A loupy question

[el french]

I have an old microfitch lens that I thought would make a good loupe, but it's a bit too low for magnification. Can anyone recommend a lens from Surplus Shed that would work well for a loupe?

[Steve Hamley]

Although not Surplus shed, any old 50mm lens for the 35mm format will probably work very well. You can find them for almost nothing.

Cheers, Steve

[Robert Hughes]

...any old 50mm lens for the 35mm format will probably work very well...
I use a scratched up old Nikkormat 50mm when focusing my ground glass - it's just right. A little bulky, but nearly indestructible.
http://thumbs1.ebaystatic.com/m/me7YtgUPUBtHqHQH4MHbcJw/140.jpg

[patrickjames]

You don't say what you are going to use it for. The best cheap loupes I have found to be parts of 35mm lenses. The front barrel section from a cheap 70-210 or so zoom lens makes a fantastic loupe that you can even use with both eyes open. I use one to look at 35mm negs. If you want more magnification than that, use the rear section which is more like a traditional loupe you can put your eye to, although I use the one I have simply pressed against the ground glass and can then focus with my eye about a foot away.

[el french]

Thanks everyone, I'll try experimenting with some old lens I have laying around. I also found this http://www.largeformatphotography.info/loupe/