As with other clamp-on swing arm lamps, the NUEYiO can be placed on the side of a hobby desk. The steel articulating arms mounted on the side of a desk have a high degree of freedom so you can place the light source right where you need it.

The LED is actually 6 daylight LED bulbs arrayed together in a ring. The lumen brightness of this light aren’t available, so be aware that this may be dimmer than you need. On the bright side (sorry for the pun), this light has a battery so you can go wireless.

The Brightech LightView Pro Flex Magnifying Lamp is a glass lens equipped desktop lamp. The lens is a 2.25x magnification power, which is perfect for painting miniatures or small details on models. As a miniature painting magnifying glass it works well!

Ultimately, as with any lighting system, you pay more for better quality light and functionality. Think about the countless hours you spend painting miniatures and models. Why do it in poor light?

At around $27 USD, the lamp is one of the least expensive magnifier lights you can find. It’s a great budget option for light-duty hobby or task work.

You can use a lower dim light to check how well you’ve performed your contrast enhancements on your paint job. In dim light, a high contrast model should continue to look good.

For those of you who opted to buy a swing-arm lamp, good on you. Move that lens away from your chest and up higher to your neck. With your miniature or model at the proper focal distance (usually between 8-10″ from the lens) while holding it, you should be able to rest your elbows on your desktop or arm rests of your chair.

These magnifying lamps have pressure clamps that let you attach the light to the side of your desk. They don’t take up much space and allow you to move the magnifying lens to wherever you need it, usually with a swing arm.

Choosing a good magnifier lamp is a bit more involved than regular lights. But, they have the dual benefits of a magnifying glass with light. As you’ll see, this is great for working with miniatures and painting.

Because of the diffuse very bright LEDs on this lamp, the quality of the lighting could be arguably better in general. With full-spectrum daylight color temperature, the light quality is perfect for painting miniatures.

The LED is a daylight color temperature, but is on the dimmer side at only 570 Lumens. This is the equivalent brightness of a regular 40-60 watt incandescent bulb. In my opinion, this is probably the biggest drawback of the lamp.

The swing arms themselves are sturdy metal constructions, which use mechanical levers and pivots. With counter-balanced spring systems, they allow you to put stable light where you need it.

Look for lamps with a 2x or 2.25x magnification power, which provides ample focal length for your brushes and tools to move about under the lens. Bright LEDs (above 800 lumens) provide good contrast and improve visual details. Daylight color temperature lighting is useful for accurate color reproduction in miniature painting and model work.

The glass lens has the same large rectangular shape of the Brightech LightView Pro XL lamp (6″ wide and 4.5″ long lens). The magnification power the lens is 2.25x, which provides a really nice 8-10″ focal length for working space.

My suggestion is to get the best lamp you can afford. Think about the hours and hours you spend in your hobbies. Good light is an investment that keeps on giving back.

This is the magnifying lens I have. The Brightech LightView Pro is a modern classic design. The reasons I purchased this magnifying lamp is because of the daylight LED lights built into the lens housing.

Now, for your eyes and painting comfort: Keep your face away from the lens so you don’t crane your neck. A good magnifying lens will keep your subject in focus with a clear picture at a normal viewing distance. With both your eyes open, you should still be able to get a stereoscopic view (e.g., 3D-ness) of your model with good contrast.

The NUEYiO Lamp is brighter than the Brightech at 2200 lumens (compared with 650 or 800 lumens of the Brightech desk or standing lamp, respectively). Although the NUEYiO Lamp has a glass lens that is only 4″ in diameter compared with the Brightech, the NUEYiO has slightly more magnification power at 2.25x.

The swing-arm clamps to the side of my desk. The thickness of my desk is about 1.5 inches, but the clamp will allow this lamp to attach on much thicker surfaces.

If you’re looking for an illuminated magnifier table lamp for hobby or craft kind of work, rather than as a esthetician (i.e., a person who provides skin care on people’s faces), then flexible arm systems are a good option. Plus, they have the added benefit of portability in comparison to swing arms, which can become cumbersome when you need to move them around multiple workspaces or take them on the go. If you’re looking for something more permanent and steady that won’t move around during use, then swing arms may be the better choice.

A magnifying lamp is supposed to reduce pain and discomfort. This means you need to position yourself with good sitting posture. Your back should be arched. No slouching over your magnifying lamp!

