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11/15/2003 03:04:29 AM · #1 |
Anyone? I need to put my d-60 on an olympus microscope (binocular type). There are t-mounts available for about AUS$50. So presumably, there will then be some need for an adaptor because different microscopes will have different diameters on which this will fit on to.
Will there be a tube of some sort on which this t-mount adaptor will then fit on to?
Anyone have experience? |
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11/15/2003 08:15:51 AM · #2 |
Yes, for microscopes that have a camera port (trinocular head), there is a tube, and a specific T-adapter for the scope in question will ne required. There will be a lever to engage/disengage a prism to redirect light from one eyepiece to the camera mount.
If you do not have a scope with a camera mount, you can usually do eyepiece photography, but a DSLR is usually not the camera of choice; you want something with a small front lens element. I've used the Nikon Coolpix 995 to good effect; browse the "micro" collection in my portfolio for a (very) few examples.
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11/15/2003 10:20:02 AM · #3 |
Kirbic... interesting shots.
I've been wanting to do that with some mineral specimens I've been asked to shoot.
I only have access to a monocular (and very old) microscope.
Any tips on how to get my G3 stable? |
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11/15/2003 11:04:53 AM · #4 |
JC,
The keys to success are:
1.) Lighting
2.) The quality of the microscope optics
3.) A cam with a small, fixed front lens element
The lighting needs to be quite powerful. When using a moderate-power stereo microscope, I often use a combination of a halogen ring light, and a second halogen light with fiber-optic "stalks" that I use to provide concentrated, oblique lighting. The combnation gives me good contrast and allows shutter speeds of 1/30s or faster. I can then simply hand-hold to the eyepiece, adjust zoom and shoot away.
It goes without saying that the microscope makes all the difference. I am very lucky to have access to a couple very good stereo microscopes, and a Nikon Optiphot metallurgical microscope with a 50W halogen illuminator, bright field/dark field and cross polarization.
I've tried this with different cams with larger and/or moving front lens elements, and it is very difficult. The 28mm diameter of the front element of the Nikon 995 is a perfect mate to most eyepieces (at least for research grade microscopes) and it's fixed so there is no problem with putting a bit of pressure against it while zooming.
With higher-power (e.g. metallurgical) scopes, you need to rely on the internal light source, which can be more difficult; the exposure times are typicaly longer.
For mineral specimens, a magnification in the range of 10x to 40x would be more than sufficient. Many stereo-zoom microscopes can cover this entire range, and a bit of extra magnification can be had if required by only photographing the center of the FoV (zooming).
Most standard microscopes are ill-suited to this type of work, because they have short working distancess and magnifications that are typically too high, yielding very short DoF. Non-flat samples are very challenging, due to DoF limitations. I know that there is software that can create a composite somewhat automatically from "slices" taken at different focus depths but I've not tried this (yet).
If you have a scope and lighting set-up that gives you good, bright views of the specimens with acceptable DoF, it should be possible to photograph them with the G3. You'll need to experiment with the required zoom setting for best results. Use Aperture preferrd mode with a relatively large aperture. The G3 has a good fast lens so you are in good shape here. Pre-focus the microscope to your eye, leave the camera on auto-focus. Center the camera to the eyepiece and get the front element within 1cm of the eyepiece. Herein lies the trick. It will be nearly impossible to stabilize manually if the outer diameter of the eyepiece is smaller than the inner diameter of the ring surrounding the lens. It may be possible to machine an adapter ring if you plan to do alot of work with a particular scope, or to rig a temporary support.
Good luck, post some of the images if you find success. If you're having problems, post back here & we can try to work through it. I think this is a topic that may interest others here, and really a whole new world of photographic opportunity.
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11/15/2003 12:24:46 PM · #5 |
Thank you...
I'll be working on this in the weeks to come and will post back with more questions, examples.
Some of the specimens I'm needing to shoot are translucent and we want to try and capture some of the inclusions.
Definitely a challenge! |
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11/16/2003 03:22:03 AM · #6 |
| There is a third head on this microscope, for this purpose. So you're saying, that the T-mount will be specific to fit this microscope?? .. or will there be a t-mount, and then another tube in between the t-mount and the trinocular head? |
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11/16/2003 11:27:10 AM · #7 |
Originally posted by hortopth:
There is a third head on this microscope, for this purpose. So you're saying, that the T-mount will be specific to fit this microscope?? .. or will there be a t-mount, and then another tube in between the t-mount and the trinocular head? |
Since you seem to have a true trinocular head, all you should need is the T-mount and a T-adapter to mate your camera to the T-mount. This assumes that the 'scope has the standard T-mount on the third port. They usually do, I believe, but I don't have experience with a wide variety of 'scopes.
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