I can vouch for the BelOMO 10x Triplet.
iPhone pic, just holding it in front of the lens.

 

Any of you tried those USB microscopes?

 

I tried two, rather average definition. They do OK but I prefer a loupe.

I think a better option is a proper microscope with a camera adaptor. But then there's $$$$$$$ involved.

 

Here is a good one that does the best job as 6x is all you need.

http://www.entosupplies.com.au/equipment/field/magnifiers-(field~lab)/loupe-6x-magnifiers

 

Unfortunately I do not think these are available anymore.

 

Maybe one should sell with notes from a 6x,...buy and negotiate down with notes from a 10x.

 

Looks perfect, with a large field of view. And from a company who knows something about lens making. More for prints and contact sheets I suppose, but why not?

 

@JimInOz Impressive.

 

Looks to be available on the bay used from several sources. Might actually be a good option.

 

Pretty sure made for medium format 6 x 4.5 slides. It is on the big side and it is heavy but does have a focusing helicoid. But it is nice and big at 63mm outside diameter.
And the viewing distance is huge that picture was shot from about 10 inches away .

 

And you can of course, use the iPhone zoom function for greater detail.

(The vertical day/date window lacks the "tittilation" (my spelling) that a horizontal one does for Tuesday ).

 

Oh wow... cool little bit of history for anyone who knows what Fairchild was (is?) into.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Fairchild-S...690794?hash=item1c7d34b62a:g:xn0AAOSwLF1X6SxnPurchases made through these links may earn this site a commission from the eBay Partner Network

 

I've used Optivisor and middle of the road quality loupes. The single lens loupes distort the image, and the Optivisor's greatest magnification is 2.5 or 3X and thats very close to the image, about 1.5".

If you have the space for it you can get a $100 dissecting microsope with say 10 and 30X magnification and they allow room for your hands or tools. Some of them even have a USB port where you can capture an image on your computer.

 

Welp now I had to order a loupe.....gotta stop reading this stuff!

 

Is a watchmaker loupe better than a handheld one? Bigger field of vision? I hate looking at things through a keyhole.

 

A "watchmaker" loupe is used in much the same manner as a hand held one and used correctly, the field of vision is similar..

One is held to the eye by the eye socket and the cheek (or by a headband), the other is held to the eye (or vey close to it) by the hand.

The hand held loupe (doublet or triplet) is more useful when out and about, the watchmaker one more suited to the bench.

You'll only know which one suits you best after trying them out.

 

I asked for a loupe for Christmas from my wife. She bought me a 20x magnification one with a 1/2” focal length. Gave me a headache looking through it. I got her to send it back and I bought one for £2 at a motorcycle show with 7X magnification that was fine!

 

20x is really only for reading GIA numbers or looking in detail at individual inclusions, it is too much mag and too little field of view and dof to be if any real use otherwise. 10x is plenty.

 

I have a Nikon one like this but without focusing ability, so it's pretty much useless for looking at watches. The clear plastic baffle causes the loupe to focus right on the crystal which is a few mm too far from the dial...