Needed: Edge viewable GG loupe

[ageorge]

I am new to LF and I have been using a cheap GG loupe and I a frustrated about not being able to see the edges of the GG. I was wondering if someone could recommend a good loupe that is viewable to the edge of the GG.

Thanks in advance,
-alan

[Ron Marshall]

The Silvestri tilting focussing loupe gets into the corners.

See it in this link:

http://www.largeformatphotography.info/camera-bag/

[Capocheny]

Alan,

Take a look at a square linen tester... they sell for about $7 and it'll get you into the corners unlike any other loupe. Secondly, they fold up into a tiny package of about a 1"x1"x1/4". How's that for small?

The Silvestri that Ron is recommending is also good but I (personally) found it to be too awkward to handle for MY hands. But, YMMV.

Cheers

[naturephoto1]

Hi Alan,

You may wish to look at a 4X Horizon loupe. I have found the optics to be extremely sharp for ground glass usage and the loupe has a square base. It is also about the price of a Toyo 3.6X loupe.

Rich

[Ralph Barker]

The folding linen tester is a compact option. Mine is brass, with sharp edges that needed to be smoothed to avoid scratching the GG. I've also used an older Schneider medium-format loupe that has a square base. Very nice, but somewhat large and bulky.

If you wear glasses, another option is a jeweler's loupe that clips onto the eyeglass frames. A little dorky-looking, but they look appropriate with a propeller-accessorized cap.

[Ernest Purdum]

Some people have sanded away at an angle one side of one of the lupes with a plastic base that are intended for use on a lightbox. With the remaining portion of the base you can hold the lupe straiht when looking near the center of the groundglass, but also tilt it for checking the corners. The sanding has to be done carefully to preserve the focus when tilting.

I have a lupe that tilts. It apparently was made by Rietzschel, the Austrian company known for excellent microscopes and that may have made the big device with all tghe lenses that your optometrist uses to find your glasses prescription.