Other users' time could certainly be of more benefit elsewhere than with my questions, I see that. This is not a good way to think about this. The questions you're asking about lens design are interesting but I believe they fall pretty solidly outside the normal realm of photomacro knowledge. I per...

A used mitutoyo 20x would be towards the top of your budget but also probably the best option, if you're willing to test and possibly return any copy you get in case it's damaged. Secondary options would be elwd versions of any of the nikon or olympus metallurgical lines, or one of the better mituto...

What camera sensor size do you need to cover?

I'm curious too. I recently got a motic 20x that I need to test against my mitutoyo. I will say my mitutoyo has never struck me as particularly mediocre though. Still, I think the 50x/0.65 has my greatest attention. Halfway between a normal 50x and a 50x HR while maintaining good working distance. I...

Thanks, I made this. I would say the newer copy is on the same level as the Mitutoyo and clearly better than the older one. I brightened the Mitutoyo a little to not penalise the "Mitutoyo alternative". Are they really brandless? https://i.imgur.com/d4RkbGa.gif Nice! For on-microscope usage aps-c i...

Thanks, that's really interesting--too bad but good to know. I'll admit I've wondered if the 10x might be easier to copy. The motic and seiwa and even the badly delaminated usmc 10x objectives I have tried were all surprisingly good performers. Any chance you could possibly show an aps-c corner? It'...

Any time you see an objective specify a focal length like that it means they're infinity corrected (not counting antique objectives that list their effective focal length instead of magnification). The seiwa objectices are pretty good, though don't have the same coverage as a mitutoyo. There isn't a...

I should probably let someone who is more qualified answer--my only real education in optics was a two week internship in high school. I'll have another stab but I may not be entirely right here. On the microscope you have two metal-bladed iris diaphragms which are mechanically the same and only act...

As a maybe dumb model, to sharply cut off the field of view you'd need the iris to be in a plane of sharp focus. Where the iris sits it is, instead, so defocused that it fuzzes darkness evenly across the image instead. In microscopy you have two irises, the field iris which is in sharp focus and cut...

It depends. Some of the objectives have a big back element, but many don't--the mount is designed as a one size fits all solution after all, so if one objective needs the wide back element and they really want it in their lineup then every objective needs a big thread. Seiwa offers an rms version of...

Looks like a really nice setup! I am a big fan of the measurescope bases, they're hefty as all get out but have a nice fine focus mechanism--powerful enough to crush solid stones, but delicate enough to crush a butterfly.

You really made this pesky moth look rather beautiful. Nice work!

Your photos are always incredible, but that turtle came out so funny and expressive it looks like it should be a meme.

Yeah, that does ultimately seem like a much better solution for general photography. Not that many situations where a monochrome image would be what I'm after.

These x ray lenses sound intriguing to me. Anything that is corrected for thick cover glass could be a potential asset for looking at gem inclusions, though the monochromatic light would make it a bit more annoying. I would love to see more examples of them being used to spec, though I understand th...