Do You Oogle? (Reviewing the HoodLoupe 3.0)
To “ogle” means to look at someone flirtatiously or lasciviously, according to Webster’s. So, I invented the term “oogle” (a takeoff on Google, no doubt) to describe a behavior that many of us landscape photographers do.
Perhaps you’ve seen this in action. A pro photographer takes an image and as soon as it pops up on the LCD, he (or she) whips out a little black device from a belt holster or from around his neck, hunches over perilously close to his LCD screen and just… well… oogles.
HoodLoupe 3.0 (file photo courtesy Hoodman)
The device in question is Hoodman’s HoodLoupe 3.0, an $80 contraption that I’d absolutely never be without. It’s basically a glorified magnifying lens. It fits perfectly over an LCD screen. For a man like me who has to take off his glasses every time he snaps the shutter and then put them back on to see the camera screen, the HoodLoupe is a lifesaver. Plus, I can see the screen with no glare whatsoever, even in the brightest light. And a +/- 3 diopter focus adjustment allows me to adjust the HoodLoupe perfectly for my eyes.
Some pros make heavy use of Nikon’s Live View feature to adjust critical focus (Cannon has a similar feature), but I often have difficulty using it in very bright light. Instead, I find the HoodLoupe to be helpful. On image review I enlarge the image and can see it with critical detail through the HoodLoupe.
The HoodLoupe comes with a belt carrying pouch and neck strap. I use the belt pouch, since I already have my glasses and a camera strap dangling from my neck.
Hoodman has a short video showing the HoodLoupe in action. Go to: www.hoodmanusa.com.
Now I have something else on my long photography wish list. I did not even know anything like this existed, but it seems like the answer to a wish I hadn’t even made. I too have the glasses problem and my LCD is so often next to useless. Thanks…I think.
Yeah, sorry to be the bearer of bank-account draining tidings! There are two items I can’t be without. The HoodLoupe is one, the other is a Right-Angle Viewer (RAV). Ooops, I shouldn’t have mentioned that! Sorry!!
Actually, I’ll be blogging soon about RAVs. Stay tuned…
Les
PS: What do you like to shoot (nature, people, macro, etc)?
No worries, my wish list can get as long as I like! “If wishes were horses…”
I’m really just learning, so I’m shooting everything. But nature is my first love – wildflowers and landscapes probably my stongest passion. I do like to shoot people, but naturally, not set-up.
Cindy:
Absolutely! BTW, I encourage you to send in one or two of your images (you’ve got some nice ones on your blog site… I peeked!) to get some feedback from my readers, several of whom are great photographers. I’ll create a page for reader contributions. Just send to [les@lesterpickerphoto.com] and indicate they are for comments on my blog site.
Keep shooting.
Les
Wow, Les! I flattered! I’m really just starting out and a pretty poor judge of my own work, apparently, (nothing is ever good enough), but I’ll try to come up with something. I have a lot more on my Flickr site as I just started blogging, if you have any time to help me choose. You can link to it from my blog. I’ll certainly understand if that’s not something you want to get into.
Many thanks for the encouragement,
Cindy
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