Hasselblad chimney as a loupe on 4x5 LF field camera.

[biswasg]

I have just joined LF photography and bought myself a second hand Intrepid first generation with a 135 f5.6 Schneider lens.

Having years of experience on 35mm both film and recently digital cameras and autofocus, focusing on the ground glass is achallenge, especially with a deteriorating eye sight with age.

I am contemplating buying a loupe. Read various posts on it- debating 4x vs 8x etc. As I also have a Hasselblad, was wondering how about the Hasselblad chimney, which is 3x I believe. Anyone tried it as a loupe?

Thanks for your help.

[Jac@stafford.net]

The chimney finder is an excellent focusing device. It is not as powerful as many would like. Personally, I prefer its lower-than-typical loupe magnification. (I use one on a digital LCD, as well.)

My only tip is to place a layer of gaffer or electrical tape over the steel and screw heads on the contact surface.

[Pere Casals]

LF focusing loupes are focusable, this is you can adjust the base to the lens distance. You have to place focus in the other side of the glass, in the frosted surface.

To focus the loupe you point to an illuminated area with no lens and you adjust the loupe to see well the grain of the grounded side, this may also adjust for particular photographer's sight, I guess like diopters in DSLRs. Since then you don't move that setting until your sight changes in the time.

So you may have to modify chimney's base to lens distance...

I'd spend some $10 in a cheap focusable magnifier (search amazon: carson focusable, for example) and paint the sides black, this is lightweight, and you will preserve the bulky hassy chimney from accidents, then when you can you can get a nice loupe...

176836

I prefer 8x for critical focus, but this is "à chacun son goût", said in French.

[Jac@stafford.net]

Pere, the Hasselblad chimney ground glass finder has a generous focus range.

[Tin Can]

I use a Mamiya C33 chimney all the time.

I find many such items work.

And all kinds of stuff like Pere suggests.

Sometimes my bare myopic eye is fine as I roll focus back and forth and decide.

Sometimes I can't find any loupe.

[LabRat]

I think loupes are one of those "bling-bling" items of LF photography, when they are basically just a magnifier lens with a skirt... Those expensive loupes like the Schneider are an expensive magnifying glass...

I think it would be a more critical use on a light box...

We are not shooting through them, we should be able to find focus several other ways also, and whatever turns you on, cheap reading glasses, movie lenses, parts of raw optics, etc will get you to the same place for more or less $$$...

Whatever floats your boat... ;-)

Steve K

[Pere Casals]

Pere, the Hasselblad chimney ground glass finder has a generous focus range.

Should be because lower magnification, I guess. Perhaps with dim light in the GG that range shrinks, because iris in the eye opens and the eye has lower DOF...

[Greg]

My problem with focusing with or without a loupe was that I have severe astigmatism (back of eyeball is not round but football shaped). Dr. was amazed that I had made a living as a photographer. So I consulted with him, and he remembered once making a pair of CU glasses for a Doctor who was an amateur jeweler and diamond cutter. Those were really CU glasses that focused only a few inches in front of his eyes. Ordered a similar pair. Glass used had to be made of special (refractive index) glass so they wouldn't be too heavy. So he ordered a similar pair with my eye prescription. They have worked out exceptionally well. No longer use a loupe to obtain critical focus, plus using both eyes only enhances my vision. My CU glasses are nothing like the close up (cheater) glasses that you purchase at a OCJSL for under $5.

[Tin Can]

My problem with focusing with or without a loupe was that I have severe astigmatism (back of eyeball is not round but football shaped). Dr. was amazed that I had made a living as a photographer. So I consulted with him, and he remembered once making a pair of CU glasses for a Doctor who was an amateur jeweler and diamond cutter. Those were really CU glasses that focused only a few inches in front of his eyes. Ordered a similar pair. Glass used had to be made of special (refractive index) glass so they wouldn't be too heavy. So he ordered a similar pair with my eye prescription. They have worked out exceptionally well. No longer use a loupe to obtain critical focus, plus using both eyes only enhances my vision. My CU glasses are nothing like the close up (cheater) glasses that you purchase at a OCJSL for under $5.

I have considered that, but so far by removing my progressive glasses and sticking my good eye at the GG, I like what I see without interfering optics. I have had to peer through glass all my life, bare eyes give a different reality.

Each of us must find our own solution. There is no one answer.

[Mark Sampson]

Randy, you are certainly correct. But the Hasselblad chimney finder will suit the OP's needs quite well, I think. I used one (to focus a Hasselblad) for many years when accuracy was critical. It doesn't know what groundglass it's looking at...

[Tin Can]

Randy, you are certainly correct. But the Hasselblad chimney finder will suit the OP's needs quite well, I think. I used one (to focus a Hasselblad) for many years when accuracy was critical. It doesn't know what groundglass it's looking at...

Yep, I already wrote I use a Mamiya C33 Chimney when i want to run all over a 11x14 GG. It's similar to Hassy but has plastic feet.

But it takes me 3 different grain focusers to get enlarging done. All different and sometimes i decide the Peak is not the best for me in that print.

I focus like I shoot a rifle. The sight goes in a figure 8. After a while, I time the trigger.

[Randy]

I use an RB67 chimney finder for everything - 4X5, 5X7, and 8X10.

[Henry Ambrose]

It is hard to get into the corners or near the edge with a big finder or loupe. I always found a small loupe to be better. A 6X 35mm loupe is my preference.

[Willie]

It is hard to get into the corners or near the edge with a big finder or loupe. I always found a small loupe to be better. A 6X 35mm loupe is my preference.

Do you use a ground glass with the corners cut? Or a full glass so you can see the corners?

[Steven Ruttenberg]

With my eyes losing their capability from age and a scare dead center of the right pupil from rust 35 years ago, even with glasses I have to be so far away from the screen it does me no good. Without glasses it is just a blur. For me anyway, the loupe works miracles for me. Bummer needing extra stuff, but it works and wasn't all that expensive and I can use on lightboard as well.

[Henry Ambrose]

Do you use a ground glass with the corners cut? Or a full glass so you can see the corners?

Corners barely clipped. Its only to let the air in and out as you focus but I have seen some that were clipped way more than needed. Th point I was making is that a big loupe or camera finder used as a loupe won’t get as near to the edge or corner as a smaller loupe. It might get you a bigger faster view of the center but overall when using movements you can’t really check where you need with a big loupe or finder. It won’t get close to the edge.

[Jim Andrada]

As someone who has horrible vision even with lens implants I'd rather not see a bit of the edge than not see the middle all. I usea a loupe. And the bigger square focusing hoods will get into the corners fairly well - because they aren't round