focusing with glasses or without

[fralexis]

I shoot a LF Toyo Field 4X5 with a 180 lens. I focus on the ground glass with a slide projector lens. No problems, but I have a question about eyeglasses. I have progressive glass lens so depending on the position of my glasses things will go in or out of focus. Do those of you who use glasses simply take them off and focus with the loupe?

Thanks

Alexis

[Tin Can]

I am -7 diopters. I either focus without progressive glasses and without loupe by putting my eyeball right on the GG or I wear my glasses and must use a loupe.

I have found I see focus either way and never see false focus from any combination.

Meaning when I see sharp focus by whatever method it is sharp focus.

Let the rain fall.

[LabRat]

I think it comes down to this...

Whatever it takes (and works for you) is the ability to view the GG at a comfortable distance, and what you would need to wear (or view through) that would allow you to also see the grain or GG lines lines to magnify the image enough for critical focusing...

I generally don't like high power loupes on the GG, as most of what I see is GG grain on mine...

I followed a tip I read here, and bought several pairs of cheap reading glasses at the bargain store, and these are my go-to loupes now as they allow me full corrected view of the 4X5 GG's I generally shoot, but also magnify enough where I can see what's in or out of focus enough for me to be comfortable with the focus setting I settled at...

Steve K

[BrianShaw]

... Do those of you who use glasses simply take them off and focus with the loupe?


Yes, that is what I do.

[Doremus Scudder]

I do both and quite regularly. Usually I don a pair of 4-diopter reading glasses for rough focusing/general viewing and then fine focus with an 8x (or thereabouts) loupe. Sometimes I take the glasses off for fine focusing, sometimes not.

When in the field, I often wear progressives with a Cabella's flip-up 4-diopter magnifier attached. This is flipped down for rough focusing/viewing and then comes the loupe for fine focusing, so sometimes I'm looking through my progressives, a 4-diopter magnifier and an 8x loupe.

Sometimes I take all my glasses off to focus using just the loupe.

Focus is always easy and fine. I'm with Randy on this one: as long as you can focus comfortably on the frosted side of the ground glass, there's not going to be a focus shift or any kind of missed focus due to using more than one focusing aid at the same time.

Best,

Doremus

[Sal Santamaura]

As you may deduce from the variety of responses, answers to your question cannot be meaningful unless you tell us your distant and near prescription strengths. Then, only those who have similar eyesight will be able to usefully reply to your inquiry.

[Mark Sawyer]

It probably depends on your eyes. I take mine off, but more because I don't want the loupe to scratch or smudge them, especially in the middle of "seeing". And I'm always careful to set them somewhere I won't be able to find them...

[Tin Can]

If I drop my glasses I cannot find them. I have stepped on them more than once.


It probably depends on your eyes. I take mine off, but more because I don't want the loupe to scratch or smudge them, especially in the middle of "seeing". And I'm always careful to set them somewhere I won't be able to find them...

[Mark Sawyer]

If I drop my glasses I cannot find them. I have stepped on them more than once.

I have several pairs, so I can use one pair to find the other. But finding that first pair... :confused:

[Drew Bedo]

Before my vision deteriorated to 20/200, I convinced my optometrist into making me a pair of "reading" glasses that focused at 5 or 6 inches: never learned what power that is. Worked pretty well under the dark cloth.

[Andrew O'Neill]

I picked up a pair of 4+ from the dollar store a few years ago. They work great for composing and initial focussing. I still use the loupe to check out of habit and the focus is bang on.

[Vaughn]

If I drop my glasses I cannot find them. I have stepped on them more than once.

Playing basketball from high school until my 40s, I would have to ask someone to find my glasses when they would get knocked off my face!

Since I am very nearsighted, I can focus on things about 5 inches away very easily w/o my glasses (better than with my glasses and a loupe). I can not successfully use a loupe without my glasses.

[Tin Can]

Playing basketball from high school until my 40s, I would have to ask someone to find my glasses when they would get knocked off my face!

Since I am very nearsighted, I can focus on things about 5 inches away very easily w/o my glasses (better than with my glasses and a loupe). I can not successfully use a loupe without my glasses.

And I thought I was the only one who can focus without extra glass, loupe or goggles.

I was never a sport, but watched my giant, baby brother stop HS B-Ball games whenever he lost a contact. Both teams would look for it, 1971. He was their prize center. The odd thing is, I never saw him win a game. Every time I attended they lost and perhaps lost bigger when I shot them with Super 8. :( He scored an athletic full free ride for 4 years at Drake University. First semester he also scored Mononucleosis. They pulled his scholarship. Career over.

