I bought a pair of magnifiers recently and they are brilliant! They made me realise that a fine brush and a steady hand aren't the secret to painting miniatures, it's BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING! Only a fool would paint miniatures without them!
Are you near sighted or far sighted? Personally, I am near sighted. I can see really well up close. I have not had much luck using magnifiers. Often just give me more headaches. (literally)
I'm 46 and just stated needing reading glasses. I decided to get some magnifiers. They're great, but it hurts looking back at previous paint jobs now. Didn't realize how bad my vision was getting. I've repainted so many models now.
I'm 51 and i with you, man. I was trying to paint runes on a Fyreslayer and just couldn't see them( also farsighted unfortunately) .. after i got my first set (on set 2).. i went and looked at them again, and did some revision to say the least.
i'll join this boat. can't even do the kitbashing i love so much without these. which kind of lenses do you use? i use a stationary lens with light atm, but would like to try a goggle.
The idea of "cheating" enjoying your hobby makes no sense. If magnifiers help, use them. That was said of the airbrush when figure painters started using them. Scale modelers had used them for years before with no accusations. Now an airbrush is almost as common as the paintbrush in figure modeling
I have the arm magnifier with daylight LEDs and it's great, you dont need to use it for base coating or washing and you can swing it into place for details and highlighting as required! :)
I haveone of these headsets and a cheap $30 arm light/magnifier too. Only been using them for a few weeks but i find the arm is good for cleaning plastic and the glasses for painting. (Dam arm kept getting in way of painting). Happy with both but if I were to have to pick just the one it would be the arm, as the light is so much better/useful.
I have the Magnifier arm, its so good, I dont need any aditional lamps as the light around the ring light the mini perfectly. I can paint in the middle of the night and still have crisp clean highlights.
This is pretty much what I was going to tell the group on the discord server. Having the arm/light makes life super easy and doesn't give you sea sickness when looking around the room.
@@jeffreylanford2943 Yeah all of the negative parts he mentioned in the video I never have. Its at the side of my desk and is out of the way when not in use. I would highly recommend it.
@@manaseater www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07S16S9J3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 That's the specific one, I originally bought it to use as a lamp as I didn't think id get used to the magnifier, but its so easy to use I can barley paint without it!
Having used both kinds of magnifiers, the issue with ring light ones is they are harder to keep in focus. I had a lot of issues with having to keep my hands in exact positions otherwise the model would go blurry. I had a similar first experience to you with the glasses, but after a few sessions my body got used to it and I stopped having nausea and learned to better judge my water cup/palette. The increased freedom of where to hold the model offered by the glasses was what pushed me over the edge into preferring them.
At 60, magnification is a must. I generally use a magnifier/light on an arm thingy, but I also have those magnifying glasses for when I'm not at my desk. They both work very well.
The basic 'magnifying reading glasses' work really well - a bit of fiddling finds the sweet spot to rest them a bit down your nose so that it is easy to look up/down as needed to go back to the pallet/water cup/etc. and are easy enough to put back up on your forehead when you have some less detailed work to do. I used to have one of the magnifying lamps (in the past before LEDs or Amazon) and it worked great - but it's a piece of desk real estate taken up by the mount for the arm. Find what works and go with it - and remember, you also have to adapt to the brush looking way bigger as well . . .
I wear an Optivisor for about that almost every day and I don't get nauseous. It's a bit like getting a new pair of glasses. Your brain just needs to adjust a bit and then it's fine.
I know it is a bit outdated, but i'll leave my 2 cents on te topic here. I've been wearing glasses for most of my life, for i have mild astigmatism. I got into miniature painting few months back and magnifiing glass on swivel arm was among my first purchases. It is wonderful tool. I would say 2nd most important right after quality lighting lamp. At least if your eyesight isn't sharpest anymore. EDIT: Typos.
I actually use a magnifier with a light that's attached to a metal armature. I've been using this setup since I painted my first model about 15 years ago and still use the same setup. It's absolutely amazing for being able to perceive tiny detail on a model and vastly increases your perceived skill. I would imagine it would be terrible having the magnifier stuck to your face as you mentioned. Having the magnifier in a fixed position is a much better setup, and I highly recommend it as I can't imagine painting that much detail without it. It's definitely worth giving that setup a shot!
Been using the one I inherited from my dad's workshop for two years now. Love it, made it a lot easier on my eyes. Avoid the magnifiers on arms, especially if you have a neck injury, they don't let you move around comfortably.
I use the magnifying lense on the arm, and once you get it, there is no going back. It does not cause the seasick sensation you get from the goggles, but it does take a tad of adjusting to how close to your face you hold your paint brushes.
I use a Magnifier Headband. It adjusts up and down which makes the sub-activities like play list choosing and other small things done then adjust back. The focus stuff with your eyes you still got to get used to though, but I’m already wearing glasses so I been used to that since grade school.
you can peek with normal sight just by looking up like a normal eyeglass that's how we do it with a reading glasses, this however does not apply if you're using a jewel magnifier (the one with the black color and completely close the eye sight for the magnifier)
I cannot stress how good a game Malifaux is. The rules are really tight and the victory conditions change from game to game making it really engaging. Been playing for a few years and it’s fantastic.
Great video! I've used a clamp-on magnifying lamp with cold light on it and have to say it really can improve your work, it helped me a lot when I got started painting miniatures. Sadly my lamp broke but ill be probably be picking up some glasses or a lamp if possible after this video.
As my eyes have, well, gotten old, I find have magnification is a must. I have a standing magnifier that I got for my birthday a few years ago and it’s a life saver. Makes the hobby so much more enjoyable for me.
If you wear glasses like i do, then in my experience the visor type of magnifier is the best and easy to move out of the way. I use it for very fiddly stuff in the scale modelling i also do and is invaluable for that. The magnifier lamp things are good, but they can get in the way sometimes, but the light is the key with them as you want as close to natural as you can get to ensure colour accuracy. Though the last one I had, the bit that is supposed to keep it fixed in position wore quickly leading to it drooping, so don't skimp on the quality or your mini might be getting whacked by your magnifier. Also, always take regular breaks, your back will thank you as well as your eyes.
