Re: Digital Reflex on microscope

From: GTO (gregor_o_at_NOSPAMyahoo.com)
Date: 06/24/04 

Date: Thu, 24 Jun 2004 05:28:24 GMT

You should not take an eyepiece that produces a virtual image. Take a
projection ocular (also called photoeyepiece) instead. This will create a
real image that can be projected onto a ground glass (or CCD).

A photoeyepiece also shortens the path between camera and scope.
Photoeyepieces are very often sold on eBay. I found quite a few Olympus NFK
photoeyepieces and Leitz projection oculars on eBay.

Gregor

"Fulvio Malfatto" <f.malfatto@fmal.com> wrote in message
news:e1a80c01.0406230145.373c4989@posting.google.com...
> I'm very happy with my digital SLR Nikon D100, and now I would like to
> use it also to whit my Optika SZM2 microscope (stereo trinocular 7-45x
> zoom - 10x23 oculars).
> [ http://www.optikamicroscopes.com ]
>
> I buyed the scope adapter, the M-ring, and everything if fine at
> mechanical level, but the photos are very poor.
> My problem are these :
> 1) The 1.5x focal lenght done by digital CCD brings me to a too high
> magnification, so I can't have the same field I see in oculars, but a
> smaller one.
> 2) Focusing is very difficult, and is different from the one I choose
> on oculars : the third eye requires a totally different adjustment, so
> I loose the utility of the third eye. ( I tried every possible tuning
> of the scope adapter and moved the camera as far as possible from
> ocular. Parfocality is correct if I look, but not when I shoot)
> 3) The light is so low also when I use fiber illuminators, that I
> can't see the item in the eyepiece of the camera, so focusing is done
> by doing multiples photos at different positions.
>
> I normally shoot my photos whit camera well fixed on the microscope,
> and controlling it from pc by the nikon capture software, so i'm sure
> to avoid any vibration or shooting problems (mirror lock-up is
> applied), but in few months i never had a good photo : out of
> focus,color diffraction, etc.
> Then a friend of mine came with his coolpix 990, just put it on
> already focused ocular, and shooted : he had a quite nice shoot, whit
> a good DOF and surprisingly well focused, in few word, the same thing
> my eye sees in oculars. How it is possible ?
>
> So I ask to some expert : where am I wrong ? I am very disappointed I
> can't couple a such expensive set of tools.
> The photocamera is the best one I ever had, I use it in macro with
> Nikkor 60 mm and is really great up to 2x.
>
> Also the microscope is quite good, it is not as expensive as the
> camera is, but is very effective in the normal use. How can I test it
> to be sure it is able to do the job?
> If I change the third eye ocular from 10x to 5x (better would be 6.6x)
> can I have the same field on camera ?
>
> Is there any thing I can do to improve my photos?
> Any suggestion is welcome.
> Thanks in advance
> Fulvio