Hi All.

Can anybody give me a recommendation for a high-quality loupe for viewing my 4x5 transparencies with ? I shoot transparencies only and will not be viewing prints. My little 35mm 8x slide loupe causes a lot of eye fatigue and I'm looking to get a loop that better suits my 4x5 needs. I don't need the loupe for GG focusing, just for viewing my transparencies with. Thanks in advance for your advice.

-- DOUG MEEK (DOUG.MEEK@CARDINAL.COM), March 28, 2002

Answers

Dough,

I can recommend two loupes that I have first hand experience with:

• The new Peak Hand Loupe 3x for touch free variable magnification (controlled by the distance you hold it) and a good viewing angle
• The Rodenstock Aspherical Loupe 6x which provides higher magnification and still has a broad viewing angle. It's special plastic tube will not hurt your slides

Regards,

-- Thilo Schmid (tschmid@2pix.de), March 28, 2002.

Dough,

I forgot to mention another important aspect: a Hand Loupe, including the big ones you can buy at your optician, are fare more convenient to use than the loupes that rest on the slides. The bearing you take to view through such a loupe on a light table is not an ergonomically one.

-- Thilo Schmid (tschmid@2pix.de), March 28, 2002.

I have found my Zeiss (Jena) magnifying finder for the Pentacon 6 to be a great transparency viewer. maybe a better lens than most loupes and accurate adjustable focus. A quality item.

-- Fred De Van (fred@freddevan.com), March 30, 2002.

Get yourself a Pentax 5.5X Loupe. I've had one for 2 years now, and you will not be disappointed - even if the price was 4 times the $80.00 or so dollars it will cost you for a brand new one.

Do a search on the Pentax Loupe - most users agree you can't go wrong. GOOD LUCK!

-- Robert J. Fox (aa8yo@yahoo.com), March 30, 2002.

Hi Doug: you will get as many brands recommended as recommenders. Here is mine: I have tested 5X (Leitz), a 3X (Rodenstock) and a Schneider 4X which covers 6X6 and is very sharp also. The Rodenstock has the advantage of covering a larger field, 6X7 and it is very sharp. For covering the whole field I use a magnifying glass/lamp such as used to be used by draftsmen. I do not know the magnification but suspect it is about 2X. Seems adequately sharp and allows me to use glasses for greater sharpness. Handy for other things too. Hope this helps.

-- Julio Fernandez (gluemax@sympatico.ca), March 30, 2002.