|
I figured this deserved its own thread since it is kind of distinct from normal macro photography (though they blur into each other to some extent). A thread to post about your own microscope or other photomicrographic setup, ask questions about gear and most of all show off your photomicrographs [don’t call it microphotography or a pedant will explain to you that that’s the field of making photographs small, not photographing small things]. I am a microscope and photomicrography enthusiast—I got into it through wanting to examine and photograph gem inclusions and have fallen down the rabbit hole of various types of lenses and microscopes. I’m now assembling and occasionally fixing scopes up to sell as a hobby as well, so I’ve been able to handle a pretty wide variety of them. Just to kick it off, here are pictures of my main scopes: My workhorse Olympus SZH stereo:  Better for photography, these photomacroscopes (One Wild M400, one frankenscope with similar performance)  I also have a Nikon alphaphot compound which I don’t use as much. Full disclosure, I’m not actually that good at taking photomicrographs, probably because I spend way too much time futzing with gear. I’m trying to be better about that. Here are a few just to get things started though:  Irridescent cleavage plane in a zircon crystal.  A crystal of golden olivine floating within an Oregon sunstone.  Flat fluid inclusions diffract rainbows within this crystal of beryl.
|
#
¿
Nov 2, 2019 07:02
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 15, 2024 14:08 |
|
|
Microscopy can get really fiddly, but some aspects are surprisingly accessible. Lots of great gear from the 80s and 90s is available on the used market now thanks to surplussing, occasionally at criminally low prices. Photomacrography is a great resource, alongside microbehunter (http://www.microbehunter.com/microscopy-forum/). Photomacrography is more focused specifically on reflected light photography with or without a microscope, particularly in the macro-micro liminal space (1x-5x), while microbehunter is more focused on microscopy in general, but both have a lot of information.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 9, 2019 20:27
|
|
|
Atlatl posted:Ok where do I find this 80s and 90s gear and what do I need to stap a camera to them. I would like to be able to get pictures of materials I'm working with for presentations with microscopy, and I would like to strap use my m34 stuff. About what size things do you need to image? And what types of materials? That matters for figuring out the ideal direction to go and what lighting you'll need. A broad idea of budget is important too of course.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 10, 2019 00:13
|
|
|
So a 30x30x10 sample, with the bulbs you want to image attached on top? A stereo microscope would probably be good for this. They are particularly easy to use because of their long working distance (distance between the bottom of the microscope/end of the lens and the subject) and wide depth of field (how deep a slice of the subject is in focus), and they're usually set up for imaging larger, thicker subjects. They do have lower resolution than other systems. You could probably get away with using a compound microscope with the lowest-mag 4x objective that they'll typically have. Cameras are never permanently mounted on a microscope (unless it's an all-in-one unit and came with one built in from the factory, which is garbage anyway). Most scopes today end up configured for small-sensor microscope cameras with c-mount threads, though a M4/3 is often pretty easy to adapt. The risk of damaging something isn't really all that great, but it's likely they won't want you to mess around with the camera system unless it's some obsolete thing that nobody is using. I can give better advice on that if you know a bit more specifically what equipment is available. That being said, you can also get an eyepiece adapter that lets you take a shot through a microscope ocular, which is generally an easier sell since you only have to remove an eyepiece to insert it. That may yield acceptable results. Or for an even simpler setup, you can shoot with your smartphone camera through an eyepiece. That's not a perfect solution but it can yield surprisingly decent images. Another cheap option is to directly attach a microscope objective to your camera. There are plenty of cheap no-name 4x objectives available--if you get one marked '160' you don't need any additional optics, just adapters to mount it about 150mm from your camera's sensor (adapting hardware can be readily sourced from Chinese sellers on eBay for modest prices at slow delivery speeds). One complication with this is you're still going to need to position it precisely relative to your subject. You'll also need some illumination, though a gooseneck LED lamp will usually do what you need in a pinch. Downsides to this are low working distance and narrow depth of field, so fine positioning becomes pretty important.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 10, 2019 06:22
|
|
|
Eibon posted:I hope some scientific images are ok! Seluin posted:My interest is primarily in gemstones. I currently have a Mark 6 Gemolite scope.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 17, 2019 07:49
|
|
|
That's a beautiful setup! I've seen similar table-mounted but not on a tripod before. Does that help with positioning?
