Negatives/positives evaluation

[hoakin1981]

Thrilled to have just developed my very 1st 135 B&W film with very nice results indeed!

Only problem now is that I need some way of evaluating each frame more closely. They look OK but aspects like sharpness and contrast and detail etc. obviously cannot be judged just by looking.

So, common enough solution Is a loupe. Only problem though is that there are many kinds available, various magnifications, glass or plastic, zoom or not, with dark or white stands etc.

Prices vary accordingly starting really low but rising into really high.

Any suggestions on the matter from all old-timers out there? Do I go for a cheap white-stand X8 one? Do I invest more on a X5 one with both a white and black stands? I have no problem in investing on a better one provided that it will be "for life" but I need to be sure that it is really necessary because the price is substantial.

What I need Is to be able to evaluate 35mm & 120mm negatives and slides.

Thanks in advance!

 

[ic-racer]

Start with an 8x, cheap loupe. I used an inexpensive one for years until upgrading to a Kenko multielement wide field loupe (too bad no longer made).

 

[George Papantoniou]

Thrilled to have just developed my very 1st 135 B&W film with very nice results indeed!

Only problem now is that I need some way of evaluating each frame more closely. They look OK but aspects like sharpness and contrast and detail etc. obviously cannot be judged just by looking.

So, common enough solution Is a loupe. Only problem though is that there are many kinds available, various magnifications, glass or plastic, zoom or not, with dark or white stands etc.

Prices vary accordingly starting really low but rising into really high.

Any suggestions on the matter from all old-timers out there? Do I go for a cheap white-stand X8 one? Do I invest more on a X5 one with both a white and black stands? I have no problem in investing on a better one provided that it will be "for life" but I need to be sure that it is really necessary because the price is substantial.

What I need Is to be able to evaluate 35mm & 120mm negatives and slides.

Thanks in advance!

You'll find this one http://www.firstcall-photographic.co.uk/products/820/ap-film-magnifier-8x-loupe in some shops downtown (Skiadopoulos, Geramas for example) and it will do the job. It's not expensive. Skiadopoulos used to stock one that was branded "Jobo" (I think that it's not manufactured any more) that was fancier, but still not too pricey. You can look for it on Ebay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Lupe-Jobo-4-fach-/231184220396?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_77&hash=item35d3a740ec). The ones by Schneider and the likes are too expensive.

 

[markbarendt]

I agree with ic-racer. Cheap 8x.

The other thing that can be a great help is contact printing.

 

[gone]

Often, a 50mm lens off your camera turned backwards works very well. You could also try this. I thought about going this route, but a camera lens works fine for me. I have an inexpensive loupe, but prefer the camera lens for greater clarity.

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/loupe/