What is a loupe?
A. A loupe is a small, generally high power magnifier designed to be held very close to the eye. Some are hand held, some are made to sit upon the object being viewed, and some may be attached to a head piece or visor. You can hold a loupe at arms length over a subject and it will still work, but the field of view will be very narrow. If you want the entire field of view, you must hold the loupe and the subject up close to your eye. The older traditional loupe was placed and held with the socket of your eye as in an old fashioned monocle. Most modern loupes are handheld and typically have an attached, folding case which doubles as a handle. Loupes have many uses. Jewelers loupes offer the highest optical correction since subtle differences in gem color greatly influence gem value. Film loupes are also very high quality and are used to evaluate photo negatives and slides. Botanists and naturalists use loupes to study flowers and insects and a wide range of natural wonders. A good choice