I have both the glasses and the magnifying light. For me it is a must to use magnification because I'm half blind. I started with the magnifying light and one of the biggest issues with it is my brush handles keep hitting the light. I switched to the glasses and that resolved the issue with hitting your brush handle, but you are right about it making you a little nauseating. I found over time you get use to it and the nauseating feeling goes away. Just do short painting sessions at first. If I had the eye site I would prefer not to use any magnification. but if you must, I prefer the glasses.
I got a magnifier a few months ago that are the type with 2 magnification lenses flip down in front of your eyes or you can flip one of them out for a variety of magnification levels. I thought they were stupid when I first saw them for sale in a hobby store but was having problems with seeing small details on one of my models, so I decided to give them a try.. One of the best investments I've made so far with model building.. They're awesome!!
Privately, I use standard magnifying glasses. I arrange them at the end of my nose, if I need to look into a wet palette or look up on my desk. In the other direction, the eyes look down at the figurine. I usually keep the model at the height of the bridge, so my eyes fall down on the glasses and on the object itself. What I can recommend is that if you do not have any vision defect and you already feel great magnification at 1x1.5 then stick to it, 1x3.0 magnification and more we will use later in 20 years :). Personally, I developed this method just because of a whole lot of activities related to painting (which you just mentioned). I hope that I could direct you a little bit.
I bought the glasses and one thing I have done is tilt my head up and look down when I had to focus on anything that wasn't the model. It helped with the focus problem you mentioned.
I use similar magnifiers and I can't work without them anymore. Mine hold the lenses further away and I can "bifocal" them by looking around or below. I got used to them very quickly, and I bet you will too. The nausea thing and disorientation will go away- the same thing happened when I got my first prescription glasses, but only for a day. I also have an arm, and I love it too (but the back end of the paint brushes often bonk off the lens and smear across the mini (usually the eyes). Also- thanks for painting Malifaux! I love it when people paint something other that GW, and I have been thinking about buying some M minis for a while now. They look awesome.
There's versions that are easy to flip up and down, which helps a lot. And the binocular vision of the glasses is really nice vs the monocular vision of the ring on an arm
I also have some of these glasses and I think they work quite well. I have the type you mention at 1.26 in your video. Yes everything around you gets a little blurry, but if you arrange your work space properly this is not an issue. (it also helps to paint faster without the glasses) Also I dont recommend to wear them for longer times since they do strain your brain more than just trying to focus normally. Around 30-60min each day is the maximum I wear them to avoid any discomfort. Gotta get my workspace cleaned up and put on some paints to my models! Havent been mentioned with my painting in the last 2 videos.
After various experiments over the years, I've settled on just using 1.5x reading glasses. They give just a bit more zoom for painting, but are subtle enough to not ruin the experience of interacting with everything else on my desk. I've also got a pair of 3x readers, for the occasional freehanding/fine details work, but are otherwise too strong for practicality, imo. Both pairs are small and require little workspace or effort to switch between. Overall, I find that excellent lighting is the best way to ensure I can see/paint well (magnification is a nice bonus) - so much easier (not to mention cooler, temperature wise) now with the advances in high quality LED light fixtures!
At 44 years old I find my sweet spot is a pair of +.50 reading glasses and a swing arm lamp/magnifier. Still get a bit nauseous after long sessions, but just looking around the desk isn't as bad as a headset.
I use a magnifying glass on the arm like you said at the end of your video. Only use it for the detailed stuff. It’s nice to be watching something on a laptop and when the time calls for it to quarter swivel on my chair and I’m ready to go.
I use that magna arm when I do faces or if I want to see if I missed any coverage. It also has bright white light which to me is the first thing you want as a painter, bright enough light to see the actual color you are painting with, not some warm cfc or incandescent. I'd rather have decent lighting then any expensive tool or paint. Next would be a comfortable chair, that would be my biggest cheat, a place that is comfortable to just sit to paint at for a few hours.
I'm over 40.. last time i painted was 15 years ago. Got back in to it and realized I can't see anything anymore. Got one of those right away, and couldn't live without them.
You are right about both the glasses and the lens on the articulated arm, I have both and they both have pros and cons. The glasses do make it hard to find the plate than the rinse cup, but the large lens can block the handle of the brush and you have few options of fagnification.
I have a cheapo headband style with a light since I already wear glasses. They are a godsend versus hunching over to get really close. Bad for your posture, neck, back and eyes. Also, whether it's painting, reading or whatever, take hourly breaks to stretch your legs and relax your eyes.
sounds like a godsend for painting pilot figures that come with rg, mg, and pg gunpla. Most of the pilot figures you can get references by looking up how the character the pilot figure represents is in the anime.
First I want to say how much I enjoy your videos! I use the inspiration I get from your base making videos all the time. As for the glasses I find them invaluable! It will take a little practice, but you will more than likely find you get used to them. The key for me keep them up a little higher so when I want to look at something else, ( like my wet palette) I look under them not over. Also try to move them up on you head like sunglasses when you are not looking thought them for things that take focus and attention. Like typing on a keyboard. Also try a long blink as you shift you eyes back into the magnified area of your view. Your eyes might adjust a little smoother since you're going from a closed eye to a focus instead of the eyes trying to go between two different focal points. This is what causes the nausea. It's similar to motions sickness, as the eyes are trying to keep up with the rapidly changing views. I used to use the big magnifying lens and light combo. It was the hot thing back in the late 80's. lol 'but then again so were Testers model paints (that's about all there was!) Yeap I'm old! The glasses offer so much more freedom and a better posture, but they are not for everyone. Thanks again for sharing all that you do for the hobby! P.S. I really enjoyed the interview with Heath from the murder basement!
