Most valuable tools for working LF photographers

[Christopher Barrett]

I recently picked up this Peak Zooming Loupe. A little spendy but SO awesome...



http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...oom_Loupe.html

[DrTang]

$$$$

would be first


then a big ol heavy tripod is next

[Alan Gales]

Quality shoes and proper clothing.

Kirk's brain won't do you any good if you feet, knees or back are hurting or you are shivering from the cold.

[Bob Salomon]

I recently picked up this Peak Zooming Loupe. A little spendy but SO awesome...



http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...oom_Loupe.html

It is very nice but it is really designed for prints, not focusing as pictured here. A focusing loupe has an opaque skirt, as does one for looking at transparencies. Does that transparent skirt come off?
Also, zooming from 8 to 16x is a bit much for ground glass focusing. You would usually be using 4 or 6x and 8x at the extreme. So the zoom part isn't that useful since it starts at 8x.

[Jim Jones]

For the price of just that loupe I could find a LF camera, adequate lens, film holders, and cheap loupe. By scrimping thus, it's easier to work less and still balance income and expenses. The transparent base is a practical asset. It can always be masked with black tape when used with a camera. As for the high magnification, seeing the texture of the ground glass insures that the eye is correctly focused.

[Ken Lee]

A Zone VI viewing filter: small, light, no batteries required.

I cover mine with white tape to better simulate the appearance of a matted print.

[John Kasaian]

I agree with Kirk's brain.
Followed by curiosity.

For taking and printing hardware it depends on what you want to accomplish---certainly a dark place to load and unload film is valuable, as is a cable release.
If you are shooting a handheld Speeder or Linhof then a tripod, dark cloth, loupe etc.... aren't nearly as valuable as they would be if you're shooting a camera requiring a tripod.
If you are shooting an 8x10 or even a 5x7, then an enlarger becomes less valuable if you're interest is in contact printing.
For B&W, filters I find are extremely valuable, and of course good film holders!

[Bob Salomon]

For the price of just that loupe I could find a LF camera, adequate lens, film holders, and cheap loupe. By scrimping thus, it's easier to work less and still balance income and expenses. The transparent base is a practical asset. It can always be masked with black tape when used with a camera. As for the high magnification, seeing the texture of the ground glass insures that the eye is correctly focused.

You easily see the grain at 4x. While seeing that the loupe is properly focused on the grain of the gig you don't want so much magnification that you lose the important details due to too much magnification either. Also, when you get to extreme magnifications with a zoom type loupe that can not increase the diameter of it's lens then as you increase magnification the brightness of the image is reduced making focusing more difficult. You want the brightest image in the loupe possible. Not the dimmest. And taping the clear area of an almost $300.00 loupe is hardly the best way to treat that loupe!

[pdh]

Oh you can hand-hold a 10x8 pinhole. The results are just a bit ... how shall we say? ... impressionistic?

[Jim Jones]

You easily see the grain at 4x. While seeing that the loupe is properly focused on the grain of the gig you don't want so much magnification that you lose the important details due to too much magnification either. Also, when you get to extreme magnifications with a zoom type loupe that can not increase the diameter of it's lens then as you increase magnification the brightness of the image is reduced making focusing more difficult. You want the brightest image in the loupe possible. Not the dimmest. And taping the clear area of an almost $300.00 loupe is hardly the best way to treat that loupe!

Yes, 4X was certainly enough on my old original B&J ground glass, but I grind them finer than that. Now, after cataract surgery, I should do some more testing. I have yet to explore the effect of maximum camera lens aperture on different finishes on the GG.