Genus Loupe Review

I’ve been looking for a loupe for a few months and I was stuck on the Zacuto Z-finder as that’s what I’d used in the past. It’s also decently affordable and well built for $375. I was certain that the z-finder would be purchased. But at that price… it would be purchased sometime later.

A couple weeks ago, Cinema5d.com did a post about this Loupe. The cheapest of these was the Genus Loupe running about $150. The review seemed brief but gave me what I needed/wanted to hear. Some hope for a decent loupe I could afford. I checked B&H photo and got lucky again. The Loupe was marked down to $80.

When the loupe arrived, my expectations were pretty low. There was a part of me that was ready to ship it back without even trying it. The fear of the purchase being to good to be true made me worry that the loupe wouldn’t work, or that I got scammed. A few minutes and deep breathes later, I attached the mount to my 7d.

My impressions were (before actually using it): Good build quality. The finish is a nice matte black with the Genus logo placed prominently on the left side. The black box can be replaced with a clear one to let in light if you’re viewing slides or film (like an actual loupe would be used for.). The box has a couple extra adhesive strips in case the mount comes off. The one I have on there feels really sturdy. I’m not going to see how “durable” it is. I’ll leave that alone.

I thought I read that it had an adjustable diopter. I guess not.

The eye cup is comfortable and can be used on either eye. And the LCD is crystal clear through the loupe. I have no problems with light leaking in, or fuzziness around the outside. It does fog pretty well. Removing my eye from the cup solved that quickly. And that’s really my only complaint: that it fogged on me.

All in all, I’m extremely pleased with my $80 purchase. You wont find a lot of info on Genus’ page about this product. And the reviews I’ve seen weren’t very thorough. However, it is a loupe, and therefore the reviews will be short and sweet. Other than the fogging, this is an excellent piece of equipment that should be considered over the z-finder or more expensive loupes. If this can do the job, buy it instead and put the money you saved towards other equipment.