Focusing loupe for Graflex RB45 - presbyopia alert

[Ramiro Elena]

Age has taken its toll on me. I can't focus on the ground glass of my Graflex RB45 ever since I made the huge mistake of getting reading glasses.
All I would need is a folding loupe as in Hasselblad waist level finders or Rolleiflexes, or ANYTHING really.

I assume there's a lot of people in this forum with the same problem. What are your solutions? Please help!

[Jason Greenberg Motamedi]

Sadly it happens to us all... I took the lenses from a Sinar finder and created a small hanger out of metal. It works fine, but could be more elegant.

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20220504/09651cf3128f9a9f3760e5841e311d49.jpg

[Tin Can]

I use a focusable high grade glass 9X optic loupe

on a shoelace around my neck

[BrianShaw]

https://www.etonephoto.com/products/etone-6x-focusing-loupe-lupe-mc-for-4x5-8x10-large-camera-framing-viewfinder

I have no connection with the manufacturer or any specific vendor, other than being a satisfied end-user. My only critique is that there are no caps provided, but slip-on caps of appropriate size can easily be obtained.

[Jim Worthington]

Glad to hear this. I have seen negative Amazon reviews for this loupe but this is the first I've seen in this forum, which I trust more.

[sharktooth]

The tall hood on the Graflex is going to be a problem for viewing with a loupe. Maybe your reading glasses are not optimized for the distance from the top of the hood to the ground glass. I'd measure that distance, and then try out some cheap dollar store reading glasses at different powers to see if any would be better suited. Reading glasses seem to be optimized for a limited usable distance range. The higher power glasses focus better at closer distances, while the lower power ones focus easier a bit further away. You want to find one that works well at the distance for your hood. You may also want to invest in one of those elastic bands that hold the glasses to your head, so they don't fall off when you're looking down.

It's fun getting old. New challenges await.

[Ramiro Elena]

The tall hood on the Graflex is going to be a problem for viewing with a loupe. Maybe your reading glasses are not optimized for the distance from the top of the hood to the ground glass. I'd measure that distance, and then try out some cheap dollar store reading glasses at different powers to see if any would be better suited. Reading glasses seem to be optimized for a limited usable distance range. The higher power glasses focus better at closer distances, while the lower power ones focus easier a bit further away. You want to find one that works well at the distance for your hood. You may also want to invest in one of those elastic bands that hold the glasses to your head, so they don't fall off when you're looking down.

It's fun getting old. New challenges await.

I have used the one dollar eyeglasses and they work fine. The problem is looking up to talk to whoever I am photographing and going back to the ground glass. I feel like my head is going to explode from trying to focus at different distances back and forth. That's why I thought of something connected to the camera instead of my head. I could also remove the left lens from the glasses and use that to look up.

Brian, do you use the loupe hanging from your neck or do you drop it inside the hood?

On the psychological side, it has been very demoralizing to see I can no longer see...

[Graham Patterson]

My astigmatism is significant enough that basic magnifiers/loupes won't help on their own - I need my prescription as well. So I use flip-up magnifiers for most close-up things with the camera, as these are easy to get out of the way when I need to look at the 'real' world.

[BrianShaw]

Glad to hear this. I have seen negative Amazon reviews for this loupe but this is the first I've seen in this forum, which I trust more.

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[sharktooth]

I have used the one dollar eyeglasses and they work fine. The problem is looking up to talk to whoever I am photographing and going back to the ground glass. I feel like my head is going to explode from trying to focus at different distances back and forth.

I guess you're a newbie at this getting old thing. Welcome to the club. Just hang your reading glasses on a string around your neck, just like you would for a loupe. Take them on or off as necessary, you'll get the hang of it in time.

[BrianShaw]

Brian, do you use the loupe hanging from your neck or do you drop it inside the hood?

On the psychological side, it has been very demoralizing to see I can no longer see...

I haven't yet used it on a Graflex SLR, only on a Speed Graphic. As mentioned earlier, the tall hood of the RB might be a problem. The loupe needs to be against the GG. That, in practice, might make it an unlikely option for the Graflex RB unless the hood is modified or removed. For the Speed, this loupe (or equivalent "long" loupe) is just the right length.

