Comments on: Going all loopy about loupes

By: majid

majid — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 20:34:31 +0000

I don’t think a light table and loupe combination is practical for “scanning” slides with a DSLR. Try these techniques instead:

By: James

James — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 12:09:13 +0000

Thanks for posting this review!

I am looking for a cheap, effective, and light-weight solution for transferring slides to digital files. The light table plus a good 5x loupe sounds perfect for using with a digital camera – but how can I adapt the camera to the loupe? And all I need is a light table for one slide at a time, so I would need to build my own small light table. Any suggestions?

James

By: majid

majid — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 01:06:36 +0000

You could probably make a loupe skirt out of heavy black construction paper or vinyl, like the kind used for bound report covers. I wouldn’t advise a window, light tables like Gagne’s Porta-Trace are quite inexpensive. In a pinch, you can use a computer monitor with an empty white window (as long as the monitor is calibrated so the white does not have a color cast to it, of course).

By: Eric Francis

Eric Francis — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 00:59:13 +0000

Fazal,

Thanks for this fascinating post! My father recently passed away and I inherited his Leica camera and associated gear he used after WWII, including a 5x loupe. I’ve been using it to peruse the hundreds of slides he took in Austria, albeit without the viewing attachment. I’d love to have that accessory, though, since it’s a little clumsy (not to mention nerve-wracking) holding a 70-year-old slide by hand against the loupe and pointing it at a window. I don’t suppose you have any suggestions where I might find one?

Oh, and those slides? My dad used Kodachrome, too!

Sincerely,

Eric