Rodenstock vs Schneider vs Pentax Loupes

[Jaans]

I am looking to purchase a high quality loupe from B@H and have been doing some mild research over the last few days into the different brands. I have been saving my money for this for a while and sold some equipment to fund this purchase.

I have basically come down to three options: either a Rodenstock or Schneider or Pentax. I have been using a generic loupe that I bought in Japan a few years ago that has is okay, but I have saved some money and want to save my eyesight if possible as well!

I also wanted to say that I will only ever use it for 35mm film. I am not after a loupe that will cover 6x6 film etc I am a 35mm guy pure and simple.

So using the internet I have come down to 5 or 6 choices. I also 'lifted' a lot of this following information from b@h, as they have good user feedback there.
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RODENSTOCK 4X Loupe: $149.95

Company spiel: Free of visisble distortion, even in the border areas, aspheric, resolves even the finest details with high contrast

User Comments: Large field of view, optics excellent, built in retractable clear hood (big selling point) BUT some users complain about the loose diopter

All in all from the internet chatter (thats all I have to go on at the moment), this lens gets rated very highly. Definite contender

RODENSTOCK 6X Loupe: $376.50

Company spiel: Minimises stray light, black, aspheric, free of distortion, but I couldn't find user comments and seems too much money. Is the increased magnification worth the extra $230??
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SCHNEIDER 4X Loupe: $104.95 Is it aspheric??

Company speil: Distortion free, high contrast, lack of flare

User Comment: Very good, but feels plastic. Comes with removable clear skirt to help prevent stray light. Arguably one of the best loupes available.

SCHNEIDER 6X Loupe: $188.95

Company spiel: Neck strap, high contrast, lack of flare

User comment: Not uniformly sharp, Great, Comes with plastic hood.

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PENTAX 5.5X Loupe: $79.95

Company spiel: High grade loupe, focusable

User comment: Big bright optics, huge, well made Asahi optics, don't need German optics
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So, does anyone have experience with any or all of the above to make comparisons? Is the extra magnification of the 6x over the 4x worth the extra money when using for 35mm negs? Or is the 4x perfect? Does the larger 6x have more distortion at the edges for 35mm negs??

Rodenstock 4X says that the sliding hood converts the loupe from 73x52mm opaque (for viewing film) to clear for prints - what does this mean exactly??

The Rodenstock 4X Loupe seems highly rated, but their 6X seems too much money. Would the Schneider 6X for a little extra money than the Rodenstock 4X be the best quality buy? Is the Rodenstock better built and more durable thant he Schneider?

Or would the Pentax be the best value buy in terms of money saved? (back to the old argument I guess of Japanese optics vs German optics)

So, in short, it seems I'm looking at either the Rodenstock 4X, Schneider 4X, Schneider 6X, Pentax 5.5X (the Rodenstock 6X seems too expensive)

Comments most appreciated on the differences or character of any of these. Thankyou ^^

 

[Rico]

Can't coment on your three, but I'll mention the Mamiya. I have the 5x and it covers 135 with edge-to-edge sharpness and color fidelity. Unfortunately, I think the line has been discontinued, but remainders should be available. Alternatively, scan eBay: item 140533699229 has a nice price ($70), great pics, and all the original parts.

 

[Bob Michaels]

I went to the camera store about 10 years ago and compared using the Schneider, Rodenstock, Jobo and a few other good 4x lupes. I used their light table and some negs to do side by side comparisons.

Eventually I concluded the Jobo lupe (don't know who actually manufacturers it) was 99% as good as the German ones but was only $80 while the German ones were twice the price. I have never regretted the decision to buy the less expensive one.

Remember this is an optic that will have zero impact on how your final prints look.

 

[ReeRay]

"Rodenstock 4X says that the sliding hood converts the loupe from 73x52mm opaque (for viewing film) to clear for prints - what does this mean exactly??"

The black shade eliminates stray light and enables accurate film viewing off the light table. Opaque shade allows light and is better for print viewing.

I use the Rodenstock 6x6 (3 times mag.) for my viewing and it is indeed a very sharp Lupe.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Although I have various loupes I find that two of the best weren't sold as such.

One is the 'chimney' magnifier finder for Nikon SLRs, and the other, cheap or free, is a 50mm lens used reversed.

Cheers,

R.

 

[SteveM]

...Remember this is an optic that will have zero impact on how your final prints look.

Agree with this. I have a Fujifilm 4x loupe, one with a sliding skirt, bought perhaps 4 years or so ago for around $60-70 and it works well. Remember that you are only inspecting negatives, maybe slides, and not the final scan or print or projected image. I hardly ever use mine, so I would advise not demanding the same high quality that you would from a camera lens.

Steve

 

[kram]

I have the Pentax X5.5

User comment: Big bright optics, huge, well made Asahi optics, don't need German optics

This id true. I's really good. The large lens does not make your eye arch hich I find with other loupes. I have a Schneider x4 (old style - mint for £10) It's good for x4 magnification.
In summary, if you want x4, x10 get the German stuff, for X6 (5,5) try the Pentax.

 

[kram]

Sorry for the typos in the above

 

[ooze]

I've been using a 50mm reversed for years and never felt the need for something better.

 

[35mmdelux]

I have a Rodenstock ASPH MF loupe and it is totally UNREAL. Look no further.

