I need some serious help with this one... In the past year or two is when i really got into actually looking at the finer detaisl fo the coins in my collection. I bought a loupe off Ebay - BIG mistake - It was a 30x loupe (i think) with 2 different lenses that could overlap for better magnification... but this loupe was all plastic including the lens and did a horrible job. lots of distortion!!! The help i need, since i know nothing about loupes, including if i am spelling right, is if anyone can point me in a direction of a really good - but not so highly priced, loupe that i can buy to get a real good look at the details on my coins. I dont need any type of microscope - i dont need to get that close, but i would like a magnification capable to seeing a small double die that would certainly be missed with the untrained naked eye. any help would be greatly benificial and greatly appreciated
I use 10x but have been thinking about trying to find a 5x or such...for the most part I use my eye fir grading and the 10x to look at marks or such... Speedy
My primary loupe is one I've had for 30 years or more, and I don't remember anything about where, how, or even why, I got it. In incuse lettering it says "Japan", so it must have originated there, but I don't think that's where I got it. It's made of plastic, with three glass lenses. An optician checked out the magnifaction factor for me a few years ago, and they are each 7X, so I can get 7, 14 and 21X views. The individual lenses swivel, and when they are all in the closed position there are small holes on the outside that allow use of the exact center of each lens for close examination of a very small area at one time. I rarely use two lenses, and almost never use three, especially since I got my QX3 microscope and use its 60X setting for real closeup-examination. The Bausch & Lomb 10X I used to have did a great job until I permanently misplaced it several years ago. B&L is one of the top lensmakers in the world, but they are rather pricey.
Hey Dag, Check out the Open Forum 2nd page. I bought a loupe from this gentleman, but if nothing else the information was very good I thought. He explained the different types of lenses. I ended up with a Triplet also.
I'm going to go the variable power stereo microscope route, 7X-45X. I have troubles trying to hold the loupe up to my eye and hold the coin in focus. It's too close to my face and I don't want any moisture from my breath that close to the coin. Also, I'd like to see the image in 3D, which is not possible with one eye. I'm going to send the microscope image to my TV set or computer to make it easy to see in comfort and allow for 'screen captures' for pics. I'm doing a lot of research into the subject right now. In the meantime, I have a 5X Bausch and Lomb with a good sized 1 1/2" lens. I think it was $8.99 including shipping on eBay and it slides in and out of a plastic case which allows for plenty to hold on to while viewing. The lens is probably plastic but the image is okay. I'm trying to find my 10X hastings triplet....
I did some minor research by looking at a few sites. A couple of loupes received some good comments, the Zeiss and the BelOMO. I just bought a BelOMO 10x Triplet Loupe Magnifier on e-bay for $13 plus shipping. The seller name is amateur.geologist.auctions. They don't have any for sale right now, but you could send them an e-mail and check. I will let you know how it works compared to the cheap loupe I purchased earlier. I have seen the BelOMO advertised for about $25 so I think this is a good deal. The other loupe that received significant praise is the Zeiss 3/6/9 D36. It has variable magnification. The bad news is the lowest price I have found is $114. http://www.brokencc.com/ I keep looking for a better price, but I may just have to splurge at some point.
I use my old printing register loupe. I figure if it can see dots on a page it will work just fine for coins
Thanks everyone who has posted so far... but i have another question on this... looking at sites on the net and on Ebay, i have seen this --blah blah 10x Triplet loupe.... ??? does that mean three lenses that are each 10x [edit] (for a total of 30x), or three lenses that total 10x when used all at once? or does it mean something else entirely?
A 'Triplet' is an arrangement of 3 lenses into a single magnifying piece. The lens is configured this way to remove edge distortion. I'm no expert, but that is a very basic idea of what it is. Whether it's a 10X, 20X, etc., it just has ONE 'lens' that you actually look through.
its confusing because they list it as a 10x triplet, why not list it as 30x triplet if it was a total magnification of 30x ??? they dont really specify either... makes me think its a rippoff made up of leftover god food comprised of kelp
A 10X triplet would be a single compound lens composed of three pieces 'glued' together so that it appears to be a single piece of glass. A triplet can be 10X, 20X, etc., but it does not have multiple separate lenses. This is the best design that I know of for reducing optical distortion and chromatic aberration, (getting true colors with lens coatings). A Bausch & Lomb 10X Hastings Triplet is a good choice, although a bit pricier than some. When you hear reference to 'Hastings Triplet', the 'Hasting's design' of using three pieces of glass to form 1 compound lens is what is being referred to. So, a Triplet is simply a single power magnifier with 1 glass piece that you look through. It is not the style of magnifier that Ray was referring to that had 3 separate 7X lenses. Now that I've completely confused the issue, forgive me.
actually - you cleared it up for me [edit] -oops forgot to mention - that the hasting design you mentioned is not what i am lookign for . I was lookign for the 3 seperate piece design. i wont need a 30x magnification all the time, so having the option of 3 different magnifications is what i think i want. thanks
Cool! Just remember too that the higher the magnification, the smaller the field of view and the harder it can be to focus in on something due to the 'working distance'. When dealing with coins, more magnification is not always better....I forget what you were wanting to examine, but if it's just coins in general, a 10X loupe will do the trick nicely. Right now I just have a 5X B&L plastic magnifier, but it has a good sized plastic lens and works okay for general viewing of coins. I will be getting a 20-30X power microscope to look for the really hard to see stuff.
i am just looking to examine coins in general. I know i dont need anythign too powerfull like the 80x range, but i found that 5x or 10 didnt let me see close enough where i could see the finer details. I had(lost) a loupe that had 2 rings (10x+20x) that i readily admit was a realy lousy loupe (Ebay). But even with using both rings for a mag of 30x i wasnt able to see the finer details fo the coin like a double mintmark or date. It could be that the 30x was not the true power of the loupe - since it was a lousy loupe to begin with why not assume the absolute worst. But i do remember that with using both rings, i had to hold the coin further back from the loupe then with just the 10x ring. i did some looking around the net and on Ebay for the stereo microscope - i like how you can link it through USB to the computer... opens alot of possibilities there.... but they are $200 or more. Too rich for me.
Keep a lookout for cheaper used microscopes on eBay if you have an interest in one. I won an auction for a 10X-20X stereo 'scope this morning for $37 + $25 shipping. The description was vague, so I asked questions. The seller said that he worked in the medical industry and that a manufacturer had given it to him. He said that he turned it on one time and that it was basically brand new. We'll see what I end up with....Here's a link to the completed auction, http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=7551889530&ssPageName=STRK:MEWN:IT
'Stereo 'scope' means that you have 2 distinct and separate eyepaths providing images to your brain which results in perceiving a 3 Dimensional image. Hence the 2 viewing eyepieces and channels. Any microscope can be connected to a computer via a USB camera, or many digital cameras as well. Eyepiece cameras are sold along with those that connect to a 'trinocular' viewing port on a 'scope so equipped. Search 'video microscope' on eBay and you will see various configurations and price ranges. Drool....
I received the BelOMO loupe today and it is much better than the loupe I bought in a local coin shop for $12.50. I think it is a bargain so you might want to check it out.
