Looking for something to view my 35mm negatives with

[hyphmngo]

Hello all I'm looking for something to view my 35mm negatives with. I came across the Gepe Pro Daylight Slide Viewer 1.8x but I'm not sure if its any good. I'm going to start developing my own B&W film and I want to be able to view them to decide which ones I want to take to the local lab to print.

Any recommendations?

 

[benjiboy]

A light box, and a loupe magnifier is what most people use to evaluate negs. and slides.

 

[hyphmngo]

Something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Artograph-Lig...r_1_11?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1377289065&sr=1-11

 

[benjiboy]

Something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Artograph-Lig...r_1_11?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1377289065&sr=1-11

eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Logan-810-T...arms=aid=222002&algo=SIC.FIT&ao=1&asc=16803&m
http://www.ebay.com/itm/8x-Magnifie...056?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec3148728

 

[hyphmngo]

Ok so I need both of those. Great thanks for the help.

 

[vpwphoto]

I have a nice 4'x18" light box for sale. I'm in Indiana... 100 miles south of Chicago.
$70.

 

[AgX]

A slide Viewer is no bad idea. But typically one would have to modify them to push a film trough easily. An alternative would be a illuminated film cutter with attached loupe (Kaiser).

But as said above, typically a light box and a lose loupe are used.

 

[Alan Gales]

I bought a 24"x16" light box off Ebay for about $30.00 including shipping. It was packed in an oversized box and I think they must have paid close to $30.00 for all the shipping peanuts they used!

 

[tkamiya]

I use several methods.

1) Look at contact sheet I made
2) Look at negatives on light box
3) Use loupe with one of above
4) Use a stereo microscope at 10x
5) scan and view on computer

I don't have a one best way. I wish I can make an enlarged contact sheet but I don't have that capability in my own darkroom.

 

[AgX]

What is the idea of using a stereo-microscope?
Or do you mean binocular-microscope?

 

[Bill Burk]

Something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Artograph-Lig...r_1_11?s=photo&ie=UTF8&qid=1377289065&sr=1-11

Notice a striking resemblance to something you might be reading this on?

Meanwhile... a binocular microscope... would be stereo in other words.

I have a Bausch & Lomb StereoZoom 4 which I use for retouching negatives because you can see depth where the brush is going...

Thanks for giving me a great idea tkamiya... This weekend I have plans to do some printing... I can mount up that microscope over my light table and "proof" my negatives for sharpness before committing them to paper.

 

[AgX]

A stereo microscope has two lenses (and two eyepieces), giving two perspectives (of 3D matter). A binocular microscope has just one lens, but two eypieces, facilitating viewing (of plain matter).

 

[tkamiya]

What is the idea of using a stereo-microscope?
Or do you mean binocular-microscope?

No, stereo microscope, ie. dissection microscope.... obviously, it being a stereo has no merit in this application.... but a microscope of this type has a wilder field of view and lower magnifications than a regular (compound) microscope. Mine goes down to 10x. It also have a larger transmitting type light source, which is basically a dedicated light box. I also happen to have one handy....

I have an Indian made scope. It's QUITE handy for many things....

 

[tkamiya]

Mine looks like one on this link:
http://laboamerica.com/Stereo/czm6/

I have a CZM4 which is 10x to 40x version. There are many less costly choices Ebay and Amazon, and everywhere else.

 

[Bill Burk]

The B&L has two lenses - true stereo. I waited and got a good deal on mine, the prices today seem unrealistic.

 

[pbromaghin]

eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/Logan-810-T...arms=aid=222002&algo=SIC.FIT&ao=1&asc=16803&m
http://www.ebay.com/itm/8x-Magnifie...056?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2ec3148728

This is very similar to what I have, except mine is made out of wood.

Or:

YOu can just open up a Word page with no text, make it full screen and stick you negs up to your monitor in a plastic sleeve page. That works real well.

 

[Les Sarile]

I recommend something like a Carson MV-820 that is both an 8X loupe as well as a 40X microscope.

Of course if you have a bellows setup + slide copier that works too . . .

For scrutinizing the frame of film down to the grain, then you may have to resort to a microscope setup . . .

 

[ic-racer]

I use clear negative pages, 8x loupe and light table or box. I use multi-element wide-field 8x Kenko loupe like this:

 

[E. von Hoegh]

Notice a striking resemblance to something you might be reading this on?

Meanwhile... a binocular microscope... would be stereo in other words.

I have a Bausch & Lomb StereoZoom 4 which I use for retouching negatives because you can see depth where the brush is going...

Thanks for giving me a great idea tkamiya... This weekend I have plans to do some printing... I can mount up that microscope over my light table and "proof" my negatives for sharpness before committing them to paper.

Yep, a dissecting microscope is a very handy thing. If you're patient you can sometimes find them very cheaply.

 

[Bill Burk]

Yes, I think I took 3 months waiting and checking the bay ... and I got a very good deal but risked getting garbage by taking the very ugliest... Only needed some scrubbing up, the optics needed a little adjusting. But it turned out I got lucky and then I used an old enlarger column to mount it.

 

[benjiboy]

The guy just wants to look at his negatives to see which he likes before he sends them to a lab to enlarge, not a science project.

 

[Bill Burk]

Just laying out the options.

A normal 50mm SLR lens makes a very good Loupe as well.

I looked at many negs last night through my B&L StereoZoom 4 last night thanks to this thread.

So if nobody got anything useful from the thread, at least it helped me push forward what I wanted to do last night...

 

[E. von Hoegh]

The guy just wants to look at his negatives to see which he likes before he sends them to a lab to enlarge, not a science project.

Well, he just might want to know if they're sharp or not. And there are many options for that. He may want a good look at the negative only, rather than going to the trouble and expense of having it printed. He may need to sort out whether it's a mushy negative or a sloppy lab that's responsible for an unsharp print...

 

[benjiboy]

Well, he just might want to know if they're sharp or not. And there are many options for that. He may want a good look at the negative only, rather than going to the trouble and expense of having it printed. He may need to sort out whether it's a mushy negative or a sloppy lab that's responsible for an unsharp print...

And can't you tell with a good loupe and a light box ?

 

[hyphmngo]

And can't you tell with a good loupe and a light box ?

I hope so because this is what I would go for.