Loupe

This may seem a silly question so please excuse me
I wear glasses for near distance reading and middle distance, like computer work.
If I was to use a loupe for my large format camera for fine tuning, then would I need an adjustable focus loupe to tune for my eyesight or just one that magnifies.
Also I will be using a 150mm lens and a 4x5 camera if that makes a difference.
Thanks in advance.

The best loupes are said by many large format photographers to be the ones that are adjustable. They are also of course more expensive.

I need glasses for reading and the computer plus distance like reading house numbers from the car. I just use an inexpensive 3.6 times Toyo loupe for my 8x10 and I get by fine. You might be fine with an inexpensive Peak loupe or even readers from the drug store. Everyone's eyes are different.

Even if a arresting loupe was intended for a certain "standard" eyesight, it would have to have a focusing feature as the location of the plane of focus may vary.

My $.02 - I use a Chimney finder from a Mamiya RB-67. It may not magnify as much as some want, and it may be a tad larger than some want, but the ocular is adjustable, and if you get one that has the rubber eye-cup, it makes a wonderfully bright loupe for tired old eyes like mine. I use it on both my 8X10 and 4X5 (and 5X7 occasionally). I think I paid about $35 or so for a used one on ebay several years back. I removed the metal mounting bracket hardware from the base and glued some black felt to the base so it would slide easily on the ground-glass.

I just use a simple $5 thread counter. You don't really need an adjustable loupe. Here's why:

Think about how a large format camera works. You move the front (or rear) standard back and forth across the rails to focus the image onto the ground glass. The closer the image is to the taking lens, the further you have to separate the back of the lens from the ground glass to maintain focus. You adjust the plane of focus by changing the distance.

Well the same principle applies to the loupe. So if you place a loupe on your ground glass to inspect the image, and it's out of focus, you can easily move your eye closer or further from the loupe to get the ground glass image back into focus. Now consider how your eyes work. They can change focus on their own using the muscles to reshape your eye. That's how you can focus on a sheet of paper in front of you, and on the moon millions of miles away. So you don't even have to maintain your head at a perfect spot for this to work! You eye will naturally compensate, so long as you're within a comfortable viewing distance. And you won't even notice it's doing it.

Where an adjustable loupe comes in handy is if you're placing your eye directly on the loupe. Like in the instance where it has an eyepiece that blocks out stray light. That allows you to focus on the ground glass by adjusting the loupe without moving your eye. However, I find these totally unnecessary because I always compose my shots using a dark cloth. And the dark cloth does a good enough job on it's own of blocking out the stray light.

One of the advantages to the thread counter is it folds up small, so you can easily place it in your pocket. Also, they're cheap, so you don't have to be too concerned about scratching, breaking, or losing it. And if you ever do, they can be found at all kinds of craft and hobby stores, so replacing one isn't an issue. You could even buy a couple and save money and space over a fancy adjustable loupe. They come in different magnifications too, so you can choose the one that's right for you.

But that's not to say that you won't enjoy an adjustable loupe more. Some people do. I'm just saying that it's not a necessity to making sharp photographs.

Welcome to APUG jim10219

Welcome to APUG. I am thinking you have not had cataracts repaired.

cowanw said:

Welcome to APUG. I am thinking you have not had cataracts repaired.

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Thanks guys!

And no, I have not. I'm also myopic, which means ground glass isn't really a problem for me, but rangefinders can be quite troubling.

I'm blind as hell without my contacts, and always used a cheap plastic fuji loupe for 4x5 that was a promo giveaway ages ago. Nowadays I use cheap readers often when shooting; when I go to a loupe or viewfinder, I just slide them up my head or hang them from my collar. (I direct the occasional music video, which are frantic shooting days - and the damn smoke machines!! - and switch from viewfinders, shoulder mount, 5" HDMI screens, even small camera screens on a gimbal. I buy readers pretty much by the pound from Amazon and cram them in every case, a pair or two always goes flying and gets stepped on.)

I do have the big Edmunds adjustable loupe, which is sort of the ultimate print spotting loupe, but I couldn't see messing with it for 4x5. I much prefer something light and small that I can drop in a shirt pocket.

I suppose it's one of those personalized/ymmv/been doing it for years subjects, hopefully some of these ideas will work for the OP.

(Another day at the office last weekend

Sorry for the late reply.

I've taken on board all the advice that you guys have been good enough to take the time to give me.
I've just bought a cheap loupe and I will see how I get on with the magnification.

That really did make sense, Jim. Thank you.

Thanks for the info M Carter. Nice image by the way

Many thanks for the welcomes too


It will be a week or so before I can test it as my MPP vi is in pieces due to me servicing it and also customising it by replacing the leather with some resin art. I'll post some before and after pictures of my MPP if anyone would be interested.

Thanks again

I used a cheap loop for a few years and had the chance to purchase a good, adjustable Schneider 4x. I couldn't believe what I'd been missing. The Schneider was so much more convenient.

Getting to you question, it depends on the degree of correction in your focusing eye. I currently use a Nikon 7x loupe, and I had to modify it a little. It wasn't sufficiently adjustable to render a sharp image. I'm also myopic, and I use the same (right) eye for distance viewing and for focusing my images.

I use a adjustable loupe I found on ebay from calumet...and find it perfect for my farsighted eyes.

I like my adjustable 7x Peak scale loupe. I use reading glasses for close vision and computer monitors.

Im farsighted with a astigmatism and really struggle. Just to compose I need to be 18" away from the glass. Next time I get a new script Im going to get a cheap dedicated pair of bifocals that focus at 6". Then I only need a loupe to fine tune......thats the theory anyhow.

Thanks for the help in your replies.

I ended up getting a 10x loupe and I found that I need my glasses to view the image from the ground glass but I didn't need them using the loupe as long as I held the loupe a few millimetres from the glass as that slight gap made the image sharp.

awty said:

Im farsighted with a astigmatism and really struggle. Just to compose I need to be 18" away from the glass. Next time I get a new script Im going to get a cheap dedicated pair of bifocals that focus at 6". Then I only need a loupe to fine tune......thats the theory anyhow.

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I have the same issue so I invested in pair of prescription readers that focus at 8 inches. I use an old x10 loop like a locksmith or machinist might use. It cost me about 10 bucks. Works like a top.

I use my old, adjustable Rodenstock 4X loupe and feel it serves me well on the groundglass. Strangely, in the darkroom I now prefer an old 50mm Hexanon reversed for 35mm so the 4X gets left in the 4X5 bag. I splurged on a Mamiya 6X7 loupe a few years back. It's big but quite spectacular in its intended duties on medium format negatives. It's a lifetime tool but at my age, I could describe a purchase of new socks in the same manner!

Some folks opt for strong reading glasses in lieu of a loupe/loop. The +6 strength are easy to locate but stronger ones are more difficult to find. I think +6 is probably fine for most needs.