What optics and tools do you use ?

Just getting started in collecting older coins and quickly realized I need better optics. I currently have a couple of typical magnifying glasses, one plain and the other with a spot lens, both of which are inadequate. I briefly used a desktop magnifier my brother owns that captures pics and downloads to a pc -- and I like that capability a lot. The only other tool I have is a free copy of PhotoScape (recommended by a CT member) which has been very helpful.

I would like to hear what you use and would appreciate recommendations. Thanks

 

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10X loupe. You really don't need a higher magnification.
Even the best loupes are not expensive.
Try JP's https://www.jpscorner.com/magnifiers-and-loupes.html

 

Thanks rickmp. I wear strong reading glasses and probably need bifocals, will that make a difference for loupes ?

 

If you have cataracts or physical damage such as from disease , the image will still be a problem with a magnifier, it will just be a larger blur. If you are still legal to drive you should be OK. Ask the doctor next time you have an appointment. Jim

 

I wear progressive lenses and have no problem except finding the sweet spot every time I pick up the loupe.

 

i use a digital microscope so i can look at coins on my computer screen, i used to use a loupe which took a long time when roll searching, then in 2011 i lost the use of my left hand so got the microscope which works out great for me as i just need one hand to hold the coin under scope and view it in a six inch or larger sized window on my screen, can go thru a box of cents more than twice as fast..

 

I'm at that age where my eyes can't really refocus -- but I'm really really nearsighted, so the view I get by peering under my glasses is about what most young folks can do with the naked eye. I rarely use a loupe or magnifying glass.

I'm considering a USB microscope, because it makes it easy to capture images (even if they aren't great) and it's convenient for side-by-side comparisons.

For actual photography, I use a Canon DSLR with the 100mm F/2.8 (non-L) macro on a copy-stand-type mount. I've also got a set of extension tubes that give me a full field of view smaller than a trime. That's not quite pushing the limit of conventional optics, but it's more than enough for anything I've wanted to do so far.

(Okay, that's a lie; if it were cheap and easy, I'd have an electron microscope. Heck, I'd have an accelerator line and an X-ray microscopy setup.)

 

IMO the best tool for viewing coins under magnification is a stereo microscope. I use Bausch & Lomb Stereo and StereoZoom types. They "sound" expensive but you can get them reasonably inexpensively on eBay. If you do variety or error searching, there is no better solution.

 

I like the idea, but don't like the ergonomics (hunching over to hold your eyes against the eyepieces).

My dream setup is a stereo pair of 4K (at least) video cameras with variable zoom, feeding a head-mounted AR display with matching resolution. It's not here yet, but I'll probably live to see it. I might even still have good enough eyes to appreciate it.

 

I have X-ray vision so I did not need optics, I can see the S on my shirt through my chin! Smiles!

 

Lighthouse (Leuchtturm) sells a good selection of quality German-made optical accessories for collectors:

https://www.lighthouse.us/optical-accessories/

The one I use is a 7x illuminated magnifier - under $15 from Amazon or JP's Corner:

 

I use this:

 

I like the looks of this a lot Ken. Can you capture the image and save to your PC ? Thanks for the link as well !

 

Lol, Jeff. I'm in the same boat, badly nearsighted and have trouble with the magnifying glasses. Definitely considering the USB telescoping scope.

 

LOL !

 

I have one similar to this juris, but it is a cheap unbranded Walmart product... maybe, maybe 3X with a spot lens that takes forever to find a mint mark with. I was checking out the Lighthouse models earlier this morning and saw several that I liked.

 

Wow! There was a time when I could read dates and mint marks as soon as the cash register drawer was opened. I could at lease place the coins in their respective decades.

 

Got a link for the one you use?

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Digita...m=282308797777&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851

 

1. I use a 30x21mm loupe for the most part and then any questionable coins I need a closer inspection of, I use a USB microscope ($39). You asked about tools we use so here is what I have and find adequate: Gold-Acid-Testing-Kit-Electronic-Tester-Scale-Digital-Test($39.99), which comes with scale and the loupe, and a digital caliper ($3.96).