Loupes Again, What Works for You

[Jac@stafford.net]

If one thinks he needs a 10x or 20x loupe, then IMO something beyond magnification is required. In the last couple of years my focusing eye went cloudy and dark. I had surgery, and enough cloudiness remains regardless of object type (ground glass). The prognosis is poor. Pretty much blind. I dearly sympathize with Not Art Randy.

Time to sit back, free our opinions from our sighted ability to be creative to address Randy's special case.

IOW, this is not a thread to expound upon your fair eye-sight loupe preferences! Who cares about you? It about Randy!

[Mark Sampson]

Your choice will depend, in part, on how coarse your GG screen is ground and whether or not you have a Fresnel lens installed. Personally I think 6x is plenty, with a largish aperture so you can see enough of the screen.

[Peter De Smidt]

The best viewing experience of all my cameras is a Sinar screen + Fresnel + Binocular reflex viewer. I hadn't used mine for awhile, and taking it out again was a revelation. It blocks all of the extraneous light, which is a huge help, and the front surface mirror can be tilted to light up edges, especially important with wide lenses. The better one can see the ground glass, the more likely one it to make a good picture. Ok, my Maxwell screen is better than the Sinar, but currently it's on my Toyo.

[Drew Wiley]

How does anyone focus critically with a fresnel in place, with all those distracting lines? Other than very wide angle applications in dimly lit interiors, my impression has been that fresnels are poor substitutes for a properly ground glass to begin with, relative to application. A bit coarser grind often makes more sense. When I received my Ebony 4x5, the first thing I did is remove the complementary fresnel screen; and then, when my Satin Snow glass arrived, replace the original gg with that. No need for a fancy viewing hood; that's what a darkcloth and loupe are for, although my opinion is weighted (or rather, unweighted) by the priority I put on field portability. Studio preferences might differ, but not for me.

[Tin Can]

Thanks Jac.

I am interested in how we all cope with GG viewing.

Only a year ago I did not need a loupe as I saw things very close up, clearly, since birth. But at age 7 somebody thought I was not an idiot and perhaps I needed glasses. I did get Coke bottles. I have every pair I ever bought, usually once a year. Soon they will be donated to the Lions Club, as they want them, for others.

But I had already scarred my eyes from not seeing tree branches.

Last year I had eye surgery, now I can drive without glasses, but never will view a GG without a strong loupe.

We all go through changes and challenges as we age.

I am very happy to survive thus far.

Onward, the end is near!



or not...

If one thinks he needs a 10x or 20x loupe, then IMO something beyond magnification is required. In the last couple of years my focusing eye went cloudy and dark. I had surgery, and enough cloudiness remains regardless of object type (ground glass). The prognosis is poor. Pretty much blind. I dearly sympathize with Not Art Randy.

Time to sit back, free our opinions from our sighted ability to be creative to address Randy's special case.

IOW, this is not a thread to expound upon your fair eye-sight loupe preferences! Who cares about you? It about Randy!

[Peter De Smidt]

How does anyone focus critically with a fresnel in place, with all those distracting lines?

Without any problem at all.

[Tin Can]

I have a Horseman reflex viewer but it did not work with my old eyes.

I need to try it with my new ones!

The best viewing experience of all my cameras is a Sinar screen + Fresnel + Binocular reflex viewer. I hadn't used mine for awhile, and taking it out again was a revelation. It blocks all of the extraneous light, which is a huge help, and the front surface mirror can be tilted to light up edges, especially important with wide lenses. The better one can see the ground glass, the more likely one it to make a good picture. Ok, my Maxwell screen is better than the Sinar, but currently it's on my Toyo.

[Bernice Loui]

Fresnel "brightness-focus" aids are modestly OK when used with normal to longer focal length lenses. Once a significantly wide angle lens like a 150mm on 8x10 is used that fresnel lens becomes a very significant focus and image viewing obstacle.

-Simply cannot stand any ground glass viewing with a fresnel lens of any kind, be the fresnel lens be places in front of or behind the ground glass.

Tilting the ground glass magnifier can often help in focusing and evaluating the GG image when using wide angle lenses. This votes for a hand held non-focusable ground glass magnifier.


Bernice

How does anyone focus critically with a fresnel in place, with all those distracting lines?

Without any problem at all.

[Drew Wiley]

I wonder how many of us used our magnifying glasses for burning to death ants and spiders as little boys? I can't remember doing that, but I probably did. Maybe that explains some of our old-age karma.

[Vaughn]

How does anyone focus critically with a fresnel in place, with all those distracting lines? ...

Don't like them either -- took it off the Zone VI when it arrived.