Help on a setup for microphotography on a budget

[amml2000uk]

Hi Guys

I have been reading a lot on these forums the past couple of days and have been fascinated by the microphotography you've done. I must say that I am amazed and slightly overwhelmed by the complexity the microscope world. Myself I am a hobby photographer and a huge fan of DIY, especially electronics and robotics.

I have now decided to buy my own microscope. However, I am currently on a tight budget until I finish my studies. I'll most likely upgrade my equipment next year as I have come to realize that most of the equipment here that you guys use to get those amazing shots is way out of my budget at the moment.

I currently own a Nikon D90 with a couple of lenses and flashes. I am hoping to use this camera for microphotography.

My budget for the whole setup is max £400 atm. Here is what I was thinking about buying:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/40-1600x-Trinocul ... 483a3c5ad9

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Macro-Extension-B ... 5887670f31

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Kood-T2-Nikon-T-M ... 3ca41b8a3b

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/T-Mount-T2-Mount- ... 5ad8664de7

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this (maybe I'm going completely into the wrong direction?) and maybe some recommendations.

Adrian

Edit: I forgot to mention that I am mainly aiming to look at blood, amobee etc. (this kind of size subjects) at the moment.

[g4lab]

I would recommend buying a used microscope from a major brand rather than a new no name. This is a point that can be argued both ways.

If you do buy the no name scope make sure the seller will take it back if it isn't right. Actually that is good advice if you buy a used one too.

[Cactusdave]

Normally I would agree that a good second hand microscope, ideally not too old, from a well known maker is the best bet. However I think you may be a bit pushed on a £400 budget, especially if you want a trinocular head for photography. The Chinese microscope you link too has a good spec. and is probably a perfectly decent starter instrument to cut your teeth on, and good value for money at that price. If you find you get seriously interested and your finances improve, you should be prepared to start again from scratch though, and build up a second hand system based on one of the microscope majors. To pick up a secondhand Zeiss Standard 16 with brightfield condenser, three decent objectives and a trinocular head, as an example, you would need to be budgeting nearer £650-£850.

[amml2000uk]

Great, thanks for the info. I expected that I'll most likely have to start from scratch after I finish my degree. Im actually also going to upgrade my DSLR, but that wont likely make a big difference for microphotography.

I forgot to mention that I am mainly aiming to look at blood, amobee etc., this kind of size range. Would the mentioned microscope be good enough for such tasks? Or might smarter to build my own microscope by buying just one good lens etc.?

I was also wondering if all the other equipment that I listed will be enough to connect my camera to the microscope or if I'm still missing something.

Thanks a lot,
Adrian

[rjlittlefield]

I believe the objectives provided with that scope are basic achromats (low end -- the cheapest kind). They will have significant curvature of field, which will require focus stacking to get a sharp image across the whole field even with a flat subject such as a mounted slide.

You should look to see if the scope can be purchased with "plan" objectives instead. While you're at it, see if you can swap out the 100X and replace it with a 20X. That will replace the huge step of 10:40 with a much more practical range of 10:20:40. Besides, the 100X objective is oil-immersion. It's troublesome to use properly, and if you don't use it properly, you won't see any more than the 40X will show you.

Coupling the camera to the microscope is another place that can be troublesome. Check with the microscope vendor to see exactly what they are providing and how they intend it to be used. Do not buy a collection of parts without understanding exactly how they have to work together. See the posting HERE for more discussion.

--Rik

[Charles Krebs]

The bellows you linked to is for a Canon, and I would pass on that version anyway. The back standard is "fixed". With some of the lenses you may end up using, the working distance will be very short. It is really beneficial to have a bellows where you can move the back standard forward as well, so you can extends the front to a point where the lower rails do not interfere.

For a microscope, starting from the beginning as you are is a bit of a conundrum. A used "brand-name" scope is generally preferred by many who are knowledgeable and are patient... but when you are starting out it is hard to know what is a good used deal, and there is always the possibility that some "work" or additional parts will be needed to gets things running smoothly. The microscope you have shown looks like a pretty good choice. It appears to be a 160mm tube length "finite" optical system. This means that if you reach a point where you would like to get better quality objectives there will be a large selection of used pieces to choose from. (I have no idea about the quality of the optics it comes with). I'm not sure about the camera adapter you have shown. That adapter will fit a "standard" 23mm tube, but the picture of the microscope looks as if the trinocular tube may be different. The microscope seller states that he has T-mount adapter for the microscope in his store, but a quick look didn't reveal any. I would check with the seller to determine if the tube is a "standard" 23mm diameter, or if not, be sure he can provide one for you.

You will also need appropriate optics for the trinocular tube. This is generally a 1.5 to 2.5X projection style eyepiece. A regular eyepiece can also be used if you are willing to play around with various "spacings". The microscope/camera optical connection is often the trickiest part to do well, and sellers are generally pretty vague in their descriptions as to what is available. I would contact the seller and tell him you want to put a Nikon DSLR on the trinocular tube and see what he says in reply.

[amml2000uk]

Thanks a lot for all the answers.

Rik - Thanks, I looked up the link and read it with great interest. I wish there was a thread that indexes all those usefull posts for newbies. I have been browsing the forum for ages, but never came accross this post =)

Charles - Thanks for your reply, and I just have to say this: I absolutely love your photos!

After contacting the seller I decided to not buy the microscope for various reasons, one being that he doesn't seem to know anything about the microscope.

After reading a lot more up on the forum and your comments, I was thinking of just buying one lens and building my own setup around that lens.

I was thinking of either buying the

1. Leitz PLAN L50x/0.60 ~/0 Objective

or

2. Carl Zeiss Plan 40x, 0.65na Objective

I assume these lenses are much better than what I'd get with the chinese microscope and I hope to use them when I have the funds to buy a proper microscope. Would that be a wiser choice or do you guys think it's best to wait till my finances improve and just enjoy your amazing work until then? I am aiming to use the lens for microphotography of objects in the 10-100 um range.

EDIT: Realized that the Leitz is an infinite and according to what I've read I should get a finite objective. Thus I guess only the Carl Zeiss plan would be an option or I could try to use the Leitz with together with a Nikon camera lens.

Adrian

[amml2000uk]

After more reading I decided to wait until I have the funds available to invest into a "real" microscope.

Thanks for all the help!

Adrian

[Choronzon]

After more reading I decided to wait until I have the funds available to invest into a "real" microscope.

Thanks for all the help!

Adrian

Stick with one of the big 4, Leitz, Nikon, Olympus, or Zeiss, and you won't go wrong. You can always cash out on ebay, or find upgrades, and the quality will never be an issue.