However, with a flexible swing arm, you can get the lens where you need it. The overall dimensions of the lamp are good, which allows it to have a small footprint while allowing you to maneuver the light where you need it. Because of this relatively small size, I would consider this fairly portable.

Are you looking for the best magnifying lamps for painting miniatures and models? You need to see details clearly to paint and craft scale models and miniatures. If you’re a scale modeler, especially you, a lamp that combines both good light and built-in magnification can make your work a lot more comfortable. Good light and optics are two things you shouldn’t neglect if you’re serious about taking your work the next level, or simply, you want to enjoy more of what you’re already doing. As a miniature hobbyist (among other fun activities), I’ve tried a lot of different gadgets to see what works and what doesn’t.

The key reason for this is that at around 5 diopters (2.25x magnification power), you will have enough magnifying power to improve visual details, and a long-enough focal length to avoid bumping into the lens with your brush handle or tools.

You move the lens to where you need it, and the entire system stays put. Both floor and desktop magnifying lamps have ways to provide a stable optical view of your working surface.

In general, with magnifying lamps, you get what you pay for. For the most part, a high-quality, durable LED lamp that I expect to last years will cost between $50-80.

In spherical aberration, rays of light from a point on the optical axis of a lens having spherical surfaces do not all meet at the same image point. Rays passing through the lens close to its centre are focused farther away than rays passing through a circular zone near its rim. For every cone of rays from an axial object point meeting the lens, there is a cone of rays that converges to form an image point, the cone being different in length according to the diameter of the circular zone. Wherever a plane at right angles to the optical axis is made to intersect a cone, the rays will form a circular cross section. The area of the cross section varies with distance along the optical axis, the smallest size known as the circle of least confusion. The image most free of spherical aberration is found at this distance.

For plastic lenses, you’ll have to be more careful. Harsh chemicals can “eat” into the plastic surface and cloud the surface. So for plastic lenses, I suggest using simple dish soap and water to clean your lenses. If you need something stronger, you can use Windex (as you do with glass lenses).

The major difference with the lamp is the wheeled stand. You can move this around your room! Or, if you want, you can maneuver this around your desk or to another room entirely.

Magnifying desk lamps use lenses built into a frame. These lenses are either plastic or glass. (Note: Lamps with plastic magnifier lenses are still called “magnifying glass lamps”).

There are several reasons you might advance to a floor stand type magnifying lamp. If you need to work at several locations in a room, all you need to do is wheel the lamp to the needed destination.

Astigmatism, unlike spherical aberration and coma, results from the failure of a single zone of a lens to focus the image of an off-axis point at a single point. As shown in the three-dimensional schematic the two planes at right angles to one another passing through the optical axis are the meridian plane and the sagittal plane, the meridian plane being the one containing the off-axis object point. Rays not in the meridian plane, called skew rays, are focused farther away from the lens than those lying in the plane. In either case the rays do not meet in a point focus but as lines perpendicular to each other. Intermediate between these two positions the images are elliptical in shape.

The Fancii Daylight LED 3X Magnifying Lamp Rechargeable with Metal Clamp is similar to the Brightech LightView Pro Flex Magnifying Lamp, but a less expensive.

For long painting sessions or hobby work, e.g., soldering, model-making, this is probably the most cost-effective magnifying lamp for painting you can get.

For professional level work, look for anything over 800-1000 lumens, which is close to the brightness you would find on 60-100 watt regular bulbs.

And, if you’re a photographer and like taking photos of miniatures, being able to dual-purpose your magnifying lamp requires some control of its brightness. Some of the photos you see on this site are taken with the light from an LED magnifying lamp, like this one.

For painting miniatures or scale modeling, I highly recommend you start with a magnifying lamp with a 2-2.25x magnification (or 5 diopters).

In this article, you will find an in-depth review of the 10 best magnifying lamps for painting miniatures and models. I also share key information about hobby lamp features you should know, and how to use magnification to improve your ability to work in miniature scale.

For glass magnifying lenses, you can use almost any cleaning solutions you have. Any of the brush cleaners, soaps, or detergents mixed with a bit of warm water will work great for cleaning your lens. Just use a damp clean cloth and wipe your lens down. Acrylic paint and other debris will wash off, easily.

The NUEYiO LED Magnifying Lamp is the direct competitor with the Brightech LightView Pro LED. Nearly the same in price and functionality, there are several notable differences.