My wife had actually bought me BOTH pairs that you highlighted! We had to send the black pair back though, they are TOO magnifying! The only place you could actually get them to focus didn't leave enough space to work the brush in. They really are meant for watchmaking as advertised beware your magnification level. I found 1.5-2 just about right
I really am a fan of Malifaux. The models are a lot of fun. I couldn't do this hobby without reading glasses at this point. It's just hard sometimes to assemble models if you can't see well enough to know what you are attaching. Particularly with the Malifaux models, which tend to be a bit more piecemeal than a lot of other models. I tend to prefer the lower end of the reading glasses scale, but I wouldn't try working without a magnifier of some kind.
I have been thinking of using a micro camera with a tablet. I have used the glasses but sometimes I want to see closer but can't so I figured try a micro on my camera and it's pretty cool.
Bough a cheap Magnifier arm with led lightning. with a global 1,ish zoom and a smaller globe at 3x. One of the best purchases for the hobby. The lighting certainly is a must with the ring, and it can be used as just a flex lamp. With the magnifier it's very comfortable, but one advise: don't pull the model too close to you, or you'll hit the plastic. Or paint it. The focal point , specially of the secondary smaller , powerfull magnifier is about 3-4 inches.
100% agree. I love my magnifiers but I don't put them on unless I'm doing detail work. Wearing them for base coating, shading, and even highlighting is just a recipe for difficulty especially because of how it forces your posture to get focus.
Magnifier glasses are part of the fun for me. They transport you into the micro-world. That said, they're designed small so you can peer over or under them to look at the normal world stuff like your show or your monitor. That and make it a habit to look out the window every once in awhile to stretch your eye muscles.
My wife got me a little magnifying glass stand for my birthday last year. I use it for when I need to do really fine detail. Definitely helps a lot and I think it works a lot better than the glasses would. Plus it was cheaper, lol
Just a little suggestion/input - don't wear the magnifiers for 8 hours! Also, you may find that your depth perception will be off with the single arm. Personally, I need the magnifiers because my eyes are getting older (I'm 51) and regular reading glasses (cheaters) don't work as well for me. Overall, this was a nice video and I love those Malifaux models. Thanks.
Same here, I can't see the models well enough anymore. A pair of these goggles allows me to paint again as I can see what I am doing. It also highlights that too much coffee isn't good for a steady hand!
There is a HUGE difference between cheap magnifying glasses and good (but pricey) ones. With good glasses you do not have visible distortion, great color rendition and it’s less tedious to switch between the magnified view and normal vision. I use a clip that attaches to my normal glasses, the lenses of that clip are planoconvex so I have a distortion free view. I think the distortion is the exhausting part that makes you nauseous.
With those binocular style glasses you might find depending on the width between your eyes that its hard to get both lenses to focus on one point of the model, meaning double vision and no depth perception. I have the exact kind you showed and I use an elastic band to pull them close enough together to work for me. Personally, set up that way I really like them. Spent all of last nights painting session wearing them.
I lucked out and rescued a magnifying lens station from a dumpster, they're way more expensive than the goggles but the nice thing is you don't have to worry about flipping them up for working on other stuff. for me it is kind of my only option b/c my glasses often get in the way of any form of headgear.
I have some visopters, they are good as well but have a lighting issue due to how the top is a solid material. Another thing I have learned when painting small things, make sure you are not hungry and haven't had a lot of caffeine.
I love using these glasses since I'm getting older and not as near sighted as I once used to be. I quickly got used to looking around the lenses to see brushes, water cup, etc... The only problem I do have is the nose piece does tend to mess with my sinuses and I need to constantly lift them higher on my nose but I'm used to it.
For me I actually need them. I found out through a work eye test, only a few years ago in my late twenties, I'm far sighted so anything 1-2 foot in front of me is blurry. Doesn't affect me in normal life so don't have glasses but since getting a headset like this I don't paint like a 7 year old any more
I use exactly these goggles for electronics. They’re mandatory for SMD soldering work. I tend not to use them for painting because my close vision is pretty good.
I use a set almost identical to that. My eyes are a little older than yours, but for me they are almost essential. Sure, you don't need them for base coating, but I even use them for cleaning flash off the model in the building phase, it's amazing what you wouldn't have seen without them. I never paint for more than an hour at a time, so no nausea yet. Some people actually suffer nausea with their first pair of bifocal glasses, so you're not weird! I also perform a humorous series of head bobs when shifting my gaze from model to palette, or partner, as I try to look through them, can't see anything, then try to look under then over. 😆 I think almost anyone would find them useful for some aspect of model painting as more and more precision is required, but maybe not leaving them on full time. I think it's interesting that tournament pieces these days seem to tend towards larger models though, as an implicit acceptance that fine detail on small models is just too fiddly! 🙂
... "pile o shame ... box 1 of 100" ... oof! :) Thanks for this video on this product. I have been looking at them, myself, to replicate those "close up" video shots that I see on the painting tutorials. Looking forward to a follow-up video review of the magnifier on an arm? Shifting to the models themselves ... thank you for bringing this game line to the spotlight. Your paintwork is very nice on these miniatures.
Ay! Nice to see someone talk about magnifiers! Also, I will always like to see more Malifaux on any mini channel. Its my hope it becomes more popular than it is currently, because both the game and minis are absolutely amazing.
I bought the same pair recently. It was disorienting for everything else (eg. switching focus to dunk my brush in water) until I learned to use the gap above the glasses to see normally!
I use my Magnifier lamp on the movable arm, that way I can move it out of the way if I need to. I need to use mine often since my eyesight isn't what it used to be.
I have the exact same magnifier you use in this video. When I was 18 and just starting to paint my eyes were percect. I became farsighted as I got older and I need reading glasses most of the time. I wear a much stronger pair when painting, but when it's time for the fiddly details I get out the magnifier. I agree about the eye adjustment issues, but my biggest gripe is how much the nose support hurts.
