I finally gave in and bought a $400 stereo microscope for my bench last month

For years I just used a cheap loupe, but the difference in spotting tiny shutter blade oil spots or hairline cracks in aperture rings is huge. I found a problem on a Nikon F3 that I would have totally missed before, a tiny bit of brassing on a gear tooth that was about to cause a jam. How many of you use one, and did it change your work as much as it changed mine?

2 comments

2 Comments

abbyr9613d ago

Honestly that's a huge investment for a hobby bench. My old loupe and a good desk lamp have caught every real world issue I've ever come across. Most of those tiny brass spots you find won't actually stop a camera from working in practice. Feels like chasing problems that don't really affect the final photos.

wells.brooke13d ago

Totally get where @abbyr96 is coming from, honestly.