The threads are thin just like on the original Mitutoyo case, but at least the cap is thicker so holds on better

I can report that the e-bay cases work just fine for my 10x miti

I have the same Hejnar clamp - works exactly as expect, clamps nice and firm to an Arca plate. Yes, its a bit pricy ($75) as compared to random imported stuff, but well worth it. They are also very friendly and will answer questions and custom machine parts as needed.

I was wondering how many flashes I could expect to get from Canon MT 24ex - does any one have any experience with any failures of this twin flash? Mine seems to be working OK, its seen maybe 20,000 flashes at from 1:1 to 1:32 power

Leonard - I should have mentioned the other minerals present, the golden yellow is whitlockite while the greyish-blue is poorly crystallized mitridatite (image below) - all are Ca-Fe-phosphates found at the Tip Top Mine in South Dakota

Canon MP-65 @ 5X, diffused flash, Canon EOS 50D, ZS-DMap, minor PS

Very nicely done! But, I don't see any marcasite. As a mineral, marcasite (iron sulfide) is notoriously unstable and prone to deep oxidation and degradation, not really suitable for wearable jewelry. How did these come about being labeled marcasite?

I use my MT 24 EX off camera and off-lens, but the $%*&@! power cables from the control unit are too short and too stiff - does anyone have experience with replacing the cables, or cutting them and adding in extension cables?

I usually keep an eye on the frame number, and manually reset in one of the camera's menus. I believe that PS also has a batch process utility that includes a rename option.

Al Kidwell was a well known exploration geologist and mineral collector active primarily in the south central US. I interacted with him briefly some decades ago. He discovered his namesake mineral, a sodium iron phosphate, at various phosphate mines and localities in Arkansas, this one is from Shady...

I would have been all over this, 6 months ago. C'est la vie!

Lothman - awesome , just what I was looking for - it will be no problem to either tap a hole or countersink a 1/4" hole to insert a screw. My favorite store, Amazon, has them also.

This spinel exhibits rhombic dodecahedral crystal faces with very small octahedral modifications at the corners. Spinel is almost always forms octahedrons or rarely cubes, well developed spinel dodecahedrons are extremely rare in nature (although very common amongst the garnets). Associated with and...

Thanks for the suggestions on using bar clamps - they could work if only the ID was 64mm or larger, which is what the 58mm tubes require. I've been searching everywhere for reasonably priced clamps that meet both the ID requirement and are capable of accepting a 1/4-20 centered (not off-set) screw. ...

The Jahnsite mineral group is a complex series of calcium-manganese-magnesium phosphates in which sodium and iron, amongst other transition metals, can be substituted in the Ca, Mn and Mg atom positions. These crystals are a mixture of Ca, Mn, Mg and Na, Fe, Mg dominant compositions, found on the sa...