Colette FTW .. you bought the best mini's i love that crew and the mannequin models :D - Y'no, when you get to my age you have to use those magnifying glasses nearly all the time :( ... You'll eventually get used to looking at models up close then away, but there does have to be something better, totally agree with you on them making everything away from the model harder to do. Thanks for another awesome video :D
There are several styles of the glasses you showed... one uses replaceable AAA batteries that sit in front of the forehead and can be rather “heavy” on the bridge of your nose after a while; the other uses a lighter weight built-in battery with a micro USB cable for charging. The difference is about 1 ounce. The ones you showed, with batteries to the side, are probably a better design than having extra weight in front of you. I’m older now, and the glasses help, but I don’t use them full time. One option might be the Opticon DA series. They have a focal sweet spot based on the magnification level, and different mags offer a different “distance” to that spot. I’m curious if there might be a good compromise level that can still provide sharp detail while maintaining a greater sense of the overall mini. It’s may be possible, or I may be dreaming (!).
Solid review, Eons and Jay. I totally understand why it would be uncomfortable for you with the switching focal lengths constantly. My experience is somewhat different as I am VERY farsighted and have worn glasses since 2nd grade (almost 40 years ago!) and had bifocals in 6th grade! I am back in bifocals again in my 40s because, surprisingly, your vision does not improve with age. :( Anyway, all this to say that I am used to switching magnification constantly. I started painting minis in 2014 but quickly adopted the headset magnifiers (mine are not like glasses but are more like a headband with a frame that you rotate up and down... because I am already wearing glasses.). The magnifiers were game changers for me and I literally cannot do any painting without them!
At least I relieve that I'm not the only one who've bought these and had nausea and struggled in time for adjusting focus + finding disturbing the area aside the focus lenses. Thanks a lot, I was afraid that something was wrong with me only.
I'm a total noob painting minis, but I still bought the glasses. Same issue, plus I didn't felt they magnified as much as I wanted. I turn then back and bought a light with a magnifier, and so far seems to be working better, but I haven't been able to put on hours using it.
I use the magnifier on an arm, it works wonders with the only downside being the arm possibly getting in the way. In my case I don't have much room so it's attached right next to me and makes it hard to reach for other brushes and such.
Having used both magnifying goggles and arms, I much prefer the arms for exactly the reasons you pointed out: eye strain and blind to everything else. Although, I don't bother with either if it's not something I'm struggling with
For older eyes like mine, these are a requirement. There are ways to circumvent your issues with blurry surroundings.....you can flip the lenses up, or you can wear them at a certain angle to allow for viewing outside the lenses.
I tried the glasses and they made me nauseous on top of the problems you described. I switched to a magnifying lamp on an arm and will never look back. I highly recommend trying one out. Just make sure you get one with the right light temperature.
I was really thinking about getting glasses like these because although I have good vision and have little trouble picking out little details I get eye fatiuge during extended painting of fine details but I think I might get a desk mounted magnifier instead given the cons you mentioned I don't think I would be happy with the head mounted type.
I have one of the lights with the magnifying glass and I don't find I ever use it. Partly, it's a very cheap on so adjusting it to the right place isn't easy, and I don't think the version I have has particularly strong magnification. I think it still causes the freaky eye issues that you got with your glasses too but I'm guessing not as severe. I think the happy medium is that you don't need them for the majority of them model but only when you go in to do the really fine detail work. I think another option that might work better is to setup a camera and monitor and zoom into your mini and work on it like a keyhole surgeon does.
As I already need reading glasses, using a magnifier for extended periods is not a problem. I bought a set that clips onto my reading glasses and has 4 different magnifiers (only using the 2nd one for now) and they flip up out of the way for coffee breaks.
As Uncle Atom says: it's a hobby, not an exam. If it makes your life easier, it ain't cheating. Cheers!
I bought a pair of magnifiers recently and they are brilliant!
They made me realise that a fine brush and a steady hand aren't the secret to painting miniatures, it's BEING ABLE TO SEE WHAT YOU'RE DOING!
Only a fool would paint miniatures without them!
Good light is also a big help.
@@timd4524 They have a built-in LED light.. but I just use a regular lamp.
Are you near sighted or far sighted? Personally, I am near sighted. I can see really well up close. I have not had much luck using magnifiers. Often just give me more headaches. (literally)
@@FSDraconis I have astigmatism, so my vision is just generally blurry.
@@drewlovelyhell4892 What brand did you use?
I can't do any painting at all without those magnifier glasses. I'm nearly 50
Same here. Plus he didn't flip up the lenses to see something farther, just kept it down.
Same (52)
I'm 46 and just stated needing reading glasses. I decided to get some magnifiers. They're great, but it hurts looking back at previous paint jobs now. Didn't realize how bad my vision was getting.
I've repainted so many models now.
I'm 51 and i with you, man. I was trying to paint runes on a Fyreslayer and just couldn't see them( also farsighted unfortunately)
.. after i got my first set (on set 2).. i went and looked at them again, and did some revision to say the least.
i'll join this boat. can't even do the kitbashing i love so much without these. which kind of lenses do you use? i use a stationary lens with light atm, but would like to try a goggle.
The idea of "cheating" enjoying your hobby makes no sense. If magnifiers help, use them. That was said of the airbrush when figure painters started using them. Scale modelers had used them for years before with no accusations. Now an airbrush is almost as common as the paintbrush in figure modeling
My hobby is blackjack for money. So I agree. I dunno why people keep saying I'm "cheating" at my hobby. I'm just enjoying it.
@@whitecreamymilk8436 even old toymakers used magnifiers for all the springs, sprockets, sewing and, obviously, painting details
I have the arm magnifier with daylight LEDs and it's great, you dont need to use it for base coating or washing and you can swing it into place for details and highlighting as required! :)
Same here it’s a game changer for my space wolf lenses and eyes
I haveone of these headsets and a cheap $30 arm light/magnifier too. Only been using them for a few weeks but i find the arm is good for cleaning plastic and the glasses for painting. (Dam arm kept getting in way of painting). Happy with both but if I were to have to pick just the one it would be the arm, as the light is so much better/useful.
