Inexpensive LOUPE for focus?

[Willie]

https://www.surplusshed.com/pages/item/L14813.html

First, I have NO connection to this company other than having bought items from them in the past. If you are looking for an inexpensive Loupe to help with focus you might check this one out.

I don't have one - as I have three others. But the price and such might make it worth looking at for some of our folks here.

[Bob Salomon]

But the low magnification, clear base and lack o diopter adjustment may not make it a good choice

[Doremus Scudder]

I agree that the low magnification is a disadvantage. I prefer the 5-8x range personally. A clear base is no disadvantage at all. My primary focus magnifiers are aspherical 6x stamp magnifiers, with no base at all. They float freely above the ground glass and allow me to tilt the magnifier to see into the corners. I don't like touching the base of a magnifier to the ground glass in the first place; too easy to move things around or scratch the plastic Fresnel on many cameras.

Best,

Doremus

[Robbie Bedell]

Isn't that about the same magnification of the popular Toyo loupe? I've used that for many years...But now I mostly use the longer Horseman loupe..I forget what magnification it is. I'm tempted to buy the Surplus Shed loupe just to see it..

[6x6TLL]

There is a Toyo loupe for sale on the forum here, 4x for $xxx..

[esearing]

I use the inexpensive Peak 5x but wrapped the clear base with black electrical tape.

[Drew Wiley]

Unless something is a bargain simply because it's used and no longer needed, the old adage generally applies : you get what you pay for.
I have a couple relatively cheap magnifiers myself for the sorting light table. But the critical light box in the enlarging room, where I carefully inspect the and clean the film before printing, necessarily has relatively expensive high-quality magnifiers. When it comes to groundglass loupes, you only get on crack at it, unless you want to waste another sheet of potentially expensive film, and especially in dim light, why gamble? I happen to use Peak/Nikon/Horseman 7X loupes, which are petite and mid-priced, but not cheap by any means.

[lassethomas]

If you are comfy with that low magnification another option is a pair of simple 3.5x reading glasses. Cheap, available if lost or forgotten and frees you hands while focusing.

[John Layton]

Another reading glass convert...going with a pair of 4X (12.00 from my local optometrist) - perfect combo for 5x7 with fresnel screen, great to use both eyes!

[reddesert]

A minor detail:
magnification for loupes is magnification = 25 cm / focal length.
"magnification" for reading glasses is in diopters = 100 cm / focal length.
They operate somewhat differently because usually you put a loupe close to the subject and your eye may be further away, while reading glasses are usually closer to your eyes than the subject. But anyway, a 4x loupe isn't directly equal to a +4 pair of reading glasses. Both can work depending on your vision and taste.

[Alan Klein]

Another reading glass convert...going with a pair of 4X (12.00 from my local optometrist) - perfect combo for 5x7 with fresnel screen, great to use both eyes!

Do you use prescription eyeglasses too?

[John Layton]

I don't use prescription glasses, as my eyes are still quite good and even at a distance - although I've been losing close focus for ages so that for general use I depend on a pair of cheap (local Job Lots) 2.5's. Went with 3.5's for awhile for ground glass viewing, but the 4's are just a bit better.

There are times though (very few, but they do happen)...like when using my 150 G-Claron or 120 S.A. in faint and/or low contrast light, or with a particularly smooth subject, that I'd like something a little more, and for this I will, very occasionally, pull out my Nikon 7X loupe to double check after first using my glasses. But even then, I'm usually spot-on.

[giganova]

I use an inexpensive Peak 10x loupe (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009NVELCA/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1) which is fantastic to focus on the ground glass.