Vintage Zeiss Primer?

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Mon Dec 28, 2015 3:27 pm

Zernike was the inventor of phase contrast and Nomarski the inventor of Differencial Interference Contrast (DIC). Both worked with Zeiss to produce the first commercial models.
Check the Wiki.

Their names were sometimes used to refer to that systems, and sometimes avoided, maybe to avoid paying for the patents.

Zeiss named their 160 models Inko from Interferenz Kontrast, Leitz ICT, Olympus NIC...The wording DIC is more common in modern systems.

There are also variants of that systems sometimes named after their inventors. The names of Zernike and Nomarski are sometimes used to refer to the original desing and differenciate them from the variants.

Protos · Post by **Protos** » Tue May 23, 2017 5:57 am

Do you see Nomarski in this picture ?

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Tue May 23, 2017 7:36 am

No, the condenser is only for Phase Contrast and the intermediate piece is very likely an Optovar (magnification changer). The only part that seems DIC related is the polarizer at the filter holder under the condenser

Protos · Post by **Protos** » Tue May 23, 2017 7:57 am

Thank you Pau,
I did not see the DIC sliders and was not sure about the rest. You, hereby, confirmed my opinion.

75RR · Post by **75RR** » Thu May 25, 2017 12:22 pm

Here is a link to some leaflets/brochures on the 4 different types of DIC for the Zeiss 160 tube microscopes.

http://www.microbehunter.com/microscopy ... 766#p11766

Protos · Post by **Protos** » Tue Jun 06, 2017 8:52 am

I bought it

as you wrote the intermediary system is an optovar with a PH option
The condenser is strange: there is no contrat PH filter,
Not sure if there are any Wollaston prism as well.
Nice trino head btw.

75RR · Post by **75RR** » Tue Jun 06, 2017 9:29 am

Congratulations!

The condenser is strange: there is no contrat PH filter

There should be a phase annulus at position I, II and III.
Correct position is viewed from the right side of the condenser where they line up with a vertical mark.
Have you rotated it through all the positions? It is sometimes easier to view from underneath.

http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/art ... denser.pdf

Not sure if there are any Wollaston prism as well.

That is not the right type of condenser for that. See image of 3rd condenser in Fig. 1 in the pdf

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Tue Jun 06, 2017 9:33 am

Protos wrote:The condenser is strange: there is no contrat PH filter,
Not sure if there are any Wollaston prism as well.

Do you refer to the phase rings at the condenser? If they aren't present someone has removed them. AFAIK Zeiss never manufactured this kind of flip top condenser for DIC

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Tue Jun 06, 2017 11:48 am

KurtM wrote:I have often heard the names Zernicke and Nomarski associated with DIC, and I think phase contrast too? Could one of you could give a brief explanation of what/who they are and/or what it means to us, or point me somewhere for same?

Try https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phase-contrast_microscopy and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Different ... microscopy .

--Rik