Yeah, I've used magnifying lamps since the 90s. AAMOF, my last one recently died and now I have to get another one.
My favorite thing about magnifiers is the much better posture and less eye strain from just being able to see it better from further away.
You know those flip up like a visor, it makes it a bit easier, you just have to use them sparingly, definitely not for 8 hours
I have the Magnifier arm, its so good, I dont need any aditional lamps as the light around the ring light the mini perfectly. I can paint in the middle of the night and still have crisp clean highlights.
This is pretty much what I was going to tell the group on the discord server. Having the arm/light makes life super easy and doesn't give you sea sickness when looking around the room.
@@jeffreylanford2943 Yeah all of the negative parts he mentioned in the video I never have. Its at the side of my desk and is out of the way when not in use. I would highly recommend it.
Which one did you get?
Not to promote them but i found one at online at walmart for $25. came with a base and desk clamp.
@@manaseater www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07S16S9J3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 That's the specific one, I originally bought it to use as a lamp as I didn't think id get used to the magnifier, but its so easy to use I can barley paint without it!
Having used both kinds of magnifiers, the issue with ring light ones is they are harder to keep in focus. I had a lot of issues with having to keep my hands in exact positions otherwise the model would go blurry. I had a similar first experience to you with the glasses, but after a few sessions my body got used to it and I stopped having nausea and learned to better judge my water cup/palette. The increased freedom of where to hold the model offered by the glasses was what pushed me over the edge into preferring them.
At 60, magnification is a must. I generally use a magnifier/light on an arm thingy, but I also have those magnifying glasses for when I'm not at my desk. They both work very well.
Yup, was gonna say. 53 here and while I CAN paint without magnifiers, they help immensely and make it much more enjoyable.
The basic 'magnifying reading glasses' work really well - a bit of fiddling finds the sweet spot to rest them a bit down your nose so that it is easy to look up/down as needed to go back to the pallet/water cup/etc. and are easy enough to put back up on your forehead when you have some less detailed work to do. I used to have one of the magnifying lamps (in the past before LEDs or Amazon) and it worked great - but it's a piece of desk real estate taken up by the mount for the arm. Find what works and go with it - and remember, you also have to adapt to the brush looking way bigger as well . . .
If you wore the glasses for 8hrs straight with no breaks, I'd assume anyone would feel a bit nauseous.
I wear an Optivisor for about that almost every day and I don't get nauseous. It's a bit like getting a new pair of glasses. Your brain just needs to adjust a bit and then it's fine.
I get nauseous almost everytime I paint for a couple hours +
When I work in pro mini studio we use them only for tiny details like shadows and blinks in eye.
I know it is a bit outdated, but i'll leave my 2 cents on te topic here.
I've been wearing glasses for most of my life, for i have mild astigmatism. I got into miniature painting few months back and magnifiing glass on swivel arm was among my first purchases. It is wonderful tool. I would say 2nd most important right after quality lighting lamp. At least if your eyesight isn't sharpest anymore.
EDIT: Typos.
I actually use a magnifier with a light that's attached to a metal armature. I've been using this setup since I painted my first model about 15 years ago and still use the same setup. It's absolutely amazing for being able to perceive tiny detail on a model and vastly increases your perceived skill. I would imagine it would be terrible having the magnifier stuck to your face as you mentioned. Having the magnifier in a fixed position is a much better setup, and I highly recommend it as I can't imagine painting that much detail without it. It's definitely worth giving that setup a shot!
Been using the one I inherited from my dad's workshop for two years now. Love it, made it a lot easier on my eyes. Avoid the magnifiers on arms, especially if you have a neck injury, they don't let you move around comfortably.
I use the magnifying lense on the arm, and once you get it, there is no going back. It does not cause the seasick sensation you get from the goggles, but it does take a tad of adjusting to how close to your face you hold your paint brushes.
I use a Magnifier Headband. It adjusts up and down which makes the sub-activities like play list choosing and other small things done then adjust back. The focus stuff with your eyes you still got to get used to though, but I’m already wearing glasses so I been used to that since grade school.
Recently got myself a desk mounted magnifier with an LED light and I don't know how I ever tried painted without them. Absolute game changer.
you can peek with normal sight just by looking up like a normal eyeglass that's how we do it with a reading glasses, this however does not apply if you're using a jewel magnifier (the one with the black color and completely close the eye sight for the magnifier)
I cannot stress how good a game Malifaux is. The rules are really tight and the victory conditions change from game to game making it really engaging. Been playing for a few years and it’s fantastic.
That's great to hear! I reached out to WYRD and they told me that a starter box is coming out soon!
Great video! I've used a clamp-on magnifying lamp with cold light on it and have to say it really can improve your work, it helped me a lot when I got started painting miniatures. Sadly my lamp broke but ill be probably be picking up some glasses or a lamp if possible after this video.
I have both and use them both.
As my eyes have, well, gotten old, I find have magnification is a must. I have a standing magnifier that I got for my birthday a few years ago and it’s a life saver. Makes the hobby so much more enjoyable for me.
If you wear glasses like i do, then in my experience the visor type of magnifier is the best and easy to move out of the way. I use it for very fiddly stuff in the scale modelling i also do and is invaluable for that.
The magnifier lamp things are good, but they can get in the way sometimes, but the light is the key with them as you want as close to natural as you can get to ensure colour accuracy. Though the last one I had, the bit that is supposed to keep it fixed in position wore quickly leading to it drooping, so don't skimp on the quality or your mini might be getting whacked by your magnifier.
Also, always take regular breaks, your back will thank you as well as your eyes.
I've gotten these when I got back into the hobby half a year ago. My paintjobs have never been better!
I have both the glasses and the magnifying light. For me it is a must to use magnification because I'm half blind. I started with the magnifying light and one of the biggest issues with it is my brush handles keep hitting the light. I switched to the glasses and that resolved the issue with hitting your brush handle, but you are right about it making you a little nauseating. I found over time you get use to it and the nauseating feeling goes away. Just do short painting sessions at first. If I had the eye site I would prefer not to use any magnification. but if you must, I prefer the glasses.
