a magnifying visor has really made my life easier

Ggriffi said:
using toyo ground glass magnifier.

Troy Ammons said:
buy a Binocular viewer.

Okay I've lined you guys up to ask all you at once what the heck each of you is talking about? Please elaborate! (and nobody gets dismissed until you do it to my satisfaction!)

-Bob

Flotsam · Nov 22, 2005

I need low power reading glasses (cheap drugstore) for everyday closeup tasks like reading but I also keep a pair of the highest power glasses that I can find. They are useless for ordinary use but for close focusing on the GG as well as critical print detail evaluation and for spotting they are great magnifiers.

Troy Ammons · Nov 22, 2005

I could not find mine exactly, but it is similar to this.

Mine just clips on to the back of the GG frame.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=7565459585&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT&rd=1

jp80874 · Nov 22, 2005

ggriffi said:
Bob,

I just take my glasses off and use a toyo ground glass magnifier. I do that with enlarging, too. I always have done it that way.
g

I have always taken my trifocals off and used a Toyo-View 3.6x Groundglass Focusing Aid Mfr# 180301 B&H# TOL B&H Price: $ 43.95

I use a Peak #1 for enlarging, again without my glasses.

John Powers

donbga · Nov 22, 2005

laz said:
Just been searching the archives and can't find anything that addresses this. I wear progressive bi-focals and it very often drives me nuts under the darkcloth especially getting at those upper corners of the GG. I'm thinking of buying some cheap drugstore reading glasses. Any other solutions out there among my fellow "differently sighted" APUGers?
-Bob

Several years ago I had my optician order a pair of glasses that had the equivalent of +4 diopter magnification. They were about $40. I've used them ever since and never have a problem focusing anymore with my view cameras.

Don Bryant

Whiteymorange · Nov 22, 2005

I wear progressive lenses and found that the best thing for me was a loupe made from an old 4x close-up lens and a 6" piece of plastic tubing. An old, empty tube of acrylic caulk proved to be just the right diameter. I found the focal length of the lens by sighting down a ruler, cut the tube to that length and taped the lens on the end with gaffers tape. Ain't pretty, but I can back off quite a bit and see what is in focus without breaking my neck - important because I have fused bones and a titanium plate in there already! My lens is about 2" across and very clear.

Yankee solution. "Make do, do without, use it up, wear it out."

P. Yee · Nov 22, 2005

I wear bifocals and very nearsighted. My solution is just take off my glasses and eyeball it without any magnifiers.

resummerfield · Nov 22, 2005

resummerfield said:
I wear progressives too, and using a magnifying visor has really made my life easier. Yes, I use a loupe too, but by using the "optivisor" (about 2.5x) I can get focus and composition with the top part of my glasses, without always trying to position my eye on the "sweet spot" of the progressives. Just a thought....

The "Optivisor" is a binocular magnifying lens which is contained in a headband. Similar in concept to the clip-on lens that jewelers wear. I bought mine at Dead Link Removed It lets me look at all parts of the gg without using my hands, so I can focus, etc.

Bi-focals and GG focusing

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