Magnify Glass vs Jewelry Microscope Magnifier Loupe

As we get old, our eyes get old too
Right now I wear 3.50 all the time, they are over the counter drug store glasses.

What kind of magnifier do you guys use to look at the smaller details and for what?
For me its whats printed on IC chips and working with SMT components.

I need a wider area for the optimal magnify viewpoint, like the regular magnify glass but 30x-50x.

I bought a magnify glass on fleabay, the 3x works good The 45X is kinda useless because of the thick handle cant get close on circuits and its like 0.3"x0.3" that I can see anything because the rest is just blurry.

I saw a pivot Double Lens Head-mounted Headband that would probably suit my needs for trying to solder.

Jewelry Microscope Magnifier Loupe
https://www.amazon.ca/Happy-Hydro-Loupe-Magnifying-Lens/dp/B01M8MDTAN/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=Jewelry+Microscope+Magnifier+Loupe&qid=1548033088&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1
Its hand free, fullfilled by Amazon, here within 2 days.

Stepping it up a bit
USB Microscope Magnifier
https://www.amazon.ca/s?k=USB+Microscope+Magnifier&ref=nb_sb_noss

https://youtu.be/8Ad8hZ2wE6s?t=442
https://www.gearbest.com/microscopes-endoscope/pp_350919.html?lkid=10804457
25x-50x not what they advertise 1000x LOLOLOLOL


Or just use a webcam, $10 for a webcam. He will show a more advanced setup with the same webcam.
https://youtu.be/RyQmVHcAMsI?t=268

markz said:

What kind of magnifier do you guys use to look at the smaller details and for what?

Click to expand...

I use this when I need hands-free magnification
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=61874

My brother just uses his celphone camera to zoom in on stuff. Mine's too crappy to do that with.

amberwolf said:

markz said:

What kind of magnifier do you guys use to look at the smaller details and for what?

Click to expand...

I use this when I need hands-free magnification
https://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=61874

My brother just uses his celphone camera to zoom in on stuff. Mine's too crappy to do that with.

Click to expand...

^Yeah mine too I guess, I have tried and tried, I think the key to success is high MP. That is what I am on the hunt for.
12MP - https://www.amazon.ca/gp/offer-listing/B008GWPC1Q/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new too bulky to get close, so then this https://www.amazon.ca/gp/offer-listing/B016MPIFWQ/ref=dp_olp_new?ie=UTF8&condition=new
I did my usual rounds, local recycler on ebay doesnt have no webcams, so I will hit up the Thrift Stores tomorrow.


I think we all lose them alligator clips!

amberwolf said:

I found my "helping hands" station with magnifier, but it's alligator clips are all missing. I probably used them for something else at some point. :lol: Saw something at Goodwill that would likely have done the job, but they wanted way too much for it, so am still keeping an eye out for possibilities. Might make something out of wooden clothespins to hold electrical stuff.

Click to expand...

I have several magnifiers I use. I have one that looks like the "Double Lens Head-mounted Headband Reading Magnifier Loupe " you had in the link, only a nice one with glass lenses. This is great when you need both hands. For just reading numbers off chips, I have another single loupe with a long focal distance that works great.

http://www.bausch.com/our-products/vision-accessories/professional-magnifiers
I like this company's products to look at jewelry and diamonds. Not of any use for the super blood wolf moon. 8)

My go-to for really close is an 8x or 10x loupe of this type. These are usually doublets and are better corrected than a simple single element magnifier.

https://www.amazon.com/Carson-LumiLoupe-Power-Magnifier-LL-10/dp/B000CAHCQS/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1548353783&sr=8-10&keywords=10x+loupe+magnifier

I usually spin it around backwards so I can get the lens closer to the subject being looked at and better control focus. When I don't need to be super close, I use either a regular handheld magnifying glass or I will put on reading glasses in addition to my progressive glasse that I wear all the time if I need both hands free.

I'll also sometimes grab a telescope eyepiece and spin it around backwards.

This is the specific 8x loupe I've been using for almost 40 years now. I bought it originally for looking at film negatives and slides.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/798855-REG/Kalt_NP10158_8x_AGFA_Style_Loupe.html

Note: Actually, that appears to be a knock-off. Amazingly the actual item from Agfa seems to cost around $90 these days?!?!?

The best thing is a stereo microscope with low magnification eyepieces (maybe 10x?).

.
For my Android cellphone, I have the ArmyKnife app (it is a free download, with no snooping abilities) that you can get on GooglePlay. It has several useful features, but the Magnifier can also turn on your Flashlight option, and there is a Re-Focus button that produces a clear focused image, once you get any one object in frame. The magnification level is adjustable.

I have a headband "'eyeshade"magnifier, with dual LED lights. It has a flip-down interior lens that increases the normal magnification, when needed.

I use a dual lens jewelers' loupe that clips to one earpiece of my eyeglasses, and I can employ either one or two of the lenses, which pivot into place as needed.

I have a low-power (~10x ~20x) stereo microscope that I bought for cheap on eBay, which has a backlit milky platform and a separate "exterior" spotlight, both adjustable in light output.

Horses for courses . . . Nice to have a selection of magnification tools.

It is too bad I have an iPhone and a spare Windows Phone.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.digital_and_dreams.android.android_army_knife&hl=en_US

This app contains a set of tiny tools: a unit converter, a compass (magnetometer required), a bubble level, a calculator, a stop watch, a timer, a magnifying glass, a mirror (front camera required), a ruler and a flashlight (app and widget).

Essentially it’s like an "Army Knife" Android app.

Click to expand...

All I see is full 5 star reviews, probably scanned 100-200.

Michael In San Francisco
October 12, 2015
A fantastic useful app! I downloaded this thinking what the hell I'll try it out. But when I opened the app I was surprised about how useful and cool the individual tools are. E.g, the magnifying glass was surprisingly good at functioning like a an actual magnifying glass. There are a bunch of other useful tools that one can use daily. Check it out, well worth the effort.

Click to expand...

Agung Sukma
October 28, 2016
I download this because iseng but then I find the magnifying glass is very usefull.

Click to expand...

tried Armyknife on my old tablet, bleh.

Magnifier doesn't; it just shows the raw camera output. No controls avaialble, no focus, no zoom, no nothing. Can't even change the constrast, brightness, etc (other than in the main tablet brightness for the screen). I can do more with the camera app that comes with the android version on the tablet. The only thing it lets me do is "pause" the live camera stream.


The compass app doesn't have any way to calibrate it, so you ahve to kill the app in task manager if you accidentally start it up with the tablet pointing somewhere other than north, or it just assumes you were pointing it there and shows north as wherever you started. Also, it doesn't point to the same north if I move it quickly--it loses it's place. It also behaves very differently if it's held horizontally vs vertically (but doesnt' behave correctly either way).

amberwolf said:

tried Armyknife on my old tablet, bleh.
Magnifier doesn't; it just shows the raw camera output. No controls avaialble, no focus, no zoom, no nothing. Can't even change the constrast, brightness, etc (other than in the main tablet brightness for the screen). I can do more with the camera app that comes with the android version on the tablet. The only thing it lets me do is "pause" the live camera stream.

Click to expand...

On my Android cellphone, those controls are on-screen push-buttons at the bottom of the screen. Maybe you can scroll down to the controls, on that screen? Can you put a smaller version of the screen, on that display (no scrolling needed)? Never needed to change brightness or contrast, though, so I have not missed those functions. It's just a magnifying glass.

Oh, the buttons are there, they just don't do anything, except the "play / pause" button that pauses or restarts the video streaming from the camera so you can have a still image on screen to examine.

Having brightness and contrast controls would make certain types of things easier to see or read when magnified.

The tablet screen is actually pretty large, about 10" or so diagonal. Much easier to see than a phone screen...except that the "magnifier" doesn't magnify at all, it shows only 1:1 reality scaled images. :/ The only way to zoom in is to physically put the lens closer to the object, which blurs it out, making it useless as an actual magnifier.

But no, there's no way to change the app's size on screen at all--it's full screen only.

Maybe it would work better on a more modern unit, if it's a problem with the older OS on the tablet, or maybe better on a phone, dunno.

I have three headbands with the flip down lenses in 1.5 2.5 and 3.5 power. For surface mount PCB work a stereo microscope with Barlow lens. ... and LOTS of light. It seems I am adding lighting above my bench with every 5 years of age.

amberwolf said:

the "magnifier" doesn't magnify at all, it shows only 1:1 reality scaled images. :/ The only way to zoom in is to physically put the lens closer to the object, which blurs it out, making it useless as an actual magnifier.

Click to expand...

Amberwolf,

Does the Re-Focus button operate? Can you "zoom in" physically, as you say, then Re-Focus the image?
I have on-screen buttons for +mag, -mag, Flashlight ON, and Re-Focus.
It may be possible to move closer to your target, then start the app, so it comes up focused closer than before.

Nope, tried that, too. :/ I'm guessing the tablet just doesn't support the program correctly; too old or whatever.

Only buttons I have are a pause button, the refocus button with a dot in a circle, and a grayed out wrench button that says zoom not available next to it.