I agree. I painted a crew of Malifaux minis for a customer. They are extremely detailed for their size.
One of the best mini painters in the world uses those magnifying goggles, so good enough for me to get a pair.
I got a magnifier a few months ago that are the type with 2 magnification lenses flip down in front of your eyes or you can flip one of them out for a variety of magnification levels. I thought they were stupid when I first saw them for sale in a hobby store but was having problems with seeing small details on one of my models, so I decided to give them a try.. One of the best investments I've made so far with model building.. They're awesome!!
Privately, I use standard magnifying glasses. I arrange them at the end of my nose, if I need to look into a wet palette or look up on my desk. In the other direction, the eyes look down at the figurine. I usually keep the model at the height of the bridge, so my eyes fall down on the glasses and on the object itself. What I can recommend is that if you do not have any vision defect and you already feel great magnification at 1x1.5 then stick to it, 1x3.0 magnification and more we will use later in 20 years :). Personally, I developed this method just because of a whole lot of activities related to painting (which you just mentioned). I hope that I could direct you a little bit.
Love the paint job
Thanks for the positive negative honesty ive been thinking about glasses like this for awhile
I bought the glasses and one thing I have done is tilt my head up and look down when I had to focus on anything that wasn't the model. It helped with the focus problem you mentioned.
I use similar magnifiers and I can't work without them anymore. Mine hold the lenses further away and I can "bifocal" them by looking around or below. I got used to them very quickly, and I bet you will too. The nausea thing and disorientation will go away- the same thing happened when I got my first prescription glasses, but only for a day. I also have an arm, and I love it too (but the back end of the paint brushes often bonk off the lens and smear across the mini (usually the eyes). Also- thanks for painting Malifaux! I love it when people paint something other that GW, and I have been thinking about buying some M minis for a while now. They look awesome.
glad you liked the video, and keep your eye's out for more malifaux, more to come!
Love to see you painting some Malifaux! Ive used so many of your basing tutorials to base my Faux minis.
There's versions that are easy to flip up and down, which helps a lot.
And the binocular vision of the glasses is really nice vs the monocular vision of the ring on an arm
I also have some of these glasses and I think they work quite well.
I have the type you mention at 1.26 in your video.
Yes everything around you gets a little blurry, but if you arrange your work space properly this is not an issue. (it also helps to paint faster without the glasses)
Also I dont recommend to wear them for longer times since they do strain your brain more than just trying to focus normally.
Around 30-60min each day is the maximum I wear them to avoid any discomfort.
Gotta get my workspace cleaned up and put on some paints to my models!
Havent been mentioned with my painting in the last 2 videos.
After various experiments over the years, I've settled on just using 1.5x reading glasses. They give just a bit more zoom for painting, but are subtle enough to not ruin the experience of interacting with everything else on my desk. I've also got a pair of 3x readers, for the occasional freehanding/fine details work, but are otherwise too strong for practicality, imo. Both pairs are small and require little workspace or effort to switch between. Overall, I find that excellent lighting is the best way to ensure I can see/paint well (magnification is a nice bonus) - so much easier (not to mention cooler, temperature wise) now with the advances in high quality LED light fixtures!
At 44 years old I find my sweet spot is a pair of +.50 reading glasses and a swing arm lamp/magnifier. Still get a bit nauseous after long sessions, but just looking around the desk isn't as bad as a headset.
I use a magnifying glass on the arm like you said at the end of your video. Only use it for the detailed stuff. It’s nice to be watching something on a laptop and when the time calls for it to quarter swivel on my chair and I’m ready to go.
This dude needs way more Likes.
🙌🙌🙌🙌
I use that magna arm when I do faces or if I want to see if I missed any coverage. It also has bright white light which to me is the first thing you want as a painter, bright enough light to see the actual color you are painting with, not some warm cfc or incandescent. I'd rather have decent lighting then any expensive tool or paint. Next would be a comfortable chair, that would be my biggest cheat, a place that is comfortable to just sit to paint at for a few hours.
I'm over 40.. last time i painted was 15 years ago. Got back in to it and realized I can't see anything anymore. Got one of those right away, and couldn't live without them.
You are right about both the glasses and the lens on the articulated arm, I have both and they both have pros and cons. The glasses do make it hard to find the plate than the rinse cup, but the large lens can block the handle of the brush and you have few options of fagnification.
I have a cheapo headband style with a light since I already wear glasses. They are a godsend versus hunching over to get really close. Bad for your posture, neck, back and eyes. Also, whether it's painting, reading or whatever, take hourly breaks to stretch your legs and relax your eyes.
sounds like a godsend for painting pilot figures that come with rg, mg, and pg gunpla. Most of the pilot figures you can get references by looking up how the character the pilot figure represents is in the anime.
First I want to say how much I enjoy your videos! I use the inspiration I get from your base making videos all the time.
As for the glasses I find them invaluable! It will take a little practice, but you will more than likely find you get used to them. The key for me keep them up a little higher so when I want to look at something else, ( like my wet palette) I look under them not over. Also try to move them up on you head like sunglasses when you are not looking thought them for things that take focus and attention. Like typing on a keyboard. Also try a long blink as you shift you eyes back into the magnified area of your view. Your eyes might adjust a little smoother since you're going from a closed eye to a focus instead of the eyes trying to go between two different focal points. This is what causes the nausea. It's similar to motions sickness, as the eyes are trying to keep up with the rapidly changing views. I used to use the big magnifying lens and light combo. It was the hot thing back in the late 80's. lol
'but then again so were Testers model paints (that's about all there was!) Yeap I'm old! The glasses offer so much more freedom and a better posture, but they are not for everyone. Thanks again for sharing all that you do for the hobby!
P.S. I really enjoyed the interview with Heath from the murder basement!
I use the third option that are more like reading glasses. Have tried different versions over time and they are definitely in my opinion the best.
