Groundglass focusing loupe suggestions
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Another topic discussed ad nauseum on this FORUM. SEARCH the old posts for opinions. You'll get a million of them -- just like "what lens is the best".
Some people like low power, some high. Too many just like to express their opinion about it.
Some people like low power, some high. Too many just like to express their opinion about it.
I'm hardly an expert, but when I was dabbling in LF, I used a pair of 6x reading glasses that I already had for doing watch repair/modification. That seemed to work well enough for my needs at the time.
Chris
Chris
I tried.....search returned nothing twice. I clearly didn't type the right search.
Sorry, for a moment I was confusing this FORUM with the LARGE FORMAT PHOTOGRAPHY FORUM. Different animals. You'll find lots of suggestions -- coming out your ears -- over there!.
FYI, I use a Wista 7x, but there are a gazillion to choose from -- check B&H and you'll see to current crop, and EBAY for the Golden Oldies.
Search for "LOUPE MAGNIFIER".
FYI, I use a Wista 7x, but there are a gazillion to choose from -- check B&H and you'll see to current crop, and EBAY for the Golden Oldies.
Search for "LOUPE MAGNIFIER".
As xkaes points out, there are myriad approaches; loupes with and without opaque skirts and tilting capabilities, free-held magnifiers, clip-on loupes for your glasses, strong magnifying glasses, etc., etc. All of these will work; it boils down to personal preference and situation.
A couple of things to be aware of though: with short-focal-length lenses, it is often difficult to see into the corners of the image with a skirted loupe that doesn't tilt. Tilted loupes are nice, but pricey. Using a free-held magnifier solves the problem but introduces another; you have to move the magnifier back and forth to find the right distance from the frosted side of the ground glass for focusing. This gets pretty easy with practice, however, so don't shy away from this option. Personally, I use a 5x-6x free held magnifier.
Using high-powered magnifiers in the 8x-10x range seems to bother some, especially in conjunction with Fresnel screens. The Fresnel lines or a course grind on the ground glass can be distracting at high magnification (I've used 8x loupes with zero problems, even with Fresnel screens).
Some use 4-5 diopter reading glasses and have done with it, not needing more magnification for critical focus. I find that I need more magnification than that.
Another issue that doesn't get addressed often is general viewing of the ground glass for composing, etc. (i.e., not critical focusing. If you're far-sighted or suffering from presbyopia (which we all will at some point), finding a comfortable working distance from the ground glass can be a problem. This is where reading glasses come in handy for me. I use 3-diopter reading glasses to get me closer to the ground glass for general viewing; it helps me keep the dark cloth around my head better and lets me get close enough to see details. Still, for critical focusing, I use the 6x magnifier (with or without the reading glasses - it doesn't seem to make a difference).
Hope this helps,
Doremus
A couple of things to be aware of though: with short-focal-length lenses, it is often difficult to see into the corners of the image with a skirted loupe that doesn't tilt. Tilted loupes are nice, but pricey. Using a free-held magnifier solves the problem but introduces another; you have to move the magnifier back and forth to find the right distance from the frosted side of the ground glass for focusing. This gets pretty easy with practice, however, so don't shy away from this option. Personally, I use a 5x-6x free held magnifier.
Using high-powered magnifiers in the 8x-10x range seems to bother some, especially in conjunction with Fresnel screens. The Fresnel lines or a course grind on the ground glass can be distracting at high magnification (I've used 8x loupes with zero problems, even with Fresnel screens).
Some use 4-5 diopter reading glasses and have done with it, not needing more magnification for critical focus. I find that I need more magnification than that.
Another issue that doesn't get addressed often is general viewing of the ground glass for composing, etc. (i.e., not critical focusing. If you're far-sighted or suffering from presbyopia (which we all will at some point), finding a comfortable working distance from the ground glass can be a problem. This is where reading glasses come in handy for me. I use 3-diopter reading glasses to get me closer to the ground glass for general viewing; it helps me keep the dark cloth around my head better and lets me get close enough to see details. Still, for critical focusing, I use the 6x magnifier (with or without the reading glasses - it doesn't seem to make a difference).
Hope this helps,
Doremus
I have 6x loupe which has virtually gone unused, because I prefer using a product like this
especially because there are time when I need a camera positioned high, like for some kinds of product photographry,
or really low
especially because there are time when I need a camera positioned high, like for some kinds of product photographry,
or really low
Looks nice. What power is that viewer? Which model and can it be applied to different cameras?
That is a Horseman binocular reflex viewer, fits Sinar and Horseman standards. I have never seen official magnification for either the Sinar product or the Horseman. Someone on a web posting stated it to be 2.5x but I have no substantiation of that. The folks that own the Horseman fold-up binocular love it and seldom have needed traditional magnifying loupes. Besides a focusing aid, it avoids the need for a dark cloth to mess with.
mostly I use a Toyo 3.6x loupe. Ive tried the Sinar bag bellows with a magnifier in it, and found the magnification was a little low for my preference. I also have an Arca Swiss binocular viewer, but I don't quite like that either so I still use the Toyo for most things.
I use a Silvestri 6x loupe.
It works well for me.
It works well for me.
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