 

[jljohn]

I have the Pentax zoom (6-11 power or something like that) and the Schneider 4x. The pentax is nice for seeing DETAIL in negs, but it makes my eyes hurt something aweful. The Schenider is awesome! Well worth the extra little over other brands like Pentax and Jobo. While a loupe makes no difference in the final image, a good loupe makes a world of difference in your ability to assess negs if you are not making contact sheets!

 

[Jaans]

Just woke up (now in the Southern Hemishphere) and have discovered a plethora of responses - all my chocolate Easter bunnies have come at once! So, firstly thankyou to everyone who took the time out to make some comments.

Rico: thanks for alerting me to that Mamiya - I wanted to buy new if possible. I have seen prints from a friends medium format camera and the optics were fantastic.

Bob: "this is an optic that will have zero impact on how your final prints look"
Truer words have never been spoken. From this comment I would immediately suspect that the cheaper Pentax is looking good at the moment - I could spend the change saved on film.

ReeRay: thanks for clarifying that. I saw that 6x6 loupe on the internet I think and it looks great.

Roger Hicks: thanks for that tip. I have used that idea before - inverting the 50mm lens to use as a loupe. Unfortunately I am down to one 50mm lens and it sits on my camera. I wanted to get a dedicated loupe if possible that takes pride of place on my light box.

SteveM: Like what I said to Bob, I also agree with you. Cheers.

Kram: Sorry, but I didn't quite catch that last comment: "I summary if you want x4, x10 get the German stuff, for x6 (5.5) try the Pentax". Do you mean that the for magnification of x4 and x10 the German product is better, while Pentax is preferable for x6?

Ooze: Thanks for that - similar to Roger's tip.

35mmdelux: I saw that medium format Rodenstock on b@h and it looks fantastic, but is worth some coin.

jljohn: I agree with you - a great loupe can ultimately save in making prints as you can focus in on more details. Saving time with the careful selection of the appropriate neg for printing is an important attribute that is sometimes forgotten. Quite often I will have two negs next to each other that are very similar, but could perhaps only be differentiated with the help of a powerful high quality loupe.

I have had it with my cheap generic loupe and I am quite certain that I have strained my eyes at many times trying to look at details in the neg. Thanks for that comparison and insight.

If anyone else on rangefinder forum has information on this topic I am still open for suggestions^^

Thanks again>

 

[pgeobc]

Well, I own a Pentax 5.5X, a Rodenstock 6x6, and 3 or 4 no-name loupes. One of the no-name is pretty much O.K. for ground-glass work, the others are junk, I'd say. I love the Pentax and the Rodenstock. The Pentax has an accessory skirt (extra), so that it can be used either for prints or for negatives and slides. The Rodenstock, as mentioned, has a reversing skirt built-in to do the same job.

The 6x6 Rodenstock is partibularly advantageous when working with 6x6 (Duh!), but all-in-all I'm fond of both.

 

[Landshark]

I like the Mamiya also.Something to consider is the size of the eyepiece optic,
Something like binoculars, larger causes less strain on the eyes.

 

[Jaans]

Landshark and pgeobc: thanks for your feedback.

I was wondering if you or anyone would notice the difference between a 4x magnification compared with 6x when viewing the 35mm negative??

In other words, does using the larger magnification help and does it justify the extra cost?

 

[Bill Kapinski]

I have used the Schneider and own the Rodenstock 4x. Can't comment on the Pentax. The Rodenstock I got for free years ago through some Kodak promotion. If I had my druthers I would have the Schneider. It has been awhile since I have used them, but I recall them both being equally good. The Rodenstock does seem a little more plasticy and the loose turning diopter does drive me a little nuts. I put a line on it so I know where it needs to be set for me. I primarily used them for focusing 4x5 and checking transparencies on a light table. I think if you are going to be checking prints the Schneider would be a better choice. The clear skirt is bigger on the Schneider. Like Roger I have used a 50mm upside down as a lupe and I used to have a Hasselblad chimney finder that made an excellent 6x (I think) lupe

 

[newsgrunt]

I've got the Rodenstock 4x and the Pentax 5.5.

Rodenstock is sharper overall but *just* covers 35 frame. Pentax is huge and is my mf loupe but is great for 35 as well. Only downside to the 5.5 is that the edges tend to pull the corners slightly.

So for critical viewing it's the Rodenstock otherwise the Pentax for fast editing.

ymmv

 

[Jaans]

newsgrunt: that Pentax sounds like a practical all round choice. The Rodenstock is the most expensive one of all three.

I was wondering - does the Pentax have a sliding hood like the Rodenstock does? Also, do you know if it is possible to focus with it?

Bill: considering how much money the Rodenstock costs, it seems a shame that they didn't sort out that loose diopter problem.

Hmm, narrowed down my choice to the Schneider and the Pentax!

 

[newsgrunt]

no sliding hood but it is focusable and very smooth and unlikely to budge. It's possible to solve the Rodenstock diopter problem by seeing if a wrap of teflon tape might work. or it could be too tight

 

[kram]

News grunt has got a point. for fine detail examination I use my 10x Silvestri loupe, but after a while it's hard on the eyes. My Schneider x4x is fine, but using the Pentax 5.5x it's easy on the eyes (diameter of glass 50mm, diameter of eye glass on Schneider 30mm). I find the 4x magnification not enough, that's why I tend yo use the 5.5x. On the ground glass screen its great. I am sure you will be happy with any makes you mention, and I prefer the optics/build quality of the Pentax and Schneider over the Silvestri.