Grain focuser for tired eyes?

[Edward Pierce]

I’m in Montpelier

[Edward Pierce]

Got the Peak magnifier today and tried it vs the Bestwell. The Peak is far easier to see the grain, brighter and clearer.

One advantage of the Bestwell though is it’s much taller, making it easier to reach the focus knob while looking through the scope.

Anybody have design ideas for a DIY focus extension rod for a Zone VI Type 2 enlarger?

A very surprising discovery when comparing the two: they’re not focusing on the same plane! To check this I first checked the enlarger alignment set up for an 8x10 print. I placed the focusers to read the same spot in the center of the image. The Peak focuses on a plane 3mm below the Bestwell. I measured this by first focusing with the Peak, and then sliding sheets of film under the Bestwell until it was as sharp as it could get. I used the widest aperture on my 150mm lens.

I’ve had the Bestwell for a long time and at one point the mirror came loose and I glued it back in. Maybe this messed it up.

I haven’t noticed a lack of sharpness in my prints. I generally print at f/16 or smaller so maybe I’ve been within an acceptable depth of field. In a few days I’ll have time to run an actual side by side test on paper.

[Mal Paso]

I scratched an overexposed neg and used that to double check my Peak when it arrived against a 12X loop on the easel.

There are 3 "Peaks' with different maximum angles and several magnifications but 10X is common.

[phdgent]

There is an other approach to this matter.
Linhof, and perhaps others, have a different viewer working with a ground glass and a mirror, the pictures of the Linhof device, I post in attachment, can explain more.
I use this when my eyes are getting tired at the end of the day when the use of a grain focuser has become to 'demanding', as I always plan a full day in the darkroom...
This device doesn't enlarge like a loupe, but it is very clear and helps to see the fine structure of the image on which you can focus, it is somewhat like the viewer of a SLR.
It rests on a kind of ball head foot and can be oriented towards the center when the borders are viewed.