Loupe camera

1. A method of using a loupe camera with adjusted distances between a sensor and a reticle and between a beam splitter and a reticle, the method comprising the steps of

a. illuminating a gemstone sequentially from multiple directions and taking a snapshot from each direction;

b. dividing the image of the gemstone into sub-areas;

c. composing a synthetic image of the gemstone, where each sub-area is taken from the image where a cost function graphically calculated on the sub-area is maximal; and

d. displaying the synthetic image;

wherein the loupe camera includes artificial illumination.

2. The method as in claim 1 , wherein the sub-areas are selected to have one of maximum and minimum brightness.

3. A loupe camera comprising: a. a loupe having a midbody and lenses, the loupe midbody being at least as long as the effective diameter of the largest of the loupe lenses; and b. an electro-optical sensor; wherein in use by a user of the loupe camera viewing a stone:

i. first optical paths extend from each point of the stone, through the midbody, and to an eye of the user; and

ii. second optical paths extend from the stone, through the midbody, and to the sensor; and wherein the lenses are configured so that the portions of both the first and second optical paths between the stone and the midbody have the same directions and the same angular apertures.

4. A loupe camera comprising:

a. a loupe having a midbody, a diagonal beam splitter in the midbody, a front lens, and a rear lens; and

b. an optical sensor; and

c. a reticle that is not on the optical axis of the front lens; wherein each point of an object imaged through the front lens and the midbody onto both said optical sensor and an eye of a user is imaged in the same direction to the front lens and having the same aperture angle; and wherein the midbody is at least as long as the diameter of the largest of the loupe lenses.

5. The loupe camera of claim 4 , wherein the object has shining surfaces and surface contours, and thus the optical sensor captures the shining surfaces and surface contours as the eye sees them.

6. The loupe camera of claim 5 , wherein said object is a gemstone.

7. The loupe camera of claim 4 , wherein the reticle is used to adjust the position of the optical sensor such that the object is focused onto both the optical sensor and the eye.

8. The loupe camera of claim 4 , wherein the beam splitter is angled at 45 degrees to the optical axis of the front lens.

9. The loupe camera of claim 8 , wherein the midbody, the front lens and the rear lens are manufactured in one single block.

10. The loupe camera of claim 7 wherein the beam splitter is angled at 45 degrees to the optical axis of the front lens.