B & O loupe advice

[dabrin]

I've been using a cheap 30x loop with the terrible built in light and want to get serious and get a nice Bausch & Lomb loupe. I see that there are regular hand held loupe as well as a "watchmaker's" loupe that basically is the desktop model. Also, I think my 30x power is way too strong. Any advice on the type of loupe and the most useful magnification? How 'bout "triplet" loupes?
Thanks in advance for your advice.

[Maineman750]

I have a B&L 10x triplet and love it. My eyes are pretty bad and I could probably use a 14x, but no more than that.

[dabrin]

Oops, the title should be B & L loupe advice. Bad time for a typo

[ray_parkhurst]

Well, since optics is a second hobby of mine (along with photography, which is related) I have a collection of a wide range of magnifiers, loupes, etc. The big issue with them is magnification is not well-defined. It seems like it should be, but it's a marketing thing. Higher magnification is better, and should cost more, right? Anyway, please tell us what you are trying to look at, ie what is the field of view on a Lincoln Cent that you want to be able to view with the loupe. Do you want to see just the mintmark, the mintmark plus the date, the whole bottom right corner of the coin, the whole coin, or ?? Then we can see what you really need and make a recommendation. BTW I have extras of several different B&L loupes/magnifiers as well as some "interesting" options you might consider. And finally, don't get too hung up on triplets, as they vary widely in quality. B&L make excellent Coddingtons as well. There are also other options such as mounted achromats, etc. But it all comes down to what is the field of view you are looking to see so tell us that first...Ray

[dabrin]

Thanks Ray. I am looking for a general "whole coin" magnifier that will show me the quality of the coin's strike as well as the wear spots so I can assign a grade to the cents in my collection. I have a Dino-lite on a gooseneck stand that works well if I want to see varieties and errors. I also have my cheap 30x loupe to let me zoom in to dates/mintmarks/wheats/etc. -David

[ray_parkhurst]

OK, that is very different from what I thought you were going to say, but no worries. For whole-coin viewing of Cents, the B&L 7x Hastings Triplet is an excellent choice, but the coin completely fills the viewable area and the working distance is pretty short. If you want a more comfortable working distance, the B&L 3.5X doublet is a good alternative. It's especially nice since it's large and easy to hand-hold, but the tradeoff in a doublet is more distortion. If you are looking for the very best in quality, lowest distortion, and best color correction, a 75mm enlarging lens is the best you can get for full-coin Cent viewing. Many of these are 4, 5, or 6 element lenses, which are much better than a simple triplet. There are quite a few available on ebay that are no more expensive than a 7x B&L, but they have the disadvantage of not having a case so you need to use a little bag or similar to protect them. I can give you some pointers on which one to buy if you like...Ray

[dabrin]

I do want to closely look at wear and strike. Maybe "whole coin" was overstating what I really need. Maybe a 10x B&L Hastings triplet is more what I need. I just don't need anything close to my current 30x loupe. Is a 10x a good general purpose magnification for my purposes?

[ray_parkhurst]

OK, back to the original question....how much of the coin do you want to see at one time?

[dabrin]

I'd like to revise my estimate to be about the size of Lincoln's head.

[ray_parkhurst]

OK, then 10x is probably your best bet. You can go with either triplet or coddington for same field of view. A 50mm enlarging lens is another viable option.

[dabrin]

Thanks a lot Ray. I think my decision will be the 10x triplet or coddington - I'll have to price compare.

[rianal]

viewing devices

[QUOTE=ray_parkhurst;201933]Well, since optics is a second hobby of mine (along with photography, which is related) I have a collection of a wide range of magnifiers, loupes, etc.

i know nothing about optics (had to look up coddington). i have a couple crummy magnifying glasses, a linen counter, and a 10x loupe (the ANA freebie kind). while my grand-nephew remains amused by pulling the occasional early wheat out of bank customer rolls, i'm becoming fascinated with varieties. the problem is that i can't see most of them. we began by dividing memorials according to one of the checklists suggested here (and any AU or better as a future consideration), for closer inspection once i ascertained what equipment we'd need to view minute details. we're sorting a lot of coins (some have even used the word obsessive), so storage will soon become an issue. i'd appreciate any advice on how best to view subtle anomalies with minimal strain, before we are overwhelmed like modern collyer brothers.

[Antiquity]

If you have the money invest in an AmScope, since purchasing one the hobby has become most enjoyable and relaxing, no more working the loupe.

[ray_parkhurst]

If you have the money invest in an AmScope, since purchasing one the hobby has become most enjoyable and relaxing, no more working the loupe.

Yep, best way to view varieties is with a stereo microscope. I would personally recommend a B&L Stereo-2 with 10x or 15x eyepieces. This will give you 20x or 30x magnification, enough to see the varieties in detail but with both eyes and low strain. I use both Stereo-1 and Stereo-2 for my variety viewing, depending on the circumstances. If I'm doing a lot of roll searching and need to scan whole coins, I use Stereo-1 with 10x. If I'm attributing varieties and need to check exact details, I use Stereo-2 with 15x. But you could probably get away with just the Stereo-2 and 10x as a nice compromise between these extremes.

[rianal]

rianal

that is very helpful, thank you both.