Cicada egg/nymph

mikeatnip · Post by **mikeatnip** » Thu Aug 11, 2016 3:57 pm

Tried a 20-shot stack with a half-developed nymph. Through the eyepieces, everything is sharp but when I put my afocal system to use, it seems that I cant get a sharp image around the edges. The scope is an Amscope T340B-LED (well, that is what it was supposed to be. Came without a brand name on it

). I suppose I need to look at some better objectives and eyepieces?? This was done with a 4X objective and a 10X eyepiece.
Or, since things look sharp through the eyepieces, do I need to make some kind of change in the afocal system? (Sony a77 with Sigma 50mm EX macro lens.)

zzffnn · Post by **zzffnn** » Thu Aug 11, 2016 4:16 pm

Very nice!

Is 20 frame stack deep enough to cover the entire focus depth (for everything to look sharp)?

One would expect a deep enough stack would rescue non-plan objectives and/or non-flat subjects.

4x NA 0.10 objective has some resolution reserve, that is not fully utilized by 10x eyepieces (you won't see the finest details available at 10x eyepieces - everything might appear to be in sharp and in focus, while it is not, if zoomed to pixels). But with a big computer screen zooming in digital images, you would see the finest details (and defects).

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Fri Aug 12, 2016 12:52 am

It looks pretty nice!

Through the eyepieces, everything is sharp but when I put my afocal system to use, it seems that I cant get a sharp image around the edges. The scope is an Amscope T340B-LED (well, that is what it was supposed to be. Came without a brand name on it Shocked ). I suppose I need to look at some better objectives and eyepieces?? This was done with a 4X objective and a 10X eyepiece.
Or, since things look sharp through the eyepieces, do I need to make some kind of change in the afocal system? (Sony a77 with Sigma 50mm EX macro lens.)

Amscope is not a maker, they just sell generic chinese microscopes. You can see the same models under different brands. Not so surprising that they forgot to put a sticker on it.

The human vision is much superior and so more forgiving than the camera, this can explain your issue to some extent. You're working with entry level optics so you can expect some defects in special at the image periphery. If you continue with photomicrography you can lately upgrade optics, but be aware: this is an endless route. I began some years ago with chinese microscopes, then I upgraded some objectives... and now I have a big collection of optics and four microscope stands...

Is the front lens of your camera lens very close to the eyepiece surface?
Is it well leveled and centered?

If you post a picture of a "typical" microscope subject like a histological slide in bright field, it will be easier to spot the defects you're talking about. Likely the problem is mainly due to the microscope optics more than to the camera adaptation.