Modern loupe / magnifier for 35mm contact prints and negs - view the whole frame!

RogerHyam · Oct 28, 2022

I'm getting a little frustrated using the 10x loupe I've had for years when reviewing 35mm contact sheets and negatives.

The issue is I can't see the whole of a frame with it. I really need a 5x loop or equivalent.

There are loads of 10x loupe on Amazon and eBay for looking at circuit boards or material threads but they all tend to have field of view of a square inch maximum. Even the 5x ones do.

Can anyone suggest an affordable one that is available today that I can just plonk down on a contact sheet of strip of negs and view the whole of a frame with? (I know there is a Leica one out there and that doesn't count as affordable!)

Alan Edward Klein · Oct 28, 2022

How about these? I think the bottom snaps on the top item if you need it. Otherwise just the first one.

PEAK TS2018PH Film Holder and Marker For 35mm Film Viewer for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for PEAK TS2018PH Film Holder and Marker For 35mm Film Viewer at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!

www.ebay.com

GRHazelton · Oct 28, 2022

You might look at Edmund Scientific edmundoptics.com They've been around for a LONG time.

Christiaan Phleger · Oct 28, 2022

B&H used to sell Russian KMZ loupes that were well above average and high quality for a low price. I have one round 10x and a 8x I think, and I think both can cover a 35mm frame. Will check.

tom williams · Oct 28, 2022

RogerHyam said:
Can anyone suggest an affordable one that is available today that I can just plonk down on a contact sheet of strip of negs and view the whole of a frame with?

Check this one out: https://www.peakoptics.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=34&products_id=103

ic-racer · Oct 28, 2022

I use the Kenko EC8X, It is fantastic if you can find one. Full frame 8x wide field. These were very reasonably priced compared to the Nikon, Leica and Rodenstock offerings. I think I paid $60 for it new.

MattKing · Oct 28, 2022

high power reading glasses also help.

Mr Bill · Oct 29, 2022

GRHazelton said:
You might look at Edmund Scientific edmundoptics.com They've been around for a LONG time.

Yep, this one in particular is real nice.

Edmund Deluxe 6X Wide Field Magnifier | Edmund Optics

Edmund Deluxe 6X Wide Field Magnifiers used in optics and photonics applications are available at Edmund Optics

www.edmundoptics.com

Or, in the interests of being frugal, have you considered just using a 50mm camera lens?

RogerHyam · Oct 29, 2022

Thanks for the feedback. The Peak was what I was thinking of but getting one in the UK at a reasonable price is tricky. I love the Kenko if I could find one in the £50 range. The Edmund one is good but over my budget at £130.

There is this Silvestri which looks like the Kenko.

6x Loupe

www.ffordes.com

But I can't quite justify it.

UK eBay is increasingly frustrating as we have to pay shipping and VAT from EU. The US and Japanese stuff you have to pay VAT (20%) on the price including the shipping which really jacks it up. It is becoming a smaller and smaller pool for specialist stuff.

I don't really need a super corrected lens but just convenient tool and going back to Amazon I've found a 7x that might do the same job for pennies.

I'd still like a more solid one like the Kenko though.

nmp · Oct 29, 2022

I love using the Magnifier app on my iPhone. There should be a equivalent one on Androids, I'm sure. Never used it on film or slides (I do have the Peak 8X for that purpose way back from my darkroom days in the 80's - kind of a keepsake.) You can probably make a stand for the phone and then move around the film strip.

:Niranjan.

Bill Burk · Oct 29, 2022

Schneider 4x is the gold standard, there’s one on eBay for just over a hundred. Lower price than I would expect. The one with a broken frosted base.

Another one is closer to 200 in better shape.

You will be happy with a high quality loupe because you are using it to make important decisions.

George Collier · Nov 1, 2022

I agree with Bill about the Schneider 4x, which I think was made for ground glass viewing for large format cameras, which is why I have it. It has a smooth focus and is perfect for that.

MattKing · Nov 1, 2022

I have a cheap slide viewing loupe designed for medium format slides - branded as Carsen, which is/was at one time a Canadian photo products distributor with a lot of lines, including Olympus cameras. I don't know of anything similar that can currently be obtained new.

gone · Nov 1, 2022

I sympathize with your wish to have a full frame loupe. But 35 mm negs are so tiny, relatively speaking, that I gave up on making contact sheets a long time ago. A scanner is used to proof them, then I decide which ones to print. The scanner will blow up all the imperfections you wouldn't see w/ just a loupe/contact sheet too.

