Search found 187 matches

by Peter M. Macdonald
Thu Oct 12, 2023 5:14 am
Forum: Equipment Discussions
Topic: A decent x/y sliding table from Amscope (GT100)
Replies: 5
Views: 1667

Re: A decent x/y sliding table from Amscope (GT100)

I have had one of these for at least a decade. It sits on the base of my Wild Photomacroscope. It is heavy enough that it does not need anything to keep it in place when in use. Like Steve, I have removed the metal ring from the base. Its operation is as smooth now as when I purchased it for my wife...
by Peter M. Macdonald
Tue Jan 17, 2023 3:22 am
Forum: Beginners Micro
Topic: Leitz Orthoplan - bringing it back to life
Replies: 18
Views: 4155

Re: Leitz Orthoplan - bringing it back to life

The image below is an extract from a book which Leitz produced at the time when they made the Orthoplan, entitled Image-forming and Illuminating Systems of the Microscope. At page 37 it deals with cleaning. You will see that it states that xylene should be used as the cleaning fluid. Although I cann...
by Peter M. Macdonald
Sat Oct 29, 2022 2:23 am
Forum: Technical and Studio Photography -- Macro and Close-up
Topic: light or dark BG
Replies: 16
Views: 1532

Re: light or dark BG

Hi ADi,

Here is the version which I was talking about. Rather than a compromise, I was trying to get the best of both worlds. The background is not so pretty as the pure black of the DF, but that is not really the point of a tick illustration.

Tick.jpg
by Peter M. Macdonald
Fri Oct 28, 2022 6:42 am
Forum: Technical and Studio Photography -- Macro and Close-up
Topic: light or dark BG
Replies: 16
Views: 1532

Re: light or dark BG

If you take the two images into Photoshop and layer them together with the DF image as the top layer, it is possible to play around with the blend mode and the opacity of the top layer. I found that Pin Light at 66% gives a fairly good compromise between the pseudo 3D look of the DF image and the ex...
by Peter M. Macdonald
Thu Aug 25, 2022 1:34 am
Forum: Equipment Discussions
Topic: knobs for 2 mm square shaft
Replies: 12
Views: 1825

Re: knobs for 2 mm square shaft

Buy or make a 2mm short square piece of metal rod. Should be fairly easy to file down a small bolt, either by hand or with a rotary tool. Then hammer this into the centre of a small wooden knob. Pull out the rod, then stick the knob onto the shafts. May not have the beauty of knurled brass, but ough...
by Peter M. Macdonald
Sun Nov 21, 2021 3:50 am
Forum: Equipment Discussions
Topic: Canon 5d mkII to Orthoplan?!
Replies: 11
Views: 1570

Re: Canon 5d mkII to Orthoplan?!

You do not need to perform any surgery to get the KAVAR working perfectly with a Canon camera. I have been using an un-modified KAVAR for years with my Orthoplan and a variety of Canon cameras. The version which I have came with a Leica adaptor to enable it to interface with a Leica 35 mm camera. Th...
by Peter M. Macdonald
Sun Jul 04, 2021 11:00 am
Forum: Technical and Studio Photography -- Macro and Close-up
Topic: ID Please? Tiny herb/weed flower
Replies: 3
Views: 737

Re: ID Please? Tiny herb/weed flower

These look like the open remains of seedpods, with small seeds in them. The leaves looks as though they may belong to the genus Gallium . but identification by leaves is always difficult. They are not our most common member of the genus, Gallium aparine or Cleavers or Goose Grass or Sticky Willie de...
by Peter M. Macdonald
Tue Oct 27, 2020 12:44 pm
Forum: Photography Through the Microscope
Topic: Porcupine quill
Replies: 8
Views: 2600

Re: Porcupine quill

My wife and I visited a small zoo on the Spanish island of Menorca some years ago. They had a pair of porcupine. In their enclosure were quite a few loose quills. Sadly, there was no keeper about, or I would have asked him for a few. It seems that a porcupine quite regularly sheds quills, without an...
by Peter M. Macdonald
Fri Aug 07, 2020 11:31 am
Forum: Macro and Micro Technique and Technical Discussions
Topic: Macro Product Photo Help Needed
Replies: 11
Views: 4519

Re: Macro Product Photo Help Needed

I will let others give advice on how to get more light onto the background and thereby increase the contrast level between subject and background. However, if the image in your post is typical, it should be possible to cut that from the background fairly easily. For years I have used Topaz Remask fo...
by Peter M. Macdonald
Sun Jul 12, 2020 3:59 am
Forum: Equipment Discussions
Topic: Godox 150W Video LED Light
Replies: 8
Views: 6897

Re: Godox 150W Video LED Light

I looked at the video which was linked in Mike's most recent post. Youtube took me down the rabbit hole to a more recent video by the same equipment reviewer. It seems that Godox have a new 150W LED video light, the UL150. This is silent. The video claims that it is cooled entirely passively. This w...
by Peter M. Macdonald
Tue Jun 09, 2020 12:25 pm
Forum: Equipment Discussions
Topic: Compact motorized vertical stage?
Replies: 5
Views: 2047

Not a Z stage, but what about attaching a WeMacro Micro Mate to the focus mechanism of the stereo?
by Peter M. Macdonald
Wed May 13, 2020 3:25 am
Forum: Macro and Micro Technique and Technical Discussions
Topic: Problems with rendering details
Replies: 14
Views: 5465

Looking at some areas of your pictures, the lighting is still a little on the harsh side. I appreciate that this may be a symptom of your problem, rather than a cause, but it may be worth exploring. Try to diffuse the lighting even more than has already been done. You can always put a little more co...
by Peter M. Macdonald
Thu Mar 26, 2020 6:00 am
Forum: Macro and Micro Technique and Technical Discussions
Topic: Zerene Stacker now has dust & hot-pixel removal
Replies: 52
Views: 24390

Yet another great addition to the tools which you have already put at our disposal. Well done and thank you Rik. I am aware that Canon has a dust delete feature in many of its cameras. You take an out of focus image, at a large aperture, of something fairly bright, such as a blank area of sky, and t...
by Peter M. Macdonald
Wed Jan 22, 2020 4:16 am
Forum: Equipment Discussions
Topic: Raynox 5320
Replies: 35
Views: 9340

Flocking materials are available in the UK from some of the specialised dealers in astronomical telescopes. This one seems to get good reviews on some on the astronomy for a - https://www.firstlightoptics.com/telescope-flocking-material/black-velour-telescope-flocking-material.html . The usual cavea...
by Peter M. Macdonald
Sat Nov 09, 2019 5:24 am
Forum: Technical and Studio Photography -- Macro and Close-up
Topic: Snail on black plastic sheet
Replies: 5
Views: 3432

Helix aspera? for your snail? Common European garden creature.