Speaking of brightness, some magnifying lamps have a dimmable function. At first glance, you may think this is no big deal. But, a lamp that you can dim is versatile.

Because flexible arm systems don’t have the same mechanical stiffness of a swing arm, these magnifying lamps generally use lighter materials in the lens and lighting elements, e.g., plastic. Because of this, these lamps usually less costly.

The lens is made of plastic, but it is fairly large (about 4 inches in diameter). The magnification power is also the highest on this list at 5x power.

However, because of this magnification power, you don’t have a very long focal length and I did find myself bumping into the lens a lot with my brush handles.

What are the CRI ratings for these lamps (Color Rendering index)? A “full spectrum lamp” is like “low-fat” it gives you an idea but is non specific and, when it comes to working with any kind of color, lighting quality is absolutely essential. This is why Halogen and incandescent lighting is still used in professional environments such as prop manufacturing. LED technology is still subpar because you may have “enough of each spectrum to qualify”, the proportions are of each are likely way off; which can really screw with your color palette choices and ruin the effect you may be going for.

I agree – CRI is only a rating standard but doesn’t give you more detailed specifics. I suppose it’s like movie ratings – doesn’t give actual details and is kind of arbitrary. In general, however, you can measure color “temperature” which is what I think is more important for lighting quality. At least for photography, light temperature is pretty important for reproducing proper color in photos (without a ton of post processing work, which can correct badly lit images but only to an extent). Suffice it to say, the CRI values are merely more info for you to help decide what light works for a particular application. I personally still use a non-LED light along with my LEDs only because I continue to trust it.

For example, if you wanted to work in your kitchen table, then move somewhere else, this lamp would help you out. There is even a clamp, so it can operate in different locations (e.g., clamp it on an overhead shelf).

The best hobby magnifying lamp for painting miniatures are those that have both full-spectrum light and have lenses with sufficient magnification (ideal: 2x to 2.5x) and focal length (i.e., approximately 8 to 10″ distance from the lens to your working surface).

Daylight lamps for painting accurately have a color temperature that stays within the sunlight range of lighting, between 5000-6500K (or Kelvin).

Pull out the Fancii magnifier from storage, clamp it your desk, and go at it. You don’t even have to plug the lamp in (i.e., batteries!). Then, when you’re finished, store the lamp away.

With at least 3 degrees of movement, these lamps can cover most regular desk spaces with great light (even if you don’t use the magnifying lens).

As with other magnifying lamps with rolling floor stands, you can move this where ever you need it. If you have limited work area on your desk (e.g., clamp-on lamps also take some table footprint space), this is a good lamp to have around.

Coma, so called because a point image is blurred into a comet shape, is produced when rays from an off-axis object point are imaged by different zones of the lens. In spherical aberration, the images of an on-axis object point that fall on a plane at right angles to the optical axis are circular in shape, of varying size, and superimposed about a common centre; in coma, the images of an off-axis object point are circular in shape, of varying size, but displaced with respect to each other. The accompanying diagram shows an exaggerated case of two images, one resulting from a central cone of rays and the other from a cone passing through the rim. The usual way for reducing coma is to employ a diaphragm to eliminate the outer cones of rays.

You have two options for mounting this lamp. You can insert the lamp into the weighted stand for extra stability. Or, you can use the included clamp to attach the swing arm to the side of a table or desk.

A benefit to this over LEDs is a more glare/flicker-free lighting system at lower cost. Overall, this lamp is a good value for those looking for a budget option (~$33) that has similar utility as other more expensive magnifying desk lamps.

On the other hand, plastic is less expensive and much lighter weight. This means that magnifying lamps with plastic lenses are generally smaller, easier to transport, and also provide sufficient magnification power.

If you’re on a budget and don’t plan to paint for long sessions, magnifying lamps with plastic lenses are a good value. To paint miniatures you can certainly get away with a budget lamp as long as you’re aware of its limitations–more about this below.

At 2.25x magnification, your focal length will be around 8 inches, which is about the length of a regular paint brush. If you wanted more space to work in, you’ll probably need to a lower power lens. At around 2x, your focal length moves to about 10 inches.

For some people, you can try wearable magnifying visors, like these, which also give you hands-free optical help. For painting miniatures, I personally use both kinds of magnifying aids, depending on what I’m working on.

The LEDs are calibrated with a natural daylight illumination color temperature. From other reviews, the diffuse light from this lamp is comfortable to use for long periods of time. The small footprint allows you to place this on your desk with ample room to spare. The entire lamp can fold down for easier storage.

The 2.25x magnification lens (5″ inch diameter) is well-suited to painting miniatures. A neat feature of this lens is the lens cover. This allows you to keep the light shining only on your working surface, instead of through the lens when you don’t need the magnification.

The brightness of the LEDs is on the dim-side, at about 650 lumens (about a 40-50 watt bulb equivalent). So, for my needs, I usually supplement this light with another lamp. You can see that light and others I recommend here.

Other features that you may want is to get lamps that allow you to change the color temperature. For example, if you wanted a warmer or cooler colored light, merely make the adjustment on the lamp.

This lamp uses a flexible arm instead of a swing-arm system. You can change the height of the vertical stand from between 24 to 44 inches. This is a versatile lamp with the ability to use it alongside tables or work benches of different heights. Because the lamp has a floor stand, it won’t take up any room on your desktop.

I have a post about applying wet decals on minis (it’ll pop up with the search tool). I tend to go back and update articles regularly. Thanks again for the message! Every comment/feedback note helps – Andrew

Another weakness is that the lens is only 3 inches in total diameter. That’s not a very big lens compared to the other options below.

The overall stand is quite tall, but the swing arm on top provides a high degree of movement range. Of course, the entire lamp assembly is heavy (at close to 30lbs).

Another area of limitation is the lens is only 3.5 inches in diameter. This is not very large compared to the other magnifiers in this review. On the other hand, with the 15 inch tall flexible metal gooseneck you can play the light where you need it. The smaller size does help you place the lamp where you need it without taking up a lot of real estate.

Also, because floor lamps are so mobile, you can adjust the location of the light and magnification power toward even more locations than any of the other lighting options.

The 2.25x magnification power is in-line with other suitable magnifying lamps for painting miniatures and fine-scale modeling.

Note that this model does not use LEDs. Instead, this lamp uses a 12 watt full spectrum bulb. The bulb is replaceable from online sellers.

The LED is a simple two bulb affair, which kicks out a poor bright level of light (ambient overhead kitchen lights were probably brighter). But, again, it was battery operated and did the job for small tasks.

Focal length is the distance from the lens to your subject. This means that focal length determines how much room you have for your brush handle and your magnifying lens. Too short, and your tools or brush will bump into the lamp. It’s quite annoying.

Light flicker in some people can trigger headaches or exacerbate eye fatigue (that nasty feeling of sleepiness when you’re not actually tired). And, for some people, light flicker can even lead to seizures. I’m not trying to scare you. But, just be aware that it can be a problem in some “budget” lamps.

This is actually the very first magnification “aid” I ever purchased. The reason I got the Carson DeskBrite is because it was battery-powered. I was able to take it around my small apartment without need to plug it in.

The magnifying lamps and lights I recommend and review below do not have reported issues with light flicker. Taken together, you’ll find with time, using a magnifying lamp will become second nature.

Nonetheless, if you’re a scale modeler or other pro-level hobbyist, floor lamps give you some of the most powerful and versatile features in a magnifying lamp system.

Curvature of field and distortion refer to the location of image points with respect to one another. Even though the former three aberrations may be corrected for in the design of a lens, these two aberrations could remain. In curvature of field, the image of a plane object perpendicular to the optical axis will lie on a paraboloidal surface called the Petzval surface (after József Petzval, a Hungarian mathematician). Flat image fields are desirable in photography in order to match the film plane and projection when the enlarging paper or projection screen lie on a flat surface. Distortion refers to deformation of an image. There are two kinds of distortion, either of which may be present in a lens: barrel distortion, in which magnification decreases with distance from the axis, and pincushion distortion, in which magnification increases with distance from the axis.

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LEDs are even more efficient, providing more than 20 years of continuous light. LEDs also produce almost no heat. Don’t sweat it, your LED lights won’t add to any hobby-time discomfort!

Although they have limited range of movement, these magnifying lamps usually have more powerful lights and better quality lenses (e.g., heavier glass material).

Too shallow and you’ll have a hard-time judging where your brush is in-relation to the painting surface. This is a major complaint of many users of magnifying lamps.

If you’re a miniature painter, then like me you’ll end up getting your lens splattered with a bit of paint. It happens! And it’s simple: Every illuminated magnifying lamp works better when it’s clean.

