Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

A forum to ask questions, post setups, and generally discuss anything having to do with photomacrography and photomicroscopy.

Moderators: rjlittlefield, ChrisR, Chris S., Pau

MaxRockbin
Posts: 188
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:12 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by MaxRockbin »

Can you attach a microscope objective more or less directly to a smartphone camera?

I've googled and searched the forums and haven't found anyone who has even tried this.
I understand intermediate optics will be required, but hopefully not a whole microscope with eyepiece etc.

You would probably also need some 3rd party camera software to keep the thing from thinking the lens is blocked or otherwise not working properly.
(e.g. Google and Apple combine wide angle and telephoto to enhance the final image).

It seems like it might make for a nice portable setup.
If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough. - Robert Capa

blekenbleu
Posts: 146
Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 5:37 pm
Location: U.S.
Contact:

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by blekenbleu »

MaxRockbin wrote:
Thu Oct 06, 2022 1:34 pm
You would probably also need some 3rd party camera software to keep the thing from thinking the lens is blocked or otherwise not working properly.
No, smartphones can work fine with eyepieces, so should also work with infinity objectives.
Metaphot, Optiphot 1, 66; AO 10, 120, and EPIStar 2571
https://blekenbleu.github.io/microscope

MaxRockbin
Posts: 188
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:12 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by MaxRockbin »

I did try an infinity objective - just in front of the phone camera lens and at a small distance without any joy.

Also, for some phones, there's a convenient way to mount the objectives.
Moment - a phone accessory company - sells cases with a kind of bayonet mount and have a threaded adapter for filters that can be used to mount any threaded optics.
If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough. - Robert Capa

blekenbleu
Posts: 146
Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 5:37 pm
Location: U.S.
Contact:

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by blekenbleu »

MaxRockbin wrote:
Fri Oct 07, 2022 8:47 am
I did try an infinity objective - just in front of the phone camera lens and at a small distance without any joy.
Practically, given working distance and depth of focus,
even 5x objective hand-held could be problematic;

I just used a Meiji S.Plan M 10x /0.25 infinity objective with 2016 iPhone SE hand-held to view LCD display pixels.
It was doable, but not fun.
You would want ELWD and plenty of light to view opaque objects.

Many generic smartphone adapters for microscope or telescopes have eyepiece clamps,
some of which close down enough to grip objectives.
Controlling distance between objective and smartphone may want e.g. a so-called parfocal extender,
e.g. https://www.ebay.com/itm/393780191678
Metaphot, Optiphot 1, 66; AO 10, 120, and EPIStar 2571
https://blekenbleu.github.io/microscope

Pau
Site Admin
Posts: 6053
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:57 am
Location: Valencia, Spain

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by Pau »

One problem with the discussed setup concept is the short focal length of most phone cameras that fit in the wide angle range and so they will deliver a black frame with a small illuminated circle (and this also could produce exposure and focus issues).
An infinite corrected objective would need a tele lens, about 200mm "equivalent" to fill the sensor with the objective delivered image
Pau

blekenbleu
Posts: 146
Joined: Sat May 10, 2008 5:37 pm
Location: U.S.
Contact:

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by blekenbleu »

Pau wrote:
Fri Oct 07, 2022 11:53 am
exposure and focus issues
Absolutely, the objective image circle needed touching to avoid blown out LCD pixel exposure.
Metaphot, Optiphot 1, 66; AO 10, 120, and EPIStar 2571
https://blekenbleu.github.io/microscope

Scarodactyl
Posts: 1617
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2018 10:26 am

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by Scarodactyl »

I wonder how hard it would be to add another lens to resize be image as in a microscope mag changer to get the image better sized for the sensor.

soldevilla
Posts: 684
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:49 pm
Location: Barcelona, more or less

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by soldevilla »

In none of my tests have I ever achieved an acceptable result. Attaching any lens demands near-parallel beam input, and that with the phones wide-angle lens is impossible without getting a lot of vignetting. Perhaps one day there will be phones with non-digital zoom, this may change.

Lou Jost
Posts: 5947
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2015 7:03 am
Location: Ecuador
Contact:

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by Lou Jost »

Biologists in the field sometimes use a simple glass bead as an objective in front of a Smartphone. Not great but if you are using a smartphone maybe yu are prioritizing portability over image perfection. The bead is part of the "Foldscope" ; results available here
https://foldscope.com/pages/galleries

Decent results for some purposes, at a ridiculously low price.