Jay, I have been out of the hobby for a long time. The EOB channel has re-ignited the interest again! Keep up the great work!
My wife had actually bought me BOTH pairs that you highlighted! We had to send the black pair back though, they are TOO magnifying! The only place you could actually get them to focus didn't leave enough space to work the brush in. They really are meant for watchmaking as advertised beware your magnification level. I found 1.5-2 just about right
I really am a fan of Malifaux. The models are a lot of fun.
I couldn't do this hobby without reading glasses at this point. It's just hard sometimes to assemble models if you can't see well enough to know what you are attaching. Particularly with the Malifaux models, which tend to be a bit more piecemeal than a lot of other models. I tend to prefer the lower end of the reading glasses scale, but I wouldn't try working without a magnifier of some kind.
I have these exact glasses and I love them!
I have been thinking of using a micro camera with a tablet. I have used the glasses but sometimes I want to see closer but can't so I figured try a micro on my camera and it's pretty cool.
I've been using a Dazor Circline Magnifier on an arm since the 90s. I have bad eyes though, and it really helps me a lot. I couldn't paint without it.
Bough a cheap Magnifier arm with led lightning. with a global 1,ish zoom and a smaller globe at 3x.
One of the best purchases for the hobby. The lighting certainly is a must with the ring, and it can be used as just a flex lamp.
With the magnifier it's very comfortable, but one advise: don't pull the model too close to you, or you'll hit the plastic.
Or paint it. The focal point , specially of the secondary smaller , powerfull magnifier is about 3-4 inches.
100% agree. I love my magnifiers but I don't put them on unless I'm doing detail work. Wearing them for base coating, shading, and even highlighting is just a recipe for difficulty especially because of how it forces your posture to get focus.
Magnifier glasses are part of the fun for me. They transport you into the micro-world. That said, they're designed small so you can peer over or under them to look at the normal world stuff like your show or your monitor. That and make it a habit to look out the window every once in awhile to stretch your eye muscles.
My wife got me a little magnifying glass stand for my birthday last year. I use it for when I need to do really fine detail. Definitely helps a lot and I think it works a lot better than the glasses would. Plus it was cheaper, lol
Was looking into these exact glasses, thanks so much for the insight!
Great stuff friend 👏 👍
Just a little suggestion/input - don't wear the magnifiers for 8 hours! Also, you may find that your depth perception will be off with the single arm. Personally, I need the magnifiers because my eyes are getting older (I'm 51) and regular reading glasses (cheaters) don't work as well for me. Overall, this was a nice video and I love those Malifaux models. Thanks.
Same here, I can't see the models well enough anymore. A pair of these goggles allows me to paint again as I can see what I am doing. It also highlights that too much coffee isn't good for a steady hand!
There is a HUGE difference between cheap magnifying glasses and good (but pricey) ones. With good glasses you do not have visible distortion, great color rendition and it’s less tedious to switch between the magnified view and normal vision.
I use a clip that attaches to my normal glasses, the lenses of that clip are planoconvex so I have a distortion free view. I think the distortion is the exhausting part that makes you nauseous.
Aside from the magnifying glasses review, the colour theory in this video was really informative.
With those binocular style glasses you might find depending on the width between your eyes that its hard to get both lenses to focus on one point of the model, meaning double vision and no depth perception. I have the exact kind you showed and I use an elastic band to pull them close enough together to work for me.
Personally, set up that way I really like them. Spent all of last nights painting session wearing them.
Great paint job and really good review!
I lucked out and rescued a magnifying lens station from a dumpster, they're way more expensive than the goggles but the nice thing is you don't have to worry about flipping them up for working on other stuff. for me it is kind of my only option b/c my glasses often get in the way of any form of headgear.
A refreshing change to 8+feet tall transhumans in blue power armour - very enjoyable.
Cease this heresy at once
Those sculpts are so cool. And your paintjob looks great!
i went with a mag light and love it for some of the reasons you mentioned not liking the glasses, just what I need for aging eyes
Get the Ottlite floor lamp! It's great!
I have some visopters, they are good as well but have a lighting issue due to how the top is a solid material. Another thing I have learned when painting small things, make sure you are not hungry and haven't had a lot of caffeine.
I use a light with a magnifying lense... its fantastic for those tricky little nooks and crannies... especially 10mm minis
The ONLY WAY to paint, LEFT HANDED!! 😁😁😁 NOICE! IM NOT ALONE!
Lefties FTW!
*ohhh shiny!*
Great work BTW, those are siiiiick!
I love using these glasses since I'm getting older and not as near sighted as I once used to be. I quickly got used to looking around the lenses to see brushes, water cup, etc... The only problem I do have is the nose piece does tend to mess with my sinuses and I need to constantly lift them higher on my nose but I'm used to it.
For me I actually need them. I found out through a work eye test, only a few years ago in my late twenties, I'm far sighted so anything 1-2 foot in front of me is blurry. Doesn't affect me in normal life so don't have glasses but since getting a headset like this I don't paint like a 7 year old any more
I use exactly these goggles for electronics. They’re mandatory for SMD soldering work. I tend not to use them for painting because my close vision is pretty good.
I use a set almost identical to that. My eyes are a little older than yours, but for me they are almost essential. Sure, you don't need them for base coating, but I even use them for cleaning flash off the model in the building phase, it's amazing what you wouldn't have seen without them.
I never paint for more than an hour at a time, so no nausea yet. Some people actually suffer nausea with their first pair of bifocal glasses, so you're not weird!
I also perform a humorous series of head bobs when shifting my gaze from model to palette, or partner, as I try to look through them, can't see anything, then try to look under then over. 😆
I think almost anyone would find them useful for some aspect of model painting as more and more precision is required, but maybe not leaving them on full time.