The bright LED bulbs are dimmable, which is very useful for reducing potential glare or hotspots on some reflective surfaces. If you’re reading, for example, or assembling models, you may want less light to keep the glare down.

For the best clarity, glass lenses are always better. Glass has better light transmission properties, allowing all wavelengths to pass-through, and is much more durable. Glass is very hard to scratch and damage. In this regard, glass will easily resist those bumps you make with your brushes and tools. Finally, glass is also easier to clean with solvents that may harm plastic.

Clamp-on magnifying lamps are generally more powerful and versatile than desktop magnifying lamps. These lamps are also the most popular kinds of magnifying lamps available. And, there are good reasons why! If you’re a serious hobbyists, I would skip over the desktop lamps and consider the clamp-on versions.

As with the regular sized Brightech LightView Pro lamp with rolling stand this LED lamp emits a slightly brighter 900 lumens.

The last aberration, chromatic aberration, is the failure of a lens to focus all colours in the same plane. Because the refractive index is least at the red end of the spectrum, the focal length of a lens in air will be greater for red and green than for blue and violet. Magnification is affected by chromatic aberration, being different along the optical axis and perpendicular to it. The first is called longitudinal chromatic aberration, and the second, lateral chromatic aberration.

The flexible armatures on other magnifying lamps aren’t as robust as mechanical swing armatures. But, they provide you with greater range of movement, albeit shorter, and provide sufficient stability for any hobby work.

This lamp has the same feature set. 5″ glass magnification lens that is made of glass. It has the 2.25x magnification power, which is my recommendation for hobbyists working with miniatures (which provides a good working focal length).

It uses 60 LEDs embedded into the lamp’s housing, which produce a cool white light (5000K). Unfortunately, the color temperature on this lamp cannot be adjusted.

At around $40 USD, the lamp is a good deal cheaper than it’s competitors. If you’re a light-work hobbyist, or just want to add the option of magnification on a part-time basis, this is a good value. Just be aware that it might not produce the very bright light you would want for professional work, or will provide only a limited view of your subject (e.g., small lens diameter).

The Brightech LightView Pro LED Magnifying Lamp is similar to the XL version with the rolling base. However, instead of wheels, the base of this lamp is weighted to prevent the lamp from tipping over.

Finally, be aware of light flicker. Some light sources create a high frequency “flickering”, which is how some lower-end lamps maintain illumination at specific voltages. Also known as a dimming function, light flicker is an artifact of electrical pulsing that lowers the overall light-output of an electrical light source.

There may be some of you who are asking if there are special coatings on the glass lenses on magnifying lamps. In photography, camera lenses use special coatings to reduce glare and help with color distortion. However, to my understanding, there are no such coatings on any magnifying lamp lenses. The optics simply don’t need it.

I can actually find the website of that lamp’s company unlike Brightech and also verify that lumen level there. Acrylic seems to have no outstanding issues compared to glass. Price is ouch but still a better seeming product than ones found in office stores and other competitors…Ok, Tangible Day. I’ll bite the bullet.

You should feel a slight stretch in your lower back (e.g., the lumbar region). This stretching in your lower back prevents the muscles that support your upper body from continually contracting, which leads to lower back pain. Don’t slouch!

For small, short spurts of detail work, this magnification lamp was fine. It was also very cheap (less than $20). So for a supplemental tool for my burgeoning hobby (I wasn’t a commission painter back then), this lamp was useful.

The OttLite G97WGC-FFP Space Saving LED Magnifier Desk Lamp is made by a company that is highly regarded in the arts & crafts community. Renown for reliable lighting systems with great utility Ottlites are a premium option for hobbyists.

Here you have a 3-diopter (or 1.75x magnification power) glass lens with a 3.5 inch diameter. The flip cover over the lens adds additional protection for the glass lens surface when not in use.

Back then, LEDs weren’t very popular. And, the daylight tube replacements in these lamps (which are no-longer in production) cost more than $80 each.

To avoid this problem, keep your magnification power just high enough to see better, but low enough to counter the disadvantages of powerful lenses.

So, when you’re cleaning glass lenses, you can be worry-free that you won’t damage the surface. When in doubt, of course, use the gold standard for cleaning glass: Windex. It’s great for removing dried up acrylic paint and fingerprints. I even use Windex for cleaning my porcelain dry palettes.

The fact it is a floor stand model also means that it’s great for those of you who have precious little desktop space. This takes up zero footprint on your table.

Interestingly, a bright daylight lamp could be useful, because some research shown that it can keep you alert, focused, and even help with symptoms of depression.

A warmer light has less “blue light” and can therefore help you sleep better. Bright LEDs with blue light can disrupt your ability to sleep by suppressing melatonin.

The brightness is similar as well, at 800 lumens (providing 60 watt bulb equivalent of light). With both dimmable and color temperature adjustable settings, this lamp is also versatile.

The light output is dim at only 360 lumens, but depending on your needs this may be sufficient. There is a flip cover to protect the top of the lens when you’re not using the magnifying lens. As it is plastic this is a good idea.

In general, what you need to know for LED-based light brightness is that lumens is the measure you’re looking for, not watts (which was a measure used in conventional bulbs).

The glass lens is a 3x magnification power (or 8-diopters). This works well for miniatures, but you will have a slightly shorter focal length, e.g., less distance to work between the model surface and the lens.

Lumens is a unit of light based on the International System of Units. It is “…equal to the amount of light given out through a solid angle by a source of one candela intensity radiating in all directions.” (source)

As an alternative, if you’re looking for a really good portable light, minus the magnifying lens, I do highly-recommend this portable LED light.

The V-Light Full Spectrum Natural Daylight Effect Magnifier Task Lamp is a classic design. Combine a light with a built-in magnifier and attach it to a swing-arm base, and you’ll have this task lamp model. Visual amplification is a matter of using a lens to bend light.

Magnifying lamps use different systems to help you get the lens and light where you need it. Some lamps use spring-loaded spring arms with several degrees of movement. Other lamps use flexible arm with infinite range of movement.

The Brightech LightView Pro XL with rolling base stand is the epitome of magnifying lamps. It has a HUGE 6″ wide by 4.5″ inch long glass lens (e.g., rectangular shaped lens).

At the higher echelon’s of lighting equipment, e.g., dimmable, color temperature adjustable, expect the best magnifying lamps to cost somewhere in the ballpark of $150-300.

This model is unique in that it includes a magnifying lens to amplify details on your working surface. The 3 inch diameter lens is plastic and provides 1.75x magnification (with a 4x enhanced spot on the lens for additional power).

The LEDs are average bright, emitting 540 lumens (close to 40 watt bulb equivalent of brightness). The color temperature of the light is on the cooler side of the daylight spectrum (6,000K), which is great for reproducing accurate colors on your subject. Unfortunately, you can’t dim this light or change the color temperature.

I’m interested in the Lightview Pro with the supposed “800 lumens” but all the amazon pages for it say it’s 650 lumens. What gives?

The lamp I first purchased for painting miniatures as a commission painter cost me around $125. It was recommended by Matt DiPetrio, a former studio miniature painter for Privateer Press.

If you’re looking for something really small, useful for light task work, this is the best you’ll find in the sub-$20 price range.

The light has 3 brightness settings, so you can reduce the brightness for regular reading or other uses where hotspots or glare might cause eye fatigue.

aberration, in optical systems, such as lenses and curved mirrors, the deviation of light rays through lenses, causing images of objects to be blurred. In an ideal system, every point on the object will focus to a point of zero size on the image. Practically, however, each image point occupies a volume of finite size and unsymmetrical shape, causing some blurring of the whole image. Unlike a plane mirror, which yields images free of aberrations, a lens is an imperfect image producer, becoming ideal only for rays passing through its centre parallel to the optical axis (a line through the centre, perpendicular to the lens surfaces). The equations developed for object-image relations in a lens having spherical surfaces are only approximate and deal only with paraxial rays—i.e., rays making only small angles with the optical axis. When light of only a single wavelength is present, there are five aberrations to be considered, called spherical aberration, coma, astigmatism, curvature of field, and distortion. A sixth aberration found in lenses (but not mirrors)—namely, chromatic aberration—results when light is not monochromatic (not of one wavelength).

The lens has cover that both protects the glass lens and keeps unwanted light from saturating other areas of your hobby space. In general, this is a great lamp for professional work, painting miniatures, and other modeling activity.

The best magnifying lamps have daylight light emitting diodes (LEDs), which provide balanced white light at a good brightness. This lighting quality improves painting and hobby work because these they increase your ability to see contrast and color.

I build gunpla and like investing in the hobby like a snob. I need this for help in applicating teeny tiny waterslide decals. You’ll be hearing from me in a week when I test it. I appreciate the lightning response.