Clueless loupe question

[Murray@uptowngallery]

It seems some loupes have a spacer so they sit flat and repeatedly at the same spacing from the ground glass.

Is this important, or is any magnification helpful?

Thanks

 

[Graeme Hird]

It doesn't matter, in my experience. Any magnification is fine - my own loupe never touches the GG and I hold it so that its axis points towards the lens from whichever angle I'm viewing the GG.

Cheers,

 

[John Cook]

The amount of magnification (power) is determined by the shape of the lens. The distance it is away from the ground glass has only to do with being in or out of sharp focus.

At the typical loupe strength, the working distance is very touchy. Much easier to concentrate on what you are doing when you are not waving the loupe around trying to get it focused. Resting it on the ground glass is easier.

From experience, I have concluded that about 4X is the best magnification. My (very) personal favorite is the Schneider.

I have used loupes all the way up to 12X, which is too strong. I begin to concentrate on the molecular structure of the ground glass instead of the image focus.

 

[Rubin]

I think that if you hold your lens you will have a more narrow view. I mean if it touch the GG you can see a larger portion of magnified space. I use a 6x and a 4x, both Schneider. The 6x is the best magnification for me.
Rubin

 

[David A. Goldfarb]

It's easiest to use a focusable loupe that rests against the GG.

My personal favorite is the current Schneider 4x (which has less distortion than the old Schneider 4x). I have a couple of 6x loupes as well. If you don't use a fresnel or if your fresnel isn't too intrusive, you might like a 6x, and the Silvestri 6x tilts so you can check the edges and corners with a wide lens. The Toyo 3.6x is handy if you use a camera with a folding GG hood, because it is a little longer than the others.

 

[Rubin]

I have the Toyo 3,6 too, but it has a low magnification and it frames a rather small field. I like the new Schneiders also because of it.

 

[GeorgesGiralt]

It seems some loupes have a spacer so they sit flat and repeatedly at the same spacing from the ground glass.

Is this important, or is any magnification helpful?

Thanks

Hi !
As I'm aging, my vision is becoming worse. I've tried several loupes, but found the current set up I now use very good and comfortable : it is made from a projector lens (an old plastic Rollei lens made in Singapore I got for a pair of bucks) mounted on an opaque plastic tube. The trick is to custom cut the plastic tube at the exactfocussing dimension of the lens. This way, you rest the "thing" onto the GG and concentrate on focussing. Added bonus, as the tube is lightproof, you do not need the dark cloth and can keep your brain chill (usefull considering the outdoor temp these days).
If you loose or break the set up, you won't break the bank to find a replacement, as it will be for a Schneider ;-)
Just my 2 c...

 

[mikeb_z5]

I found my calumet 7x too strong for me. I switched to a Mamiya 4x loupe and like it much more and it is reasonably priced at about $60.

 

[medform-norm]

Hi !
As I'm aging, my vision is becoming worse. I've tried several loupes, but found the current set up I now use very good and comfortable : it is made from a projector lens (an old plastic Rollei lens made in Singapore I got for a pair of bucks) mounted on an opaque plastic tube. The trick is to custom cut the plastic tube at the exactfocussing dimension of the lens. This way, you rest the "thing" onto the GG and concentrate on focussing. Added bonus, as the tube is lightproof, you do not need the dark cloth and can keep your brain chill (usefull considering the outdoor temp these days).
If you loose or break the set up, you won't break the bank to find a replacement, as it will be for a Schneider ;-)
Just my 2 c...

What we're currently using is a 6x Leitz occulair from a microscope that came free with a bunch of Leitz/Linhof stuff. We press it against the gg. On the focal plane of the gg (i.e. where the film plane will be) we have made a triangular, sharp angled, black marking (piece of tape). So, when focussing while looking through the loupe, we know the image is sharp if and when both the black marking and the background are sharp/in focus. We marked our gg in the centre as well as in the four corners. We're happy with the results till so far.

(And when you forget to bring your loupe along, use a spare -shortish focal length- lens upside down.)

 

[Murray@uptowngallery]

Thanks all.