Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/02/12
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]For me the perfect loupe is one that I can place down on top of the negative on the light table, and leisurely examine the full frame of the negative. A good example of one that I have used is the Pentax 5.5x loupe. Not too much magnification, but enough to critically evaluate the negative or slide. And it is very sharp and adjustable. I'm sure that there are other good brands as well. But to sit there hunched over a light table holding a $600 2 lb. Nikor 85/1.4 for any length of time to look at (part of) a negative or slide just seems crazy. In a pinch it'll work, but get a proper loupe; they are designed for this! Even my Nikor 8x loupe is preferable to squinting through a lens. Dan C. At 02:38 PM 12-02-01 -0500, Douglas Cooper wrote: >On 2/12/01 11:41 AM, Leica Users digest expressed the following: > >> You guys who use camera lenses as loupes are joking right? > > >Not at all. Many Olympus users consider the 50/1.8 Zuiko the perfect loupe >(and you can get one for about 20 bucks). I was stuck without a loupe the >other day at the lab, and I used my DR Summicron rather than the lousy loupe >they had chained to the light table -- worked like a dream. No, you don't >always get the whole frame (depending on the focal length of your lens), but >loupes are mostly for critical work, no? > >I've used the Maxwell loupe, and had difficulty with focus -- it's not >adjustable, and if your eyes are wrong, as mine are, you're out of luck. >That said, it's considered the best loupe out there -- the FBI uses it -- >and I have one of his ground glass loupes for large format, which is superb. > >The Schneiders are of course wonderful; you might want to consider the Poor >Man's Schneider -- the Iston 4x -- which is about 50 bucks from B&H. I use >this, and the difference between it and the Schneider is slim. > >For general work, 4x or 5x is what you want -- a 10x will drive you crazy, >as all you'll see is massive grain, and imperfections in the surface of the >film. 10x is great for truly critical work -- evaluating the sharpness of a >line, for instance -- but is not an everyday affair. > >cheers, > >Douglas Cooper >http://www.dysmedia.com > >