Bodobodo From Canada, joined May 2000, 553 posts, RR: 13 Posted (12 years 7 months 1 week 8 hours ago) and read 721 times:
Hi,
I've just received back my first batch of aviation slides (I've shot exclusively print/negative film so far) and I'm considering purchasing a loupe to examine them to decide which ones to scan and which ones to just file away. Can anyone suggest the best magnification to get for 35mm slides and mention brands to look for as well. If possible please mention the going price for that sort of equipment since that's certainly going to be a consideration. Any other information about loupes that you think would be important would be welcome also. I appreciate the importance of loupes but know very little about them.
Thomasphoto60 From United States of America, joined Jan 2000, 3723 posts, RR: 25 Reply 3, posted (12 years 7 months 1 week 2 hours ago) and read 652 times:
I use the Schnider 4x, and 8x loupes. THese are rather pricey $100.00 for the 4x, gut they are the best.
Bodobodo From Canada, joined May 2000, 553 posts, RR: 13 Reply 4, posted (12 years 7 months 6 days 7 hours ago) and read 637 times:
Thanks to everyone who responded. I picked up an 8x AGFA loupe tonight. I looked at that and a Nikon one and since my untrained eye didn't see much difference and the AGFA was $7 CDN and the Nikon $50 CDN it was an easy choice. Maybe a year from now when I'll know what to look for I'll take a look at the higher end ones and decide whether the difference will be worth it to me. Now to find a source for an inexpensive lightbox!
Bodobodo From Canada, joined May 2000, 553 posts, RR: 13 Reply 6, posted (12 years 7 months 5 days 16 hours ago) and read 624 times:
It's essentially a magnifying lens which will let you look closely at slides or negatives to evaluate how they have turned out. It lets you check out the sharpness and detail without the need for setting up a projector, screen... which is much more expensive equipment, not very practical, and is not quite as effective either. In my case I purchased one because I'm now using slides which means that I don't have a large print to use to check how well the photo turned out. Checking out the original film rather than a reproduction of it like a print is more direct anyway.
Brick From United States of America, joined Aug 1999, 1571 posts, RR: 8 Reply 7, posted (12 years 7 months 5 days 7 hours ago) and read 616 times:
Bodobodo,
Light boxes can vary in price for as little as US$15.00 to $200.00. There's the kind that lie flat, angled ones, ones that magnify, etc. If you just wanted something so you can get an idea of what a slide will look like projected, just get a small portable light box. The low end boxes use florescent lighting. The upper price ones use plasma lighting which displays a truer color spectrum.
I have two. One cost me about US$21.95 and is made by Promaster that runs off 4 "C" batteries. The surface area isn't that big (4X5) and I can only view 4 or 6 slides at a time, but I don't need it for anything else besides pulling numbers off slides. The other one I have is a slide viewer that I just use with a lupe . I runs off of 2 "AAA" batteries, is the size of a credit card, and is about an inch thick. I paid US$16.00 for it and it's great! It is small enough to go in my camera bag. Besides its portability, it has a nice light that gives a good indication of what the slide will look like when it's projected.
Sponsor Message: 
From Canada, joined May 2000, 553 posts, 
From United States of America, joined Aug 1999, 1571 posts, 
From Australia, joined May 2000, 238 posts, 
Printer friendly format 
