Focusing Loupe: Recomendations

[shadowleaves]

I use Pentax 5.5x and it's great.

[R Mann]

I have been using a Hartblei finder for a Hasselblad - 4x with a 2" x 2" square image - I like it a lot, but it is a little bigger than most ground glass loupes. Fairly light as it weighs about 5 oz.

[neil poulsen]

I used an inexpensive loupe for a long time and thought it worked OK. But when I picked up the Calumet Aspheric (Rodenstock, Schneider?) at one of their conferences, it was a revelation. Even better, they sold to me by mistake for $10.

I've since purchased a Nikon 7x loupe for a reasonable price on EBay that I plan to use with a 6x9 camera. I checked it out, and it seems to work fine. I haven't checked it in actual use, though.

[Steve Hamley]

Anybody have an opinion on the 7x long Horseman loupe? I know Ted Harris liked it from my forum search, but that's about all I could find. Does it have diopter correction?

Cheers, Steve

[rugenius]

I purchased a Pentax 5.5x photo loupe for use with a 4x5 view camera.
NOT the ZOOM version....
Incredible planar FOV, generous eye relief, diopter adjustment.
It lacks strap connections for the neck because it was designed to be on a light table.
But in my opinion, not too cumbersome for this camera type, even in the field.
Especially helpful to get such a wide view on subjects.

[Alan Davenport]

I have one of the 4x Fuji loupes that I bought on fleabay; it's probably the same one Bob McC. is using. Before that, I used a 5x eyeglass loupe, the kind that clips onto the frame of your glasses. Disadvantage of that type is that it's hard to hold one's head still enough that the groundglass image remains in tight focus. As for the Fuji, well it's OK but nothing exciting and it's not focusable. I expect I'll need to upgrade before too long.

One thing some folks don't realize (or don't believe) is that, when you're viewing a groundglass through a loupe, the quality of the loupe doesn't have very much to do with your ability to focus accurately. That's because you are looking at a true image on the groundglass, not a virtual image. Regardless of the quality of the loupe's own focus (on the GG) when the groundglass image appears to be the best, that's where it really is focused. Of course, a better loupe does make it easier to perceive that point of focus, but my point is that a lesser quality loupe doesn't equate to lesser quality photos.

Bob G., your mileage may vary, but most LF users seem to find that 6x or 7x is the maximum magnification for a loupe to be useful. Beyond that, you start seeing the grain in the groundglass, which confuses focusing for some. Also, if your camera has a fresnel screen, higher powers might make the ridges on the fresnel annoying, tho I'm not sure the fresnel isn't annoying at the best of times. It's a tradeoff where we accept a new evil to reduce an old one.

[Len Middleton]

I have two of the small Schneider loupes, an 8x and a 6x, with the black metal body, and the orange plastic ring on the base. I purchased them both used, so I cannot comment on how painful it might be to purchase them new.

i use the focus adjustment and find that helps me. They are small enough to get right into the corner, and compact and light. I put a nech lanyard on the one (8x) that I use for GG focus.

I am a little surprised about the number of comments about it picking up the fresnel when focusing with a higher magnification loupe. On the Technika 4x5 I have a fresnel on, I just lift it off to focus, as it sits in on top of the GG and only held in place with the focusing hood. I presume that no one has the fresnel between the GG and the lens...

On the 8x10, I do not have a fresnel, and therefore it does not get in the way.

I prefer the higher magnification (8x) to allow me to concentrate on the focus, at that point in the image, and do not find I get distracted by the GG surface.

Hope that helps,

Len

[gevalia]

Well, I'm a bit of a mix here. I put on a pair of those cheap pharmacy reading glasses under the darkcloth to dial in and then switch to the loupe for fine focusing.

Ron

[John Jarosz]

Only available used is the macromax (leitz) 5x loupe. You'd have to shoot me to get mine.

John

[Bob Salomon]

Only available used is the macromax (leitz) 5x loupe. You'd have to shoot me to get mine.

John

No, The Macromax was made in Wetzlar, Germany but was not part of or a division of Leica. They were simply made in the same city by different companies. The Macromax was a product from Emo-Optik who has been out of business for a while.