Nikon , Olympus, Meiji, Swift Focus Blocks; & Setups

A forum to ask questions, post setups, and generally discuss anything having to do with photomacrography and photomicroscopy.

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NikonUser
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Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:03 am
Location: southern New Brunswick, Canada

Nikon , Olympus, Meiji, Swift Focus Blocks; & Setups

Post by NikonUser »

Image

This is the older version of this MFU. It's huge and weighs about 6 lbs. I have removed the base, that attaches it to a boom stand, and replaced it with a wood base to attach to my set-up. Just have to figure out how to mount the specimen on the large moveable top piece that is permanently fixed to the base.


A newer version currently available. Seems that they have improved the focus dials.
HERE

EDIT - 2 Feb 09
Rik wrote this
"Please avoid posting images in someone else's topic, unless that person has clearly indicated that followup images are welcome."
HERE
I welcome other images of focus blocks and/or images showing how they are used.


EDIT: 3 Nov 08 - title changed
Last edited by NikonUser on Sat Feb 21, 2009 7:54 am, edited 5 times in total.
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.

Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives

mgoodm3
Posts: 273
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:50 am
Location: Southern OR

Post by mgoodm3 »

I could use something like that (vertically oriented). I am using a micrometer stage at present, but that provides extremely fine movement - plus the coarse movement to get started.

Where are focus blocks found?

NikonUser
Posts: 2693
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:03 am
Location: southern New Brunswick, Canada

Post by NikonUser »

mgoodm3 wrote: Where are focus blocks found?
Click on "HERE" in my original post, and/or check on e-bay.
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.

Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives

mgoodm3
Posts: 273
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:50 am
Location: Southern OR

Post by mgoodm3 »

The statement of where to find them and a "here" button should have tipped me off. :lol:

Charles Krebs
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Joined: Tue Aug 01, 2006 8:02 pm
Location: Issaquah, WA USA
Contact:

Post by Charles Krebs »

NU,

This should be a great piece for your purposes.
how to mount the specimen on the large moveable top piece that is permanently fixed to the base
I have the similar Olympus piece and no first hand experience with the Nikon you show here, but I would be extremely surprised if that "top piece" is not removable. (But don't dig too deep if you think you might wind up looking for dozens of small ball-bearings on the floor :wink: )

NikonUser
Posts: 2693
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:03 am
Location: southern New Brunswick, Canada

Post by NikonUser »

The black top plate looks as though it will come off, 4 screws. The moving piece is attached to a conveyor belt in a window; you can just see the front end of this window. I don't think I will attempt any disassembly. Tried to fix a very smooth running fan once, and lost the 2 ball bearings that the shaft impinged upon.

On another note. Finally got hold of a 50/2.8 El-Nikkor (the older one, without the N). Has a female thread on the front that appears to be 40mm diam. I believe this lens has to mounted in reverse on my bellows (Nikon PB-6). Do you know if the diameter is 40mm or perhaps 39 or 41 mm?
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.

Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives

mgoodm3
Posts: 273
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:50 am
Location: Southern OR

Post by mgoodm3 »

39 mm male threading. You can get 39mm to f-mount adapters on Ebay if you want to mount one normally. Reversed you will need a 40.5 mm - 52 mm step-up ring.

NikonUser
Posts: 2693
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:03 am
Location: southern New Brunswick, Canada

Post by NikonUser »

Thanks, exactly what I need to know.
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.

Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives

mgoodm3
Posts: 273
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:50 am
Location: Southern OR

Post by mgoodm3 »

I haven't gotten the 39 --> fmount adapter in the mail yet (mailed from china :shock: ), but I hope it will work fine. Should get it soon.

augusthouse
Posts: 1195
Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2006 1:39 am
Location: New South Wales Australia

Post by augusthouse »

In reference to lense aspect:

Another option is to use a Nikon BR2A. It has a Nikon bayonet fitting on one side which attaches to Nikon bellows or extension rings and a 52mm male thread on the other that will atttach to the filter thread of a reversed Micro Nikkor, for eg; or the female 52mm thread on a 40.5mm - 52mm step-up ring.

Google Image Search results for Nikon BR2A.
http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&q ... ages&gbv=2

To enclose and protect the end of a reversed Nikon lense, EL-Nikkor or Micro Nikkor I use a Nikon BR3. It allows you to attach filters... To use the BR3 with a reversed EL-Nikkor you will still need the 39mm to Nikon Mount adapter.

Google image search results for Nikon BR3:
http://images.google.com/images?gbv=2&h ... rch+Images

Craig

* edited 1 typo
Last edited by augusthouse on Thu Oct 23, 2008 12:18 am, edited 1 time in total.
To use a classic quote from 'Antz' - "I almost know exactly what I'm doing!"

mgoodm3
Posts: 273
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:50 am
Location: Southern OR

Post by mgoodm3 »

Got the M39 --> F-mount adapter today. Works fine for mounting an enlarger lens normally (providing it has 39 mm threads which is typical for all but the longest focal lengths). Got it from a chinese seller on Ebay $14.95 free shipping (took about 2 weeks).

augusthouse
Posts: 1195
Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2006 1:39 am
Location: New South Wales Australia

Post by augusthouse »

NU,

Just a thought.

Have you considered the advantages of using this particular focus block in a vertical configeration? It would require using the 24.5mm post mount attachment or the four bolt holes on the back side for mounting to a suitable base. The nosepiece mounting dovetail assembly could be utilised to support an appropriate stage.

I am working on a similar arrangement myself using an Olympus BHMJ focus block in a vertical configeration.

............................................

Getting back to the horizontal approach...How much useable 'thread' is there in the highlighted areas of the image below? It is hard to tell from the angle of the image; but there appears to be a thread in there to which a horizontal plate serving as a stage could be attached??

Image

There also appears to be a good area, indicated in the image below, for attaching a right-angle bracket to the "moveable piece", such as the Thorlabs AP90 or a Newport 360-90, just as an example. A suitable stage or platform could then be attached to the right-angle bracket.

http://www.lightglassoptics.com/Thorlab ... 4-546.html


Image


Craig
To use a classic quote from 'Antz' - "I almost know exactly what I'm doing!"

NikonUser
Posts: 2693
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:03 am
Location: southern New Brunswick, Canada

Post by NikonUser »

Craig, thanks for your interest.
For horizontal use:
I have rigged up a specimen holder for this block; not pretty, but stable as can be appreciated from the lower image of the chelicerae:
HERE
the distance between the two outside tips is exactly 0.40mm.
Problem now is the halos that HF puts around parts of specimens.

Those 2 front holes are 1/8" diameter and 3mm deep with an unknown thread. However the back vertical plate is 7cm high and has potential for adding a specimen holder.

For vertical use:
I certainly prefer working in a horizontal configuration but for temporary wet mounts I really need to work vertically so that the subject stays in the horizontal plane. The Pseudoscorpion was in a vertical plane; had to leave it overnight, before photographing, to allow it to slide down to the bottom of the slide and stabilize. Much better if I could photograph it flat.
Currently I am trying to modify an enlarger stand to use the set-up in a vertical alignment.

From what I have seen, the Olympus BHMJ block appears to be more adaptable than this Nikon block.
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.

Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives

augusthouse
Posts: 1195
Joined: Sat Sep 16, 2006 1:39 am
Location: New South Wales Australia

Post by augusthouse »

NU,
Just a quick shot of the BHMJ post mounted to xy translation stages for a vertical arrangement - no stage attached yet. I am still sketching a stage design.

Image

*added additional image

Image


Craig
To use a classic quote from 'Antz' - "I almost know exactly what I'm doing!"

mgoodm3
Posts: 273
Joined: Mon Sep 08, 2008 8:50 am
Location: Southern OR

Post by mgoodm3 »

Nice setup. I presently have a vertical stage mounted on a bench plate for focusing. I recently bought a Nikon modular focus stage and will have to get that mounted to something. I am thinking about using a very large bolt and nuts to mount it onto something (not sure what to mount it to yet).

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