Attaching a Full-Frame DSLR to a Microscope

[zzffnn]

I should clarify that what I meant by "good darkfield" is all the way to 100x objective. That requires a bit more light than say 40x objective darkfield. AO Spencer recommended 4000-5000 lumen at the old times, for cameras at the time (granted, cameras are more light sensitive now). That is about 40w LED or 100w halogen running at max.

There is still lots of fun to be had at 1000 lumen, though at 4000 lumen, you are not limited by much anymore.

If you do DF+pol, darkfield video, teaching head/50%-50% beam splitter (instead of 20% visual - 80% camera), green filtration, or combination thereof, then you would want to get close to that 4000 lumen output. For low power darkfield at 40x objective or less, 1000 lumen may be OK. Give it a try, each microscope system is different.

I am using a 40w custom LED (with around 4000 lumen of output) and there were times when I ran it at maximum power. When I videotaped a transparent ciliate at 70x objective, for example, I had to use my condenser light at extreme oblique angle to enhance contrast and balance resolution. That was when I used my light at full 4000 lumen. Now my Leitz Heine condenser (in COL mode) is slightly more light efficient at getting the same contrast and resolution, but I still appreciate that 4000 lumen output, when I do high magnification darkfield or oblique + green filtration or pol. It is always better to have more light, than just having enough.

It is worth noted that most LED has very little percentage of green output, so a high total output helps there.

DIC or phase does not require as much light as high magnification darkfield.

[F4]

did you mean an LED torch (for continuous illumination) or a camera flash (for flash photography)?

To be precise, I meant to ask "can either a speedlight flash or continuous illumination LED torch be placed up to the opening hole instead of using the little bulb the microscope comes with?"*

Canon 5D II and 6D so yes EFCS.

Yet you have a Nikon mount on the end of the photo-tube, this must mean you have a Canon-to-Nikon adaption ring on your Canon DSLR, correct? why is this? (just curious)

I have this tube from Ebay;

OK, so, it looks like the FIRST thing that goes on the trinocular port of the Optiphot is the CF PL 2.5x, then a tube goes on top of that, then finally the DSLR mounting ring. Is your tube glued around the CF PL or does it just rest upon the top of the trinocular? Is your F-Mount camera mounting ring glued to the tube?

[JH]

OK, so, it looks like the FIRST thing that goes on the trinocular port of the Optiphot is the CF PL 2.5x, then a tube goes on top of that, then finally the DSLR mounting ring. Is your tube glued around the CF PL or does it just rest upon the top of the trinocular? Is your F-Mount camera mounting ring glued to the tube?

HI
Hope this pictures explains it. Everything is changable so if you for some reasons want to have a CF PL 4x, or a Canon EOS and adapter it is just a 30-sec operation. It is also easy to rotate the empty tube/camera if you want to adjust the picture.

Regards Jörgen

[Ichthyophthirius]

Yet you have a Nikon mount on the end of the photo-tube, this must mean you have a Canon-to-Nikon adaption ring on your Canon DSLR, correct? why is this? (just curious)

Hi,

You need to have the correct distance between sensor and projective. Canon EF and Nikon F are off by 2.50 mm (44.00 vs. 46.50), so you need a simple adapter to make up that distance: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flange_focal_distance

Good luck, Ichty

[F4]

thanks everyone

Looks like the Nikon D810 has electronic front curtain shutter http://nps.nikonimaging.com/technical_s ... nic_front/

will report back with any other questions and progress!

[F4]

Does anyone here know what exactly the "Optiphot F" microscope is and how it differs from the Optiphot and Optiphot 2?

[Ichthyophthirius]

Hi,

I don't know for sure. However, I suspect that the seller just saw the "F" written on the trinocular head. Have you asked him/her?

The "F" marks the fluorescence trinocular head. It as a mechanism by which you turn the head to the left which removes the beamsplitter from the photoport lightpath. 100 % of the light then goes to the camera (100:0, 0:100 split, so no observation and photography at the same time). It's shown here: http://www.prc68.com/I/Labophot.html#Trinocular_type-F

This is useful for fluorescence. All the light goes to the camera. At the same time, no ambient light can enter through the binocular eyepieces (that can be a problem for other trnocular heads!).