Chris S.
Site Admin
Posts: 4042
Joined: Sun Apr 05, 2009 9:55 pm
Location: Ohio, USA

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by Chris S. »

Just now I tried shooting my (ancient) iPhone 6s+ through a 10x Bausch & Lomb Hastings triplet. While results are far from perfect (strong pincushion distortion, curvature of field, etc.), they could be usable for some record shots in the field. Perhaps nice to know, as I often carry a hand lens on hikes. FOV looks to be about 28mm:


Photo-through-10x-hand-lens.jpg

To use a microscope objective with a cell phone, I'd be tempted to try a finite LWD or ELWD on a simple tube, with eyepiece and then a spacer to press into contact with the phone. Not that I--a cell-phone Neanderthal--am all that tempted.

--Chris S.

soldevilla
Posts: 684
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2010 2:49 pm
Location: Barcelona, more or less

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by soldevilla »

When I was young I adquired a microscope that It work with a small ball of glass. By far, the best microscope that I own until then. Great quality and easy to work with it. Sadly, I lost the ball in a moment that I tried to unmount it in order to clean it. I'm thinking to buy a ball (several...) and reproduce it in my 3d printer

MaxRockbin
Posts: 188
Joined: Sat Nov 08, 2014 11:12 pm
Location: Portland, OR

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by MaxRockbin »

Chris S. wrote:
Mon Oct 10, 2022 10:51 pm
Just now I tried shooting my (ancient) iPhone 6s+ through a 10x Bausch & Lomb Hastings triplet.
I had tried an ancient Spencer binocular single element eyepiece years ago with iffy results.
I just tried my 10x current cheap binocular microscope eyepiece with my Pixel5 phone "1x" lens (Cellphone magnification numbers are bizarre. I think 1x is something like 90 degrees on this phone claim equivalent to a 24mm lens on a 35mm camera).
https://photos.app.goo.gl/NbdXBFq1cUKECUqe8
(Google Photos doesn't have a direct URL to the photos, so that's a gallery link. Flickr is down right now...).

Subject is a cheerio. 1/3" maybe? Really not too bad considering this is hand held - both the phone and the lens on top of the phone.
And just the light from a window on an overcast day. 1/34th of a second, Google tells me.

I am getting a new phone that claims 5x (I think that's about 100mm equiv) telephoto optical lens, so that will be interesting.

Still, it would be much more fun if I could get an objective lens working without too much machinery (like essentially creating a microscope)

One note: Allan Walls Photography has a surprisingly positive review of a multi-element (but dirt cheap) clip on macro lens. $25 on ebay.
https://www.allanwallsphotography.com/blog/apexellens
Unfortunately, his iPhone would not allow taking stills through it because it would switch to an "unobstructed" lens. Worked for video though. The Pixel (at least the 5) doesn't seem to have that problem and was perfectly content with the eyepiece.
If your pictures aren't good enough, you're not close enough. - Robert Capa

patta
Posts: 86
Joined: Mon Apr 20, 2020 9:51 am
Location: Stavanger Norge
Contact:

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by patta »

I've used for a while a microscope made by the phone, plus a lens pillaged from another phone, sticked in front of it (like the Sphere from previous posts).
Magnification 1:1 and once set up worked well, sharp all over.
There are several scientific paper describing this "simple field microscope" setup. Very compact and cheap. But alignment, working distance, focusing, illumination were a total pain.

Then I bought a modest old microscope for 50£, with heavy brass focusing rail... I'm not coming back to the phone.
Decent phone clip macro lenses for the phone are good though, I've always one with me; good for macro, not micro.

Lou Jost
Posts: 5947
Joined: Fri Sep 04, 2015 7:03 am
Location: Ecuador
Contact:

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by Lou Jost »

I'll repeat that the Foldscope origami holder + special glass bead is surprisingly good for the price ($1)!

Smokedaddy
Posts: 1953
Joined: Sat Oct 07, 2006 10:16 am
Location: Bigfork, Montana
Contact:

Re: Attaching an Objective directly to a smartphone?

Post by Smokedaddy »

Lou Jost wrote:
Wed Nov 02, 2022 10:43 am
I'll repeat that the Foldscope origami holder + special glass bead is surprisingly good for the price ($1)!
I purchased a few dozen of them years ago when they first came out. I believe it was Kickstarter. I gave them to my grandson's elementary school class. I'm unsure how durable longevity wise, but they all liked them. Back then, I was looking for a field scope and ended up with knock off of the Swift FM-31.
Attachments
20230302_121348.jpg
20230302_121449.jpg

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic