Finally got a proper watchmaker's loupe and it's a total game changer

I kept putting it off, but I dropped about $80 on a good 10x loupe with a headband mount last month. Just used it to clean the aperture blades on an old Canon FD lens (you know, the ones that get so sticky). Being able to see every tiny speck of oil and grime clearly saved me at least two hours of guesswork and re-cleaning. Anyone have a favorite brand for these, or a different magnification they like better?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_iris22d ago

That bit about the sticky aperture blades is too real. My buddy tried cleaning an old Nikon lens without a loupe first, just a regular magnifying glass. He thought he got all the old grease off the blades, but when he put it back together the action was still rough. Had to take the whole thing apart again under a proper loupe and found a tiny, hardened speck he'd completely missed.

the_wendy22d ago

Yeah, that "hardened speck" is the worst. It's always one tiny bit of old grease that ruins everything. That's why you never skip the loupe.

patricia_perez7422d ago

Always use a loupe, man. I learned that the hard way with an old Canon FD lens.