|
|
#
¿
Dec 12, 2019 08:02
|
|
|
Just got a new objective in (nikon planapo 20x) and I've been enjoying the higher magnification: Metallic crystal (likely hematite) included in a crystal of golden beryl--the crystal is a little under .2mm across.  These two-phase inclusions were just a little over inside the same crystal--these are negative crystals filled with liquid and a bubble of gas.  These weird skeletal crystals are probably also hematite (plus or minus some titanium content), hosted in a light blue beryl crystal.  this is a partially-healed fracture in a faceted amethyst. The crack follows the geometry of the Brazil Law twinning of the quartz crystal the stone was cut from.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 17, 2020 04:27
|
|
|
Oh by the way, hot microscope tip: just in case anyone is using a Nikon infinity corrected scope, there are a few incredible 20x planapo objectives available for 100 bucks on eBay: https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F323989961890 They came from an obsolete gene sequencer. They have super high resolution and perfect color correction. I have heard they cost about 4k when they were new. They're not great for most reflected light work because of the 1mm working distance and expecting a glass cover slip, but for conventional microscopy they are unbeatable. I took the pictures in my last post with one.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 19, 2020 04:38
|
|
|
Seluin posted:Newbie question. How does one know if they have a Nikon infinity corrected scope? :P Scarodactyl fucked around with this message at 17:36 on Jan 21, 2020 |
|
#
¿
Jan 21, 2020 17:34
|
|
|
That's an excellent setup! Do you have a head as well, or is it always straight to the camera? I guess you'd need an adapter to fit an infinity head on which might be a pain. I'm impressed with the crystals. I did a bit of that for research and it was a challenge to get consistent results. (Just saying, the $100 nikon 20x planapos I linked above should work on this system--they're DIC rated so great for polarization work--you're obviously getting great results as-is but you can never have enough great objectives). I've been tinkering with my system--I finally got a Leica Z6 Apo. They are kind of scarce, and I finally found one mislabeled on german eBay (though now I see one a lot cheaper just out in the open, oh well). It gives me nice apo correction across a decent zoom range and I've been really liking it. The objective changer is nice for dipping into higher mags, though it's really not the best way to do that.   It makes photographing things like this with highlights a lot easier--with the old lens I'd have had terrible green and pink fringing. 
|
|
#
¿
Apr 6, 2020 18:41
|
|
|
Ah, that makes sense. I actually literally just got a bh2 with infinity objectives but it's still in quarantine for a bit so I haven't gotten my hands on it. I may try adapting one on if it will physically fit, though I guess I'd have to be pretty careful to avoid whacking it on the stage. Yeah we are pretty spoiled for used scopes in the USA. That does have a bad side if you're the sort to buy too many because they're such good deals though.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 7, 2020 06:53
|
|
|
I finally got the package opened and the scope set up. It is actually on a BHM stand, but with the BH2-UMA epi illuminator (no trasmitted illumination). It came with a 10x, 20x and 50x objective.  It is set up for epi DIC (differential interference contrast), which turns fine surface contours into rainbows. These scopes are in a lot of demand (not nearly as much as transmitted DIC but still) so when I saw one cheaper than udual and not labeled DIC I jumped on it. Usually these are used for industrial examination but I wanted it for imaging the surfaces of crystals.  I am still figuring it out. I'm getting some odd doubling on the images which I hope is fixable.  The neo splan objectives on it have an m26 thread (same as the popular mitutoyo m plan apo and other popular metallurgical objectives). It must be a pretty late example during their transition to infinite objectives (edit: just realized it's a bigger thread because they're bf/df objectives and need more bulk for the light path around the edges. This confused me because mitutoyo normal objectives are this big and their bf/dfs are enormous). I tried my mitutoyo 10x on the 10x dic prism and I get a great DIC effect on that too, so I think there is some potential there. Scarodactyl fucked around with this message at 09:14 on Apr 10, 2020 |
|
#
¿
Apr 10, 2020 00:23
|
|
|
It was 500usd including shipping. Not insanely cheap, but I think a comparable scope would usually start around 2k. The doubling