Whenever possible, it is best to come to our retail store
to choose magnifiers. While you are in the store, we can perform a quick
magnification test that helps us determine the best magnifier for you and your
situation. However, we understand that this is not possible for all our
customers. So we have provided some basic facts about magnifiers and
magnification.
Magnifier Power - Refers to how large an object looks through a
magnifying lens. Power is indicated by an "X" after a number, such as 3X or 4X.
Diopter - Identifies the lenses refractive (light bending) capacity. As
the diopter increases, the lens becomes thicker and the curvature greater. As
the curvature increases, an object will appear large.
Difference between Power & Diopter. In general
power will enlarge an object greater than diopter. For instance, a sixteen
diopter lens equals a 4X magnifier. Another thing to keep in mind is the greater
the diopter the closer the object needs to be to the glass.
Facts to Remember:
1. As the power of magnifier increases the smaller the
magnifier lens will become. This will decrease the total viewing area under the
Magnifier.
2. With higher power lenses the focal distance, also
referred to as the working distance, decreases. What this means is that as you
use the higher power lens both the object that you want to view and your eye
must be closer to the magnifier to focus correctly.
3. Please remember that when it comes to a magnifier—stronger
is NOT always better!
Types of Lighting:
Incandescent: low-cost, low-contrast lighting source
Hallogen: bright low-cost, low-contrast lighting source
LED (Light-Emitting Diodes): soft light with high contrast
Kryptostar: bright high-contrast light
Click here for an
Online Magnification test.
