I have a Super Speed Graphic, and want to get a focussing loupe. The Toyo 3.6x GG loupe has a lot of really nice features, but the "low" magnification of 3.6x is not what I want. I tried one out at Helix, and I liked the length (3.9"), and the rubber coated ends (my fresnell lens and GG need replacement.) But the magnification wasn't enough for my taste.

What do you all out there use for focussing? Is there some other brand that I don't know about? B&H advertises a Docter 8x GG loupe, but the guy on the phone couldn't tell me anything about it, as he has never seen one.

I won't get anything shorter than the Toyo. The Wista 7x looks long, but doesn't (as best as I can tell) have the rubber coatings.

Any advice is appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Regards,

-- Martin F. Melhus (melhus@fdrc.iit.edu), June 30, 1998

Answers

The problem with a 7x or 8x loupe, as opposed to the Toyo 3.6x one, is that the textured ground glass gets magnified too much, making focussing difficult.

-- Stewart Ethier (ethier@math.utah.edu), June 30, 1998.

I recently went through the same exercise in purchasing a loupe. I also felt I needed the higher magnification to secure an optimal focus. I learned two things in my inquiry. 1) There is no substitute for optical quality and objective size in transmitting a bright high image to the viewer, and 2) Moderate magnification (4x)is actually better because it allows you to view a larger portion of the image and therefore provides a better overall focus.

I ended up buying the Rodenstock 4X aspheric loupe at $99 from B&H and have been very pleased with it.

-- Michael Kadillak (kadillak@rmi.net), June 30, 1998.