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 Replies: 16 / Views: 6,300 |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4680 Posts |
Decided to start a separate thread on the review here. I decided this year as an Xmas gift to myself (that's the excuse I'm sticking with) to purchase a new loupe. And no, I'm not affiliated with Eschenbach in any way, and they haven't payed me to say any of this  . I was previously using a Bausch & Lomb 7x Hastings Triplet for just about everything and a Harris 16x for varieties. Dont get me wrong, the B&L is a great all around loupe, the Harris....not so much, but it does the job for what little I use it. Eschenbach 369x Achromatic time. LOVE it! The next few points I'll make were what drew me to this one, and I couldn't be happier with it. Lens Size: 23mm. This may not seem like a big difference compared to B&L's 19.8mm, but I definitely noticed a difference. Field of view: to piggyback on the above statement....There is NO distortion whatsoever with this loupe. That being said, with the addition of the extra 3mm and no distortion, there is an amazing field of view. @ 3x- You have a complete field of view of a Morgan dollar, Peace dollar, etc. with no distortion. @6x- You can easily get a complete field of view of a Quarter, and almost a Large Cent, sans the rim. @9x- You can get a complete field of view of a nickel, no distortion. Having the ability to choose between these 3 magnifications was also a big selling point, it really is an all-in-one, all-you-need type of loupe. Lens clarity is crystal clear. Between the matte black housing and the Lens design, I had no issues with glare under incandescent and LED lighting. The polyamide body is super lightweight.....and Eschenbach describes it as "non-breakable"...which I will take their word for and NOT put that to the test, at least intentionally. Housing is built very well, designed well, so both lenses retract in snug and is dust-proof. Cons: If I had to pick one, I would say cost....at $169.99 its not cheap, but having put it to the test, I wouldn't hesitate to pay it again if I had to. Im sure I missed something, and hope that wasn't too difficult to follow  |
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Pillar of the Community
Canada
1723 Posts |
Ty... you should place this in the photography section where members of the same interests can appreciate all your efforts and opinions ;-)
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Bedrock of the Community
United States
19144 Posts |
Good info. I use a relatively short eyepiece tube from and old desktop microscope--looking through it 'in reverse'. Very clear, no distortion, collects a decent amount of light. It has no markings. I'd estimate it's about 5X. Also use a 5X graphic arts 'linen tester'--grabs much light and covers a wider footprint. Then there's a 40X graphic arts microscope for when I need that extra boost in detail.
Edited by ijn1944
01/04/2021 4:42 pm
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Pillar of the Community
 United States
4680 Posts |
@samsnate, thank you and good point, maybe a mod can split this one up  @ijn, nice! I also have a few other magnifiers hanging around the house, also the scope for the extra boost as well. But for a majority of what I need, this one certainly takes the cake. Would just be nice if my LCS opens back up for anything other than bullion and coins shows start back up so I can actually get a lot more use out of it!! |
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Moderator
 United States
188122 Posts |
Quote:
maybe a mod can split this one up I moved it. |
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Valued Member
United States
191 Posts |
Thanks for sharing your experience, Ty. I've been thinking about an Eschenbach for a couple of years now. Still, haven't done it. Cost is holding me back. Maybe this year ...?
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4680 Posts |
Thanks jbuck! @Safaga, was well worth the cost IMO. I purchased through Coin supply Express, wound up being about the cheapest. I wasn't about to go through Amazon and possibly get something made in China. |
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Moderator
United States
188122 Posts |
You are welcome. |
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Valued Member
United States
191 Posts |
Ty, I, like you, am using a Bausch & Lomb Hastings Triplet 7x -- for many, many years. It has served me well; I have no problems with it.
I'm intrigued by the increase in lens size of the Eschenbach. Your favorable review may just be the nudge I need ... to reward myself (for what I don't know).
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4037 Posts |
Thanks @Ty2020b for the 3-6-9 review, but I must say that I am dubious about the results. I have many magnifiers/loupes (though not this particular one) including Eschenbach 5x and Zeiss 3-6-9, ALL the B&L's, plus dozens more, and I am not really impressed with any of them. In fact, that's why I own so many, as for years I was looking for one to meet expectations. In particular, I'm questioning your claim of zero distortion. Every magnifier/loupe I've ever tested has shown significant distortion. These optics almost all doublet or triplet achromats, and are simply not well enough corrected to live up to the zero distortion claim.
To prove it to yourself, hold the lens in your normal viewing position, and then slightly tilt it side to side, and you'll see the edges of the field distort. This is perfectly normal, and all of these simple handheld lenses do it.
There are lenses out there which can be used as loupes which don't distort, and they are much cheaper than the 3-6-9's. The big advantage I see in the 3-6-9 is its "zoom" capability to cover multiple coin sizes, but you can do this with 3 separate lenses as well, which don't distort, for less than the 3-6-9, though it's not as convenient going to shows with 3 lenses instead of one.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4680 Posts |
@rmpsrpms, Thanks for the response. In regards to the distortion..... Quote:
To prove it to yourself, hold the lens in your normal viewing position, and then slightly tilt it side to side, and you'll see the edges of the field distort. This is perfectly normal, and all of these simple handheld lenses do it. Yes, when I am holding the loupe in the normal viewing position and tilt, there is distortion to the outer edge. However, when holding the loupe in the normal viewing position without tilting (viewing through properly) there is no distortion towards the outer edge/peripheral. Not at all trying to be argumentative, but just curious as to how improperly tilting the loupe to cause distortion is relevant, when sighting through it correctly, no distortion is noticeable? You've certainly obtained more loupes than I!! This one actually being my first Eschenbach. All prior "better" quality being B&L. Quote:
There are lenses out there which can be used as loupes which don't distort, and they are much cheaper than the 3-6-9's. The big advantage I see in the 3-6-9 is its "zoom" capability to cover multiple coin sizes, but you can do this with 3 separate lenses as well, which don't distort, for less than the 3-6-9, though it's not as convenient going to shows with 3 lenses instead of one. Agreed!! And I apologize, as I guess my review was a bit biased to my wants in a loupe and not conveyed properly. My goal was to get a loupe that can easily be carried, whether it be to a show, LCS, seller, etc., that does have a larger field of view, and has multiple magnifications ( not always necessary, but certainly nice to have that option). And for a majority of what I will be doing at home, this works perfect here to. Now of course at home, we have the ability to easily grab any form of magnification we deem necessary and have on hand, and as you have mentioned, there are cheaper options. My intention, to have the ability to use it in just about any situation. Hope that ramble was all coherent.... past my bedtime!!  |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4037 Posts |
Yes, very coherent! I also did not mean to be argumentative, just want folks who are buying loupes to know there are other options, though less convenient.
Regarding the distortion, if even a bit of tilt causes some distortion, then the outer edges of the lens will certainly be distorted. You don't notice it because it's probably fairly minor when viewing straight on, and (most importantly) since most coins are round, the distortion is not super noticeable.
FYI my favorite lenses for coin viewing are "anastigmats", which are highly corrected for distortion and color all the way to their edges. They are a wonder to use for viewing coins, and are pretty cheap.
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Valued Member
United States
191 Posts |
rmpsrpms, can you please provide some examples of the "anastigmats" type of lens?
Thanks.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
9395 Posts |
Quote:
FYI my favorite lenses for coin viewing are "anastigmats", which are highly corrected for distortion and color all the way to their edges. They are a wonder to use for viewing coins, and are pretty cheap. I've been using a camera lens as a loupe, too: https://www.buhla.de/Foto/Konica/Ob.../e50_14.html It's a 50mm f/1.4 double-Gauss design with 7 elements (last element split in 2). I suppose a 1.2 lens might give a wider field of view, but they start getting more expensive, and older ones are often radioactive (which you don't want in a loupe). |
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Pillar of the Community
United States
4037 Posts |
Contact me for photographic equipment or visit my home page at: http://macrocoins.com |
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Valued Member
United States
191 Posts |
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Replies: 16 / Views: 6,300 |
Posted 01/04/2021 4:41 pm
