Loupes for press cameras

[Martin F. Melhus]

I have a Super Speed Graphic, and want to get a focussing loupe. The Toyo 3.6x GG loupe has a lot of really nice features, but the "low" magnification of 3.6x is not what I want. I tried one out at Helix, and I liked the length (3.9"), and the rubber coated ends (my fresnell lens and GG need replacement.) But the magnification wasn't e nough for my taste.

What do you all out there use for focussing? Is there some other brand that I don't know about? B&H advertises a Docter 8x GG loupe, but the guy on the phone couldn't tell me anything about it, as he has never seen one.

I won't get anything shorter than the Toyo. The Wista 7x looks long, but doesn't (as best as I can tell) have the rubber coatings.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Regards,

[Stewart Ethier]

The problem with a 7x or 8x loupe, as opposed to the Toyo 3.6x one, is that the textured ground glass gets magnified too much, making focussing difficult.

[Michael Kadillak]

I recently went through the same exercise in purchasing a loupe. I also felt I n eeded the higher magnification to secure an optimal focus. I learned two things in my inquiry. 1) There is no substitute for optical quality and objective size in transmitting a bright high image to the viewer, and 2) Moderate magnification (4x)is actually better because it allows you to view a larger portion of the im age and therefore provides a better overall focus.

I ended up buying the Rodenstock 4X aspheric loupe at $99 from B&H and have been very pleased with it.