Focusing on an Ebony RW45

[Gary John Ritson]

Dear all, does anyone have any experience focusing on an Ebony RW45 or any other field camera for that matter with instead of a loupe a pair of binocular head magnifiers of say about 4x magnification?
I know it may seem a strange thing but I find looking through a loupe, keeping one eye closed then open then closed etc gives me a funny head!!! Also I like keeping both hand free for the focusing and tightening of knobs..
Any help would be great
Gary

[Joanna Carter]

I use a 7x Horseman loupe and find that level of magnification to be the minimum for accuracy; 4x magnification might not be enough.

The other concern with using a magnifier attached to your head is that it could be difficult to hold your head at the precise distance from the screen, and this could give you an even fuzzier head :D

I use Ebony cameras and find that if I adjust the tension on the locking knobs, I manage adjusting the focusing side quite well, but I do understand what you mean.

[Doremus Scudder]

I concur with Joanna.

I use a 4-diopter pair of clip-on lenses for composition and general focusing, but use an 8x loupe for fine focusing. Maybe you can do something similar, reducing the amount of time you actually have to use the loupe. 4x is just not precise enough focusing...

I don't have an Ebony, but on my field cameras I find that I can usually (99% of the time) ignore the focus-lock knobs, thereby using one hand for the loupe and the other for the focusing knob.

Hope this helps,

Doremus Scudder

[Joanna Carter]

I don't have an Ebony, but on my field cameras I find that I can usually (99% of the time) ignore the focus-lock knobs, thereby using one hand for the loupe and the other for the focusing knob.
And you have just reminded me that, if the focusing knobs seem to move too freely, all you have to do on an Ebony is to tighten the screws holding the rails until you get the required amount of "grip".

Being a wooden camera, I find it might need adjusting, depending on the temperature and humidity.

[Jeffrey Sipress]

Coincidentally, I use an Ebony but our techniques work with any LF system. I too, use an Optivisor as a focus aid. I use the #7 lens currently, but will be trying a #10 soon for 3.75x. I don't know why more folks don't use them. I use both eyes for far less face strain and I have both hands free outside the darkcloth or hood to manipulate the camera controls.

[Peter De Smidt]

Many people use reading glasses for composition and general focusing, reserving the loupe for verifying focus.

[Jack Dahlgren]

I used to focus without a loupe, but now I use some strong reading glasses. In most cases, this is sufficient for my purposes.

[Gary John Ritson]

Dear Sir. Thank you for your reply. I see from your post you use an optivisor and at 3.75 too. I was wondering before buying mine don't you have to be an exact distance from the focusing screen before you can see the image coming in and out of focus!!if this is so how do you stay at the correct distance from the ground glass screen under the dark cloth?
Any help would be great as keeping both hands free would be optimal for me as well as being a spectacle wearer.
Gary

[John Koehrer]

Although I don't have an optivisor, I do have a cheap knockoff. There is some play with the range that you'll be working at, somewhere around 1/2". Nowhere near as fussy as a glass you have to set on the GG. You're not going to compose with the visor type magnifier either.