I just got one for Christmas. I asked for it. It’s not some super expensive desk clamp or anything, it’s this nice small but well-weighted design by Zelco. So far I’ve been just putting various miniatures I have finished under it to see what is revealed, and to get a sense of how close is too close and generally how to position it to work on other miniatures.
If you’ve ever taken photos of your miniatures I’m sure you’ve been taken aback by how intensely up-close textures and flaws are shown by the camera at a certain magnification. I generally don’t try to display my miniatures in photos greater than 200% of their real size, if that, because I’ve noticed that that is the point of diminishing returns for how good they look up close. Now, I certainly know certain miniature painters whose work is displayed at even greater magnification and still look FLAWLESS. My sense is that in order to get those sort of results, you can’t rely on your naked eye when painting. Yes, it’s totally doable to paint to a high level of detail without magnification. I’ve been doing it for years. But in terms of close-up flaws I feel that I’ve hit a technical wall that I’m only going to overcome by experimenting with magnification.
What experiences do you have with magnifying lamps? Am I just really late to the party on this one or do you manage to get 500% magnification perfection without one?