My little $60 Wolverine scanner takes up a tiny bit of desk space, something like under 6" on all sides. It's capable of making very nice scans of 35mm and 120 negs, and takes only 5-10 minutes to scan a roll of 36 negs.

pkupcik · Nov 4, 2022

Another option is to use a removable chimney style viewfinder for medium format cameras, e.g. Hasselblad. This is convenient especially if you already have a film camera that can use the viewfinder.

Alan Edward Klein · Nov 4, 2022

pkupcik said:
Another option is to use a removable chimney style viewfinder for medium format cameras, e.g. Hasselblad. This is convenient especially if you already have a film camera that can use the viewfinder.

There has to be enough room between the bottom of the viewfinder's skirt and the contact print to let light under so you can see the print. Of course, with slides, this isn;t a problem because the film is backlighted

markjwyatt · Nov 4, 2022

This is one reason I like 6x9. Same aspect ratio, no magnifier needed!

For 35mm, scanning (and inverting) is the best tool for viewing.

Alan Edward Klein · Nov 4, 2022

markjwyatt said:
This is one reason I like 6x9. Same aspect ratio, no magnifier needed!

For 35mm, scanning (and inverting) is the best tool for viewing.

Does scanning really show how sharp the image is? Isn't a loupe better?

aparat · Nov 4, 2022

I believe Adox makes a loupe specifically for viewing film on a light table. It's the ADOX Precision Loupe 10x with built-In LED Ring Light. I haven't tried it myself, but it looks interesting and somewhat affordable (around $70). I use the Peak Optics 8x Slide Magnifier Loupe, which works great with my old eyes.

Nitroplait · Nov 4, 2022

MattKing said:
high power reading glasses also help.

If going cheap, I agree with above.
I use the highest power cheap drugstore reading glasses to focus my large format camera. Much easier than fiddling with a loupe.
Use the same glasses when doing camera repairs. Highly recommended, and no big loss if not for you.

nmp · Nov 4, 2022

Nitroplait said:
If going cheap, I agree with above.
I use the highest power cheap drugstore reading glasses to focus my large format camera. Much easier than fiddling with a loupe.
Use the same glasses when doing camera repairs. Highly recommended, and no big loss if not for you.

Don't know how that would work. Reading glasses are not magnifying glasses - they correct your vision if it is needed, not make the object bigger. If you are using reading glasses to see better the image on the ground glass, chances are you need reading glasses - for reading.

MattKing · Nov 4, 2022

The reading glasses do magnify for me - perhaps because they permit me to get closer and still see clearly and fill my field of vision with the slide.

jtk · Nov 4, 2022

Alan Edward Klein said:
Does scanning really show how sharp the image is? Isn't a loupe better?

The new, cheap Kodak scanner would be worth considering....appears to be designed for easy film insertion/transport. I doubt its tiny, built-in digital monitor would be critically sharp but everybody has a computer and monitor for the purpose.

Nitroplait · Nov 4, 2022

nmp said:
Don't know how that would work. Reading glasses are not magnifying glasses - they correct your vision if it is needed, not make the object bigger. If you are using reading glasses to see better the image on the ground glass, chances are you need reading glasses - for reading.

They do the same as a loupe. Try it.

aparat · Nov 4, 2022

This is what I use for electronics and camera repair projects. It has a swing-out magnifier attached, so it can get you about x12 magnification. The goggles give me a comfortable focal length to work with, whereas the loupe requires that you get much closer. I have never tried it for film viewing but it should work nicely.

Modern loupe / magnifier for 35mm contact prints and negs - view the whole frame!

RogerHyam

Alan Edward Klein

PEAK TS2018PH Film Holder and Marker For 35mm Film Viewer for sale online | eBay

GRHazelton

Christiaan Phleger

tom williams

ic-racer

MattKing

Moderator

Mr Bill

Edmund Deluxe 6X Wide Field Magnifier | Edmund Optics

RogerHyam

6x Loupe

nmp

Bill Burk

George Collier

MattKing

Moderator

gone

pkupcik

Alan Edward Klein

markjwyatt

Alan Edward Klein

aparat

Nitroplait

nmp

MattKing

Moderator

jtk

Nitroplait

aparat

Modern loupe / magnifier for 35mm contact prints and negs - view the whole frame!

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