Loupe Question...

[dbla]

Does anyone have any experience with the Silvestri loupes? I've been using a Toyo 3.6x but I am finding it difficult to achieve critical focus when I am shooting close/wide open. I think I'd benefit quite a bit from a 6x loupe. Seems like there used too be lots of great options from Schneider, Fuji, Horseman etc... But these are what's more-or-less left.

Looking at this one in particular: https://www.silvestricamerashop.it/shop/en/all-products/30-silvestri-loupe-6x-professional.html and/or the tilting version.

Thanks in advance,

-A

[mhayashi]

I use the 6X? tilting Silverstri loupe bought more than 20 years ago. It’s a good loupe for focusing on GG.
Before that I used a 10X peak loupe but I realized the larger magnification doesn’t necessarily mean easier focus.
https://www.silvestricamerashop.it/shop/en/all-products/31-silvestri-tilting-loupe-6x.html

[Bernice Loui]

6x to 7x works good for a ground glass loupe. Higher magnification often does not aid in focusing, 4x is often good enough. The tilting loupe comes into it's own with wide angle lenses. Tilting the loupe at the edges of the ground glass image with a wide angle lens aids in surprising ways for focusing.

If you're using a fresnel lens, seriously consider ditcihing the fresnel lens as the optical structure (lines) used to create a fresnel lens impedes ground glass focuing with a loupe. Problem grows with using a really wide angle lens combined with a frensnel lens as a GG focusing "aid".. Ideal is a high quality ground glass and nothing more.



Bernice

[xkaes]

As mentioned, your "problems" may have to do with how you are using your loupe, what you are expecting of it, or other issues -- as opposed to the loupe itself. Magnification changes may or may not help things. Some people prefer higher mag, some lower.

Regardless, if you want a different loupe, there are more used loupes to choose from than new loupes.

[Bob Salomon]

Have you focused your loupe’s eyepiece on the grain side of your ground glass. If so then fresnel rings won’t create a problem.

[Greg]

I have and use a:

PENTAX 5.5X - large and sharp. For critical focusing it is amazingly way better than a 4X but I seem to always have wanted to have a bit more magnification.

LINHOF 8X loupe - Very, very sharp, very, very compact, and (for me) the sweet spot as far as magnification goes.

PEAK 10X - My previous favorite, but the LINHOF 8X is noticeably sharper.

I used to use a plastic AGFA 8X Lupe until I got the LINHOF. "You get what you pay for"... the LINHOF blows away the AGFA, but then probably goes for twenty times the cost of the AGFA 8X.

[BrianShaw]

You probably will benefit from greater magnification, and to chose a high quality option is a good idea too. For most of my life I used a really cheap 4x loupe (AGFA or the like) and it worked but with aging eyes found that greater magnification and higher quality helps immensely. Now happily using an eTone 6x. For me a longer loupe is ideal since at least one of my cameras has a folding hood that I'd rather not remove.

[B.S.Kumar]

A Nikon Pro Zoom 8-16X loupe is a great alternative.

Kumar