I think it's interesting that tournament pieces these days seem to tend towards larger models though, as an implicit acceptance that fine detail on small models is just too fiddly! 🙂
Great video. I'm ordering my glasses now 😌
... "pile o shame ... box 1 of 100" ... oof! :) Thanks for this video on this product. I have been looking at them, myself, to replicate those "close up" video shots that I see on the painting tutorials. Looking forward to a follow-up video review of the magnifier on an arm? Shifting to the models themselves ... thank you for bringing this game line to the spotlight. Your paintwork is very nice on these miniatures.
Ay! Nice to see someone talk about magnifiers! Also, I will always like to see more Malifaux on any mini channel. Its my hope it becomes more popular than it is currently, because both the game and minis are absolutely amazing.
I bought the same pair recently. It was disorienting for everything else (eg. switching focus to dunk my brush in water) until I learned to use the gap above the glasses to see normally!
I use my Magnifier lamp on the movable arm, that way I can move it out of the way if I need to. I need to use mine often since my eyesight isn't what it used to be.
@EonsofBattle Thanks for this video. Love Malifaux models, underrepresented game that deserves more attention I think!
I have the exact same magnifier you use in this video. When I was 18 and just starting to paint my eyes were percect. I became farsighted as I got older and I need reading glasses most of the time. I wear a much stronger pair when painting, but when it's time for the fiddly details I get out the magnifier. I agree about the eye adjustment issues, but my biggest gripe is how much the nose support hurts.
I’ve had those for a year already and they are great especially when I’m doing elder gems.
Colette FTW .. you bought the best mini's i love that crew and the mannequin models :D - Y'no, when you get to my age you have to use those magnifying glasses nearly all the time :( ... You'll eventually get used to looking at models up close then away, but there does have to be something better, totally agree with you on them making everything away from the model harder to do. Thanks for another awesome video :D
There are several styles of the glasses you showed... one uses replaceable AAA batteries that sit in front of the forehead and can be rather “heavy” on the bridge of your nose after a while; the other uses a lighter weight built-in battery with a micro USB cable for charging. The difference is about 1 ounce.
The ones you showed, with batteries to the side, are probably a better design than having extra weight in front of you.
I’m older now, and the glasses help, but I don’t use them full time.
One option might be the Opticon DA series. They have a focal sweet spot based on the magnification level, and different mags offer a different “distance” to that spot. I’m curious if there might be a good compromise level that can still provide sharp detail while maintaining a greater sense of the overall mini. It’s may be possible, or I may be dreaming (!).
Solid review, Eons and Jay. I totally understand why it would be uncomfortable for you with the switching focal lengths constantly. My experience is somewhat different as I am VERY farsighted and have worn glasses since 2nd grade (almost 40 years ago!) and had bifocals in 6th grade! I am back in bifocals again in my 40s because, surprisingly, your vision does not improve with age. :( Anyway, all this to say that I am used to switching magnification constantly. I started painting minis in 2014 but quickly adopted the headset magnifiers (mine are not like glasses but are more like a headband with a frame that you rotate up and down... because I am already wearing glasses.). The magnifiers were game changers for me and I literally cannot do any painting without them!
At least I relieve that I'm not the only one who've bought these and had nausea and struggled in time for adjusting focus + finding disturbing the area aside the focus lenses. Thanks a lot, I was afraid that something was wrong with me only.
Magnifiers on arms are amazing, especially with a lamp.
I have an astigmatism. These magnifiers have been a game changer for me, but I can see if you have normal vision how they might seem a bit redundant.
I'm a total noob painting minis, but I still bought the glasses. Same issue, plus I didn't felt they magnified as much as I wanted. I turn then back and bought a light with a magnifier, and so far seems to be working better, but I haven't been able to put on hours using it.
I use the magnifier on an arm, it works wonders with the only downside being the arm possibly getting in the way. In my case I don't have much room so it's attached right next to me and makes it hard to reach for other brushes and such.
Having used both magnifying goggles and arms, I much prefer the arms for exactly the reasons you pointed out: eye strain and blind to everything else. Although, I don't bother with either if it's not something I'm struggling with
For older eyes like mine, these are a requirement. There are ways to circumvent your issues with blurry surroundings.....you can flip the lenses up, or you can wear them at a certain angle to allow for viewing outside the lenses.
exactly, this is basically just like reading glass where you can peek on the outside of the magnifier
As someone who wears regular glasses, do you know if I'd be able to wear these as well, or would it just be too bulky?
This is exactly what I do.
@@Miniaturegeek I use them with regular glasses, it's no problem. The magnifying lens on most of these are far enough away to use both.
@@Miniaturegeek it's a bit bulky but definitely not heavy
I tried the glasses and they made me nauseous on top of the problems you described. I switched to a magnifying lamp on an arm and will never look back. I highly recommend trying one out. Just make sure you get one with the right light temperature.
love the content man, you have come a long way i used to watch on an old account named vighar and im very happy seeing you follow your dream.
I was really thinking about getting glasses like these because although I have good vision and have little trouble picking out little details I get eye fatiuge during extended painting of fine details but I think I might get a desk mounted magnifier instead given the cons you mentioned I don't think I would be happy with the head mounted type.
I have one of the lights with the magnifying glass and I don't find I ever use it. Partly, it's a very cheap on so adjusting it to the right place isn't easy, and I don't think the version I have has particularly strong magnification. I think it still causes the freaky eye issues that you got with your glasses too but I'm guessing not as severe. I think the happy medium is that you don't need them for the majority of them model but only when you go in to do the really fine detail work.
I think another option that might work better is to setup a camera and monitor and zoom into your mini and work on it like a keyhole surgeon does.
As I already need reading glasses, using a magnifier for extended periods is not a problem. I bought a set that clips onto my reading glasses and has 4 different magnifiers (only using the 2nd one for now) and they flip up out of the way for coffee breaks.
"GW makes their models to be solid and chunky"
*Laughs in Lumineth*
even the lumineth have oversized hands feet and weapons, realistic scale model details get really small really fast!
Lunineth are pretty chunky compared to Malifaux figs.
Just like fire, a little goes a long way. Moderation is the answer.