How about posting out a resized version of the full frame, so that we can see what "large image dot in a sea of black" really means?

--Rik

Cyclops, it's a lot of words, I know, I'm sorry. Sometimes that happens when I try to be careful and precise. Try picking it apart a few words at a time. "...means nothing really..." I think it means something very important: how small detail you can see. Most microscopes these days will show you an...

Charlie, thanks for rechecking -- those are pretty big scales anyway, but I'm glad to know I wasn't that far off. <insert wiping-brow emoticon>

They're still lovely images. I can probably look at these things forever and never get tired of them.

--Rik

I don't think your question has a simple answer. It might be "yes", "no", or "maybe", depending on exactly what you mean. So let's talk about what that phrase "40x" really means. On your scope, "40x" means that the optics change the angles of the light so that a subject spans a 40 times larger angle...

Ah yes, the "good old days" of film, when one did elaborate calculations to figure out what should work best, bracket around that to cover the likelihood that the calculation was not correct or not appropriate, and wait from hours to days to discover which setting in the bracket really did work best...

Adding recent information to this thread... Charlie mentioned above having one good experience with a "Nikon CFN Plan 10x". After further discussions offline, I purchased one of those lenses through eBay, $100 for a Nikon CF N Plan Achro 10X NA 0.30, 160/0.17. It is superb. No visible CA even on clo...

My Oly 20 f/2 cost $480. I think that was a Buy-It-Now price. But given what you already have, I'd recommend moving on to microscope objectives in any case. ...test out a bunch of cheapo microscope objectives as well so I'll be trawling ebay for the next few months... Keep an eye out for one of thos...

Does anybody use them at this time of year?

Kayaking in the snow can be lots of fun, but, um, you do have to be properly dressed for it.

--Rik

I too do not subscribe to the global warming concept. OK, I'm biting my tongue on this one because I have strong opinions in the opposite direction. But this photographic forum is not the place to debate such matters. Along with religion, politics, and pretty much everything else contentious and no...

http://www.janrik.net/MiscSubj/2008/CZvsHF20080301/CZvsHF20080301_cropActPix.jpg This is an actual-pixels crop of two of the methods shown in overview of last evening's post. No retouching or sharpening of any sort. Looking more closely this morning, I see that I was mistaken about "same amount of ...

http://www.janrik.net/MiscSubj/2008/WoodCells20080225/08-03-02_002529_MA_R8_S4.jpg After several confusing conversations on the subject of wood grain -- a couple of them with myself! -- I realized I needed to provide some more information to better explain the high magnification pictures that start...

I often use a white index card (note card) as a quick-and-dirty substitute for an official photo gray card. But that's only after quite a bit of testing to know that it works OK for the brand of index cards that I buy. The issue is that "white" papers are surprisingly variable in what they actually ...

Lovely photos!

Are the kayaks yours, or just a spot of color at the local rental shop?

--Rik

Interesting what people see in these things. To my eye, CZM clearly wins on this sample. The reason is that it produces a lot less halo while preserving the same amount of detail. Of course I have access to all the pixels, while you don't. I'll post out more info tomorrow. It's bedtime now. --Rik

http://www.janrik.net/MiscSubj/2008/CarpetBeetle20080301/08-03-01_212159_MA_R8_S4_crop90.jpg http://www.janrik.net/MiscSubj/2008/CarpetBeetle20080301/08-03-01_212159_MA_R8_S4_full.jpg Very much like the one here , but slightly smaller and darker. I have no idea whether it's the same species. I'm al...