Stamp Loupes and Tiny Inverts, Flowers, etc.

[Jason Green]

Evening WAB'ers,

I have seen a springtail recently, the globular type, and am considering buying a stamp loupe to assist in ID'ing it as well as other circumstances, like wildflowers.

I've seen a 50mm, 7x loupe and am considering it. Would you WAB'ers recommend one for this sort of thing, particularly given the magnifying lens is mounted in a screw-top lid - please correct me if I'm wrong - therefore allowing an insect to be taken safely inside for photographing + measuring briefly before being returned?

Also, I recently bought a 90mm, 3x hand lens for the purpose of assisting with invertebrate ID and photography - held it up at varying distances from my camera - and didn't really work with it, unfortunately.

So, would it work with 7x, even in part?

Thanks all

Take care,

Jason

[Lancashire Lad]

Hi Jason,

Most of the well known microscope suppliers sell hand lenses/loupes, but they generally only deal with x5 and x10 magnifications.

I got a x10 (18mm diameter) some while back from Brunel Microscopes, which was quite inexpensive and of good quality. (You can also get dual lenses too with both x5 and x10 in one unit).

I use mine for flowers & fungi, and must admit, it has been worth it's weight in gold.

Regards
Mik.

[Hobjob]

Hi Jason

My knowledge of insects is poor, but I have handled the
bottles with built in lenses in the lid - useless is a polite
way of putting it.

Most magnifying glasses have a massive amount of spherical
aberration which doesn't bother the human eye too much
when looking through it, but when you see a photo of it
it will look ghastly. Te tolerate it becausewe only focus on
the cnetral clear bit.

Above x7 you really need a lens with at least two elements
in in it to cut down on the distortion - hence the chunkiness
of the usual botany / entymology lenses that are x8, x10.
The x20 become even smaller, again to cut down on the distortion
(and I can't seem to get on with those).

For macro photo work, the cheapest option is a screw on
lens which looks like a filter - but they also get distortion
at the higher magnification - after that you need a dedicated
macro lens or a photo extension of a microscope, and you
are talking of serious money then.

Have a browse round Welcome To Watkins & Doncaster
which is Watkins & Doncaster's (also aka W&D) website, the
specialist suppliers of naturalist equipment.

Another expensive option is the surgeons magnifyers, that allow
you 2-5x magnification built onto specs, but at the same time
keeping the focussing distance at c 60 cm - unlike the 1-2 cm of
and hand lens. Google Keeler opthalmic.

[Jason Green]

Thanks Mike and David,

Thanks for the very rounded, for and against opinions!!

Photography is only a part consideration - I think they'll be good if, as you both say, they utilise two lenses. If any photographs were taken I'm certainly not expecting Gallery quality!! It would be more to get a closer look at springtails etc, and maybe a supporting photo cropped to centre where I take it the quality would be better than on the outside.

Interesting link, too.

Thanks both

Take care,

Jason