[Graham Patterson]

I use flip-up magnifying lenses over my regular prescription glasses. Good enough to check camera settings as well as 90% of the ground glass work. Really fine work requires something stronger than the +2.5s I use. The nice thing is I can flip them up and actually see something over a few feet away!

I use them at work, too - I sometimes have to work with fine wiring. I have enough astigmatism that simple magnification does not help - I need a prescription in the mix.

[D. Bryant]

I had my optometrist make a pair of custom lenses which is about the equivalent to +5 reading glasses. They weren't too expensive since they already had my eye prescription on hand.

[Peter Gomena]

I use a loupe with a threaded eyepiece that allows me to adjust focus. My progressive lenses are +2.75 diopters. I don't need them if I use the focusing loupe. It's one used for the screen on digital cameras, can't recall the brand at the moment. I appreciate that it has a rectangular viewing area that allows me to see right to the edge of the ground glass.

[Randy]

I can focus / compose on my 8X10 ground-glass with just my reading glasses but when I move to my loupe, I have to take the glasses off. BTW, for my 8X10 loupe I use a RB67 chimney finder - it has an adjustable eyepiece plus a flip-up magnifier for critical focus.

[Bruce Watson]

Do those of you who use glasses simply take them off and focus with the loupe?

If you've got sufficient astigmatism, that would be... pointless. If you've got, say 1.0+ D of cylinder correction (that's about 28% of the US population), you'll really want that corrected before you try to do any critical focus tasks. Otherwise, you'll be beating your head against the wall bemoaning your inconsistent focus results. Just sayin'.

[Jmarmck]

If I drop my glasses I cannot find them. I have stepped on them more than once.
That is me as well or could be except for that fact that they are never off my head unless I was sleeping or bathing. So I rarely stepped on them. I have found very creative ways to break them. But now that old age has hit, my cornea are so inflexible that there is too large of a correction between close and far. Progressive lenses makes the sweet spot of the reading portion so small that I cannot function. I now have two pair of glasses, one for computer work and one for distance. Makes it difficult working with the camera and subject.

So a focusing loupe is used, then comes sticking my nose on the gg sans spex.

[Bruce Barlow]

I used to buy cheap reading glasses at the dollar store when I wore contacts. Now I have glasses, which I keep on a string around my neck. At 3.5 diopter, my naked eyes work well for focusing, and, no longer being nimble, I can't step on the glasses around my neck.

[Jmarmck]

I used to buy cheap reading glasses at the dollar store when I wore contacts. Now I have glasses, which I keep on a string around my neck. At 3.5 diopter, my naked eyes work well for focusing, and, no longer being nimble, I can't step on the glasses around my neck.

Oh, I bet I could find a way! I once was on the riding mower in the Georgia midday heat. The gnats were particularly bad that day. I had new glasses in a slightly larger frame. While swatting a path through the gnats, I nicked the new glasses and flung them to the ground right in front of the mower deck. Not a cheap accident.

[Tin Can]

Yup:)

[Bruce Barlow]

Oh, I bet I could find a way! I once was on the riding mower in the Georgia midday heat. The gnats were particularly bad that day. I had new glasses in a slightly larger frame. While swatting a path through the gnats, I nicked the new glasses and flung them to the ground right in front of the mower deck. Not a cheap accident.

Yeah, did that with cheap sunglasses when I wore contacts, but they weren't on the string. I got away cheap that time.

[Jmarmck]

I blame the gnats.

[Vaughn]

Under the darkcloth I take off my glasses and hold them by one temple piece in my mouth. One of these day I am going to drop them in a creek or something and have to blindly make my way back to the car. I have no idea how I am going to actually drive, but so far so good.

[Tin Can]

Under the darkcloth I take off my glasses and hold them by one temple piece in my mouth. One of these day I am going to drop them in a creek or something and have to blindly make my way back to the car. I have no idea how I am going to actually drive, but so far so good.

Been there. I keep a spare pair in the vehicle when travelling.

Age 16 I lost my glasses and drove the car at night on busy rural roads by watching and seeing only taillights.

It was such a strain on my eyes, they shut off after a couple hours. I went blind.

By then my 'buddies' were sober enough to drive the brand new 1967 Firebird convertible.

We got home safe.