Like you, I'm growing more demoralized every day about vision. Seems like all of the sudden I need brighter lights and longer arms to see things. And a magnifying glass...

[Oren Grad]

Wrestling with the same problem - dealing with the tall hood on Graflexes. I have the Horseman long loupe but it's not long enough for the tallest hoods. Have fiddled with dollar-store reading glasses as well as various other correction lenses (screw-in close-up lenses, anyone?) but so far don't have a good mounting for those. To this point the best solution for visibility has been to take off the hood and focus on the GG with a loupe under a dark cloth, but of course that strongly affects the way one uses the camera.

[Daniel Unkefer]

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52046838607_22ba324a51_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nicDQk)SONY DSC (https://flic.kr/p/2nicDQk) by Nokton48 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/18134483@N04/), on Flickr


Bought this olde Arca Swiss Reflex Mag for $100 and adapted it to 9x9cm Makiflex. It's big enough to cover 4x5 glass so it might work good with Graflex?

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52049165147_eeecdd7b58_b.jpg (https://flic.kr/p/2nipzr6)SONY DSC (https://flic.kr/p/2nipzr6) by Nokton48 (https://www.flickr.com/photos/18134483@N04/), on Flickr

Approximate View through new to me 4x5 Arca Swiss Reflex Finder on Auto Makiflex. As you can see there is a nice black border around the 9x9cm full frame glass. Perfect for viewing the entire field without straining

[Ramiro Elena]

Approximate View through new to me 4x5 Arca Swiss Reflex Finder on Auto Makiflex. As you can see there is a nice black border around the 9x9cm full frame glass. Perfect for viewing the entire field without straining

Your post in another thread is what prompted me to ask the question. Maybe a replacement of the hood...?

[Daniel Unkefer]

Your post in another thread is what prompted me to ask the question. Maybe a replacement of the hood...?

Perhaps if you can find one with a good fit. Ed Sawyer comes around here, he has cobbled some lovely Franken-Graflexes, and might have some good ideas for you. Long ago I collected Graflex stuff. Peter Gowland made some interesting Hoods for his twin lens cameras. Perhaps something like that is do-able.

The Arca Swiss 4x5 works good for me on the Makis, I do wish the ocular had adjustable focusing, which it does not. Me I wouldn't buy one without trying it first for fit on your camera. Some modifying will be in order.

I like your portfolio :) Good Luck to you!

[Daniel Unkefer]

I like the Sinar Norma and modern Sinar monocular and binocular with bag bellows, I have a bunch of them with Norma oculars attached with Hollywood Gaffer Tape. Would look weird (tripod required) but the cool thing is you can move your head around and really examine the corners, even without a fresnel. Maybe that's too crazy but I wonder if it would work? Horseman and Linhof made a lot of stuff too. And Plaubel as well

[Rod Klukas]

A focus aid in most cases should not be more than 4 or 5x. Stronger it will magnify the grind of the glass and t or the fresnel rings if present. I use either a 2x Hood Loop, or a Toyo 3.6x view camera focus aid.

A user should only use his infinity or distant vision setup when using a focus aid for best accuracy. So if you have progressive glasses, or bifocals, use the distant section to focus through the focus aid. Then either switch to the closeup or reading classes for setting the camera etc. Some people but the sort of lower half reading glasses so their eyes are free to focus, but use the magnification to set the camera.
I have taught this for 40 years and these are true maxims when it comes to focusing. If you check in View Camera Technique by Leslie Stroebel, he echos what I stated.


Hope this helps.

Rod

[Tin Can]

My eyes are so bad, the ONLY thing that works is my high end 9X adjustable Edmunds glass Loupe

No longer sold...

I keep mine on a shoelace around my neck

[mdarnton]

I have used reading glasses, also. Another strategy that works but makes the hood non-folding is to drop in a Cambo straight viewing hood. Sorry, I could only find the 90 degree one in pictures online. Basically it's just a tapered box with a magnifier at one end, like the Hasselblad chimney finder but large.

[Jim Andrada]

One other clever idea from Mamiya. A sliding loupe that flips up for composing. GX60 is probably the only MF camera heavier than a Technika 4 x 5

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[Tin Can]

what IF

Put a small iPhone inside hood and look at that

not kidding

not cheating either