New View Camera coming in: Need good loupe for focusing and a hood.

cayenne · Mar 9, 2020

Hello all,

Well, I have found a Shen Hao 6x17 camera for sale and should be arriving maybe as soon as today.

I've learned of this camera from YT videos from the likes of Nick Carver, etc.

I saw he used a 6x magnifying loupe for helping to get critical focus on the view screen....that particular one he uses I can can't seem to find.

Can someone give me a recommendation for a good loupe to get?

Also, what about the "hood" you see folks putting on the back of the camera to help you better see the view screen, especially on bright days?

This is a 6x17 one....I'm guessing if there's one that fits slightly loose on a 4x5 camera, that it might work well on this one?

I found a decent Nikkor 90mm lens at KEH to start with...hoping to run some 120 film through it this week!!

Very excited.

Thank you in advance for any suggestions!!

cayenne

Larry the sailor · Mar 9, 2020

You really don't need a fancy/expensive loupe to get you started.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=focusing loupe&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ps
I've got the Peak 5X I use on my 4X5 and it works fine
As for your darkcloth/focusing hood, again you don't need to got expensive and fancy. Many folks just use a black T-shirt or black towel.

cayenne · Mar 10, 2020

Larry the sailor said:
You really don't need a fancy/expensive loupe to get you started.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Ntt=focusing loupe&N=0&InitialSearch=yes&sts=ps
I've got the Peak 5X I use on my 4X5 and it works fine
As for your darkcloth/focusing hood, again you don't need to got expensive and fancy. Many folks just use a black T-shirt or black towel.

Thank you for the quick reply Larry!!

Ok, I found that loop at B&H and they had some dark cloths too (thanks for the terminology lesson!!)....so, I may give that a try.

The dark cloths listed there, had some people complaining they were slightly loose on regular 4x5 cameras, so with the 6x17, I'm thinking they might be a good fit.

Again, thank you very much!!!

cayenne

jim10219 · Mar 10, 2020

I just use a cheap thread counter as my focusing loupe. It's an 8x. Really, any magnifying glass around 5-10x should be good. The fancier ones use multiple glass elements to eliminate aberrations and allow you to adjust your focal point, but you're not taking photos with the lens, just checking focus. So unless your near vision is bad, I don't recommend spending the extra money on them. They're easy to damage or lose, so I prefer the cheaper ones. Plus the single element (biconvex) lenses don't require you to set the focal point, making them a little easier to switch between cameras if you have multiple view cameras with different thicknesses of ground glass.

Pretty much any dark cloth would work. It doesn't have to be a photographic dark cloth. Some people even raise their shirt up over their head. You just need something to block out some of the ambient light. The lighter it is, the easier it is to carry. The heavier it is, the less it moves around in the wind. There's no magic formula for any of them. I have a Calumet one that was given to me. It works pretty well, but if I wasn't given that one, I'd probably just make my own out of whatever fabric I could find that blocked out light and was cheap.

MattiS · Mar 10, 2020

One thing to consider when selecting a loupe is that you can attach a string to it. It will give you an extra hand in the field.

cayenne · Mar 10, 2020

MattiS said:
One thing to consider when selecting a loupe is that you can attach a string to it. It will give you an extra hand in the field.

View attachment 241807

OH...that's a GREAT point!!

Hmm...I can't tell from the pics on that Peak 5X loupe if you can attach a cord for keeping around your neck while out shooting.

Larry: Can you hook a string/cord to that Peak 5X one you mentioned?

MattiS: What model is that one you pictured? What strength?

Thank you all!!

C

David A. Goldfarb · Mar 10, 2020

If you are using a darkcloth, then there are a variety of loupes you can use. If you’re shooting wide lenses on the 6x17 camera, you might like the Silvestri tilting loupe, which will give you a brighter view in the corners and at the edges of the frame. If you are using a pop-up folding focusing hood rather than a darkcloth, the Toyo/Omega loupe is longer and easier to use, but you won’t get as clear an image in the corners, if you need to check the corners.

MattiS · Mar 10, 2020

cayenne said:
MattiS: What model is that one you pictured? What strength?

It‘s a Kaiser 10x magnifier, about 15€. I use it on my 4x5 Technica.

Quick read from the Fotoimpex website:
Magnifier for all-round use with color corrected aspherical lens and eyesight correction.
Transparent base.
Magnification: 10x
Lens diam.: 20 mm (1 in.)
Height: 40 mm (1.5 in.)
Diameter: 66 mm (2.6 in.)

David A. Goldfarb · Mar 10, 2020

MattiS said:
It‘s a Kaiser 10x magnifier, about 15€. I use it on my 4x5 Technica.

Quick read from the Fotoimpex website:
Magnifier for all-round use with color corrected aspherical lens and eyesight correction.
Transparent base.
Magnification: 10x
Lens diam.: 20 mm (1 in.)
Height: 40 mm (1.5 in.)
Diameter: 66 mm (2.6 in.)

Loupes with a transparent base are usually for looking at prints and proof sheets. For groundglass viewing, you want an opaque base ideally. If you’re viewing under a darkcloth, it won’t make much difference, but it can make more of a difference if you are using a folding focusing hood.

Vaughn · Mar 10, 2020

Wrap some electrical tape around the transparent part and be a true punk photog...

MattiS · Mar 10, 2020

David A. Goldfarb said:
For groundglass viewing, you want an opaque base ideally

Vaughn said:
Wrap some electrical tape around the transparent part and be a true punk photog...

A good point and a quick solution!

John Koehrer · Mar 10, 2020

I think Kumar had a Good 6X in the classifieds the other day. He's in Japan but has a lot of satisfied customers here.

Luis-F-S · Mar 10, 2020

I use a pair of 5 X readers. Carry a toyo loupe as a backup.

Larry the sailor · Mar 11, 2020

cayenne said:
OH...that's a GREAT point!!

Hmm...I can't tell from the pics on that Peak 5X loupe if you can attach a cord for keeping around your neck while out shooting.

Larry: Can you hook a string/cord to that Peak 5X one you mentioned?

MattiS: What model is that one you pictured? What strength?

Thank you all!!

C

I did' but it isn't made with an attachment point. I just tied a turkshead knot on it and made a loop to hang it from a cheap ID card lanyard I picked up at wallyworld. and store it in a small Crown Royal bag.

Ariston · Mar 11, 2020

I use the same cheap $10 10x loupe that I use for my light table.

Film is too expensive to be buying fancy magnifying glasses!

New View Camera coming in: Need good loupe for focusing and a hood.

cayenne

Larry the sailor

cayenne

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MattiS

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David A. Goldfarb

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New View Camera coming in: Need good loupe for focusing and a hood.

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