Ground glass glasses

Darryl Roberts · Aug 3, 2020

Hi,

To free up a hand, I am considering magnifying glasses for focusing. Any advice is welcome.

Thank you

Paul Howell · Aug 3, 2020

I use a dollar store 2 1/2 power reading glasses, just the right distance and power for 4X5, keep them on a chain so I put them on and take off without having to put them my pocket. If you wear glasses maybe bifocal, if you talk with your opthamologist who can measure your best vision in relationship to the ground glass. Low vision specialist can make mock up glasses that you can use with your camera to make it work at the distance you need. In addition to reading glasses I use a loup right on the glass.

Bob S · Aug 3, 2020

Darryl Roberts said:
Hi,

To free up a hand, I am considering magnifying glasses for focusing. Any advice is welcome.

Thank you

To focus accurately the loupe must, repeat MUST, be focused on the grain side of the gg. You CANNOT focus accurately any other way. But many people delude themselves into believing they can.

ic-racer · Aug 3, 2020

What format? If 8x10, then non-perscription 'reading glasses' may do. For 4x5 you would probably need an actual loupe. I use these DesignForVision 3.5x at work but have never used them to focus the camera. A loupe is easier.

Bob S · Aug 3, 2020

ic-racer said:
What format? If 8x10, then non-perscription 'reading glasses' may do. For 4x5 you would probably need an actual loupe. I use these DesignForVision 3.5x at work but have never used them to focus the camera. A loupe is easier.

A loupe stays on the gg/fresnel or coverglass. It does not change its position relative to the grain side of the gg.
Your example as well as reading glasses cannot maintain a constant distance to the grain side. And non focusing loupes can’t either.

138S · Aug 4, 2020

Darryl Roberts said:
Hi,

To free up a hand, I am considering magnifying glasses for focusing. Any advice is welcome.

Thank you

As Bob explains the right tool is a loupe with adjustable height. You adjust height by focusing on the grain in the GG.

A LF shot is something for what you may want to nail focus. You may use other aids for preparing the job, but an adjustable loupe adjusted for your sight and for the GG thickness is the most convenient choice for critical focusing.

Still many solutions have been developed to complement or to substitute the loupe, like the sinar reflex, with that you have both hands free:

But IMO best is it to practice enough with the loupe, with good practice the adjustable loupe becomes very convenient.

Darryl Roberts · Aug 4, 2020

Excuse my ignorance....does a focusing loupe focus the camera?

Paul Howell · Aug 4, 2020

A loupe is held up against the ground glass, the photographer places his eye on the loup which magnifies a small portion of the ground glass for very fine focusing. It does not focus the camera, only allows for precise focusing by the photographer. I use a loup when shooting with my view camera, reading glasses when working with my Speed or Crown Graphic as they have hoods that are part of the ground glass back to block some of the light.

Darryl Roberts · Aug 4, 2020

Yes I have a quality 4x Mamiya loupe. It's not designated as "focusing" I use it with my glasses.

Paul Howell · Aug 4, 2020

A loupe is a loupe, as long as it will fit on the ground glass it will be ok. So while wearing your glasses you rough focus your camera, then using the loupe you find an area with fine details, branches of tree, put the loupe to the ground glass and fine focus. One advantage of using my Crown Graphic is that as a press camera it has a rangefinder and infinity stops. I shoot landscapes for the most part, usually at infinity. All I do is pull the front standard out to infinity and I'm in focus. Downside is that press cameras have limited movements so I need camera movements I have to switch my view camera.

Alan9940 · Aug 4, 2020

I have used a cheap pair of those "reading glasses" you used to buy in a drug store for so long I can't even remember the strength. They allow me to easily focus my 4x5 or 8x10 with my face about 6" from the groundglass. I contact print 8x10 and never enlarge 4x5 beyond 10x13" so, for me, a loupe is not necessary. And, I've always been satisfied with the sharpness of my prints.

jim10219 · Aug 4, 2020

You don't need anything super high quality to focus a large format camera. Just get something that is convenient for you to use, and somewhere in the 8x-10x region, or there abouts, if possible. If you go too much lower, it can be hard to focus on tiny details and get a super sharp image (depending on your eyesight and the quality of the ground glass). If you go too much higher, you'll be staring at dots that won't tell you much.

138S · Aug 4, 2020

Darryl Roberts said:
Yes I have a quality 4x Mamiya loupe. It's not designated as "focusing" I use it with my glasses.

As others said, a loupe is a loupe, many people prefer a 4x one, others prefer a 8x one, a compromise is a x6 one.

To focus a view camera you want one that has adjustable height, with the loupe making contact with the GG you turn a ring in the loupe until you have the GG grain in focus for your sight and also compensating the GG thickness, you have your loupe calibrated. With a non adjustable loupe you have to vary the distance to the GG all the time, which is not convenient or fast.

You may use many kinds of loupes, these ones (for example) are designed to focus view cameras conveniently and accurately:

mshchem · Aug 4, 2020

Buy a nice well made Fresnel set up. I have a Deardorff 8x10 back. Has a sandwich of a very thin ground glass with a Fresnel lens on top. It took some getting used to but I really like it.

If you want readers instead of a loupe the stronger the better, to get close to the back. I have a couple nice Rodenstock loupes, very nice

Bob S · Aug 4, 2020

jim10219 said:
You don't need anything super high quality to focus a large format camera. Just get something that is convenient for you to use, and somewhere in the 8x-10x region, or there abouts, if possible. If you go too much lower, it can be hard to focus on tiny details and get a super sharp image (depending on your eyesight and the quality of the ground glass). If you go too much higher, you'll be staring at dots that won't tell you much.

The majority of photographic loupes for focusing are between 4 and 6x.

Nokton48 · Aug 4, 2020

Darryl Roberts said:
Hi,

To free up a hand, I am considering magnifying glasses for focusing. Any advice is welcome.

Thank you

Hi Daryl,

Since you have a Sinar Norma, you might want to consider a Sinar solution. I like the Bag Bellows with the Norma Monocular, I have that on all my Normas.

8x10 to 5x7 Norma Special Bellows 1 by Nokton48, on Flickr

Norma Special Bellows arrived from the UK today. Goes 8x10 to 5x7, then the regular 5x7 to 4x5. Very Very stable.

This combo is in the original Norma catalog. Shown with my 360 Componon enlarging lens. Mounted to the Norma board with a Durst enlarger "mounting cup" on the back. Repair Guru Ken Ruth suggested to me that I get all the Componons, that was a great idea. They were cheap at the time and quite usuable.

The tripod is a FOBA C40 which is also in the original Norma catalog for use with the 8x10 Norma.

138S · Aug 4, 2020

Nokton48 said:
...

Nice setup !!!!

A powerful one...

ic-racer · Aug 5, 2020

With 8x10 I have never used a loupe, I can focus to 4" without a loupe (nearsightedness). With 4x5 I use the Horseman extended loupe that goes with my camera. It fits inside the hood. Also means I don't need to carry around a dark cloth. In 15 years have never needed a dark cloth with my Horseman FA.

Paul Howell · Aug 5, 2020

Maybe I should get a long loupe for my Speed and Crown.

SalveSlog · Aug 5, 2020

.. or if you have a lens (most likely!), you can make a collar for it and use it as a loupe.

DREW WILEY · Aug 5, 2020

I use my Norma in the field, so a bunch of extra stuff on the back is not realistic for me. I use the Peak/Nikon/Horseman/Wista (as variously labeled) 7X loupe for all my view cameras, and find it ideal for all. I also use a black Goretex darkcloth - breathable, lightweight, no lint, lasts forever, waterproof. But the black Goretex fabric itself is hard to find nowadays. What I never use is a fresnel lens; I hate them.

Paul Howell · Aug 6, 2020

Paul Howell said:
Maybe I should get a long loupe for my Speed and Crown.

As I think about it, I shoot landscapes at infinity, the infinity stops are all I need, closer in the rangefinder is accurate, and I can use reading glasses with the ground glass.

Bob S · Aug 6, 2020

Paul Howell said:
As I think about it, I shoot landscapes at infinity, the infinity stops are all I need, closer in the rangefinder is accurate, and I can use reading glasses with the ground glass.

Your rangefinder is useless if you use tilts/swings for plane of focus.

Paul Howell · Aug 6, 2020

Your right, when I need swings and tilts I use my view camera, my loupe works well on my old Brand New View.

Doremus Scudder · Aug 7, 2020

Magnifying glasses are great for general viewing of the ground glass, but I'd recommend a loupe for fine focusing as well.

Get the right diopter reading glasses that enable you to focus on the ground glass (or anything else, for that matter) at a comfortable distance. Too weak and you'll be too far away from the gg; too strong and you'll be too close. If you wear glasses that correct for astigmatism, reading glasses may not be ideal. I use clip on magnifying glasses over my regular glasses (I like 3+ diopters, BYMMV). Mine come from Cabelas and are intended for fly fisherman with bad eyes; just flip them down and you can see to tie that fly on to your leader; flip them up and you have your normal, corrected vision.

In addition to the magnifying glasses, you should use a loupe for the fine focus. I like 6-8X loupes, like Drew. However, contrary to many, I use a free-floating loupe, really just a small 6x magnifying glass, that doesn't touch the ground glass. Yes, I have to move around to make sure I'm focused on the ground side of the ground glass and not on the Fresnel lines, but I don't find that difficult. The upside is that I can change the angle of the loupe to the ground glass to be able to see into the corners and find the sweet spot when I'm using lots of movements; things a fixed-length skirted loupe can't do.

Note: you don't have to remove your glasses or your readers/magnifying glasses when using the loupe as long as you can adjust it to focus sharply with them on (a non-issue with a floating loupe; you just move it closer to/farther from your eye).

Hope this helps,

Doremus

Ground glass glasses

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