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.

Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau

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

My unnecessarily complex horizontal set-up

Post by NikonUser »

A: lamp for focusing, in use much closer to specimen.
B: Flash support; combination of odds & ends of rails and clamps from RRS and Henjar; slides on a RRS long rail.
C: RRS flash holder
D: Nikon flash
E: forgot E
F: Nikon camera, PB-6 bellows, reversed 50mm El Nikkor
G: Nikon focus block; 1µ interval model
H: Specimen holder, with coarse vertical adjustment and ball & socket joint and rotator below base
I: Butchered Olympus scope, allows for very accurate up-down, left-right, forward-backward positioning of specimen.

In use the specimen is enclosed in a bottomless styrofoam coffee cup.

Typical image, fly head.

I also have a vertical set-up, far less complex and works equally well.

Image
Image
NU12031 NU12032
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

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

Post by NikonUser »

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

ray_parkhurst
Posts: 3413
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:40 am
Location: Santa Clara, CA, USA
Contact:

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

Post by ray_parkhurst »

I see this sticky thread has had no replies since 2012, but since I just finished a focus-block-based vertical system, I thought I'd add to it. I did a writeup on the Equipment Forum, and you can read the details here:

viewtopic.php?f=25&t=44877

I build most of my setups for coins, but I also shoot photos of Phonograph Styli at 20/40/50x, and having this setup eliminates the need to convert my coin system when I need to shoot styli. The new setup is also quite a bit more rigid than the old one, and since it moves the stage rather than the camera/bellows/lens, the settling time is much faster.

Of course, this setup could be used at lower power, and indeed I tested it at 2x with the 95PN, and at ~0.7x with the 85MV, and it has sufficient adjustment range for both. I am planning to install a Nikon XY stage, with understage lighting (pointing down), to use the extra distance for full-coin photos. I'll update the thread when I get that completed.

Here is the setup as it is today:
-
High Power Setup_2_1.JPG

rjlittlefield
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Re: Nikon , Olympus, Meiji, Swift Focus Blocks; & Setups

Post by rjlittlefield »

Ray, I've also added your setup to (current) bottom of my annotated list in the FAQ, HERE.

ray_parkhurst
Posts: 3413
Joined: Sat Nov 20, 2010 10:40 am
Location: Santa Clara, CA, USA
Contact:

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

Post by ray_parkhurst »

rjlittlefield wrote:
Tue May 03, 2022 5:29 pm
Ray, I've also added your setup to (current) bottom of my annotated list in the FAQ, HERE.
Thank you Rik! I'm waiting for the Nikon XY. Should be interesting to see how I can add sub-stage down-lighting and how well it will work.

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Adalbert
Posts: 2427
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:09 pm

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

Post by Adalbert »

Hi,
Olympus CH with belt and shaft coupling:
viewtopic.php?p=279015#p279015
Best, ADi

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

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

Post by NikonUser »

Final iteration

After going through several different setups I have finally settled on this one. It has been in use for several years and has worked flawlessly.
This setup is stable for up to 60x M Plan Nikon objective, any slight misalignment of frames is easily corrected by Zerene Stacker.

The design is based upon two surplus (i.e., broken) parts:
1] stand from a bench top drill; K, M, N. Two wood blocks connect the stand to a wooden board (L). A long Arca Swiss rail (C) is bolted to these blocks.
A Nikon bellows (B) is connected to the board
In use I place heavy weights on the drill table (K) and on the base (N)
2] microscope base (I); an Olympus BH2/BHS with its 'neck' sawn off!
This base allows for X and Y adjustment of the subject, and also rotation if needed.
The vertical (Z) movement is by the large wheel (J). One large 'wedge' = 20 microns, smallest divisions are 2 microns and I can get 1 micron movement.

A television for live view
D Nikon digital camera (D), remotely controls the 4 flash units (G); (the remote shutter release is on the table between 2 flashes)
E initial focusing lamp
F lens
H diffuser
macro setup 1024 Label.jpg
CROP 2.jpg
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

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

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

Post by NikonUser »

*
Perhaps the most complete Studio Macro Rig posted on PMG from Richard A. Nelridge LINK

See also HERE
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

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

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

Post by NikonUser »

A simpler, better, 'micron-control' see:
LINK
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

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