Regards, Ichty

[F4]

Okay, I've obtained a Nikon Optiphot! I've briefly tested it and wow, this thing is awesome.

It came with a vertical epi illuminator and transformer for the epi illuminator. There is a sticker on the ocular/trinocular piece that says "F"

I am still stuck, however, with this:

I have the 2.5x CF PL 2.5x projective, however I now need a tube that fits onto the trinocular port that is the right length, with an F-Mount ring on the other side, similar to what others have posted images of in this thread.

The only thing I've found for sale is this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-Microscop ... 2870588096? however it says it is for APS-C sensor (not full frame, which is what I want).

Does anyone know where I can obtain such a tube that will fit?

Thanks in advance for any help

[Ichthyophthirius]

Hi,

There is a plethora of different Nikon trinocular designs http://www.prc68.com/I/Labophot.html#Trinocular_type-F Could you please post a photo so we can work out what is missing?

If you mount the trinocular to the microscope you should be able to locate the intermediate image plane by projecting onto a sheet of paper.

This is also of interest to me as I have an incomplete "F" trinocular as well. The Ebay part looks interesting. You'd have to ask the seller where you'd mount the CF PL 2.5x. The description is not very good; either this has an internal optic or there is no optic at all. If you were to conduct a test, I'd be interested in the results.

Regards, Ichty

[ChrisR]

I now need a tube that fits onto the trinocular port that is the right length, with an F-Mount ring on the other side, similar to what others have posted images of in this thread.

I have a memory (which may be faulty) that the Pentacon/Ihagee microscope adapter/tubes fit in there.
Does anyone know what I think I'm talking about?



Edit - found it:
http://photomacrography.net/forum/viewt ... 624#171624

The better thing to start from the camera is a Pentacon microscope adapter, which looks the "same family". Same tube threads, but a M42 at the top . You could add a helicoid if you wanted.

[F4]

Ichthyophthirius, my trinocular with projective resting inside of it looks just like the one ChrisR just posted: http://photomacrography.net/forum/viewt ... 624#171624

[billjanes1]

Can I purchase a 'repro' stand or will I have to make it myself? Perhaps I may just get a camera that has the electronic first curtain shutter - do you know of any models offhand that use F-Mount lenses that have that feature any chance?

The Nikon D810 was the first Nikon dSLR to have EFCS. My D800e lacks it and I am awaiting release of the D810 successor, which should be coming out soon.

Bill

[F4]

The following adapter can be used to insert a Nikon projective into it and it has an F-Mount ring at the top, however, as you can see in the picture, there is a long silver screw that screws into a circular clamp, both the screw and the clamp screw-holes protrudes outward, making it impossible for the adapter to rest/mount/attach to the top of the Optiphot trinocular head without holding it into place - it will rest ontop of the trinocular hole, although it is slightly off-center and like I said, does not firmly attach; you need to hold it in place otherwise it will fall. It works, but it is far from the ideal solution. I am back to square one of finding an adapter. Perhaps I will just get the Variscope one I posted earlier, or find a way to modify the one I have- here are two images of it:




Sawing or filing off the clamp screw holes near the bottom of it where the projective sticks out may enable me to have it rest atop the rim of the trinocular, then I would need another outer tube to sort of make the adapter firmly attached to the trinocular tube. Taking the long silver screw out of the clamp makes it so the projective is slightly loose and rotatable inside the adapter, however I don't currently see this as being a big deal

[Ichthyophthirius]

Hi,

In this case you only need a mechanical adapter that places the sensor 150 mm or so above the CF PL projective. Jörgen posted some pictures of what the Nikon original looks like (see also previous page).

You could either make a custom adapter that fits into the Nikon chimney or get some kind of clamp adapter that fits over the Nikon chimney and connects to something like T2 or M42, so you can attach a helicoid, as Chris suggested.

Some kind of clamp adapter but I don't know which one. Something along these lines:

http://srb-photographic.co.uk/fuji-x-pr ... 9567-p.asp

http://www.ebay.com/itm/391435057828

The Nikon chimney is conical, not cylindrical, which complicates things if you want to use a clamp on the outside.

Regards, Ichty

[rockycarter]

F4. The Nikon adapter you have is for s series microscopes. The adapter you have goes over your eye pieces. The F on your adapter is letting you know. It is a F mount for a Nikon camera.