Loupes

[Eric Goldstein <egoldste@xxxxxx>]

A while back we were discussing which optic might be best for MF
viewers, and just today I came across this post from Bob Shell (of
Shutterbug fame) with his two cents on the topic... thought I'd pass it
along...

I will disclaim this by saying that Bob believes himself to be an expert
on just about anything photographic, and he will state with striking
candor that believes himself to be rarely if ever incorrect... How does
nature create such distasteful personality traits?

I has been my experience that he will endorse those products with which
he has some sort of financial ties, either as a direct interest or a
company which pays him fees or gives him product for evaluation (read:
endorsement). So let the reader beware...

---------------------------------------------------

Bob Shell writes on the Rollei users group:

Loupes?  You have come to the right place.  I'm sort of the king of
loupes.
Here on my desk I have eleven different loupes right now, and probably a
half a dozen more down at my studio, and a handful in the darkroom. 
They
range from 3X to 10X.  When companies are thinking of new loupes they
often
send me the prototypes for comment.

The hands down best loupes for 6 X 6 are the Rodenstock Aspherical 3X
and
the Maxwell 3X.  The Maxwell is the one used by the FBI and a large
number
of police departments for looking at fingerprints and other evidence. 
The
Rodenstock is a newer product, but has become the one I reach for when
looking at 6 X 6, 645 and 6 X 7 on the lightbox.

Now the PRETTIEST loupe in my current inventory is the new ProOptic 5X
sold
by Adorama.  It has a burnished titanium-colored body (which, unusually,
is
all metal) with a black rubberized ring to turn the focus.  Optically it
is
darned good, but not as good as the aspherics.

Of course one of the best 6 X 6 loupes is a Hasselblad chimney finder.
They used to make, and may still make, a slide viewer attachment which
clips on the bottom of it for viewing mounted 6 X 6 slides.  There is
also
a Ukrainian clone for much less money.  Rollei's chimney finder would
probably work well, too, but I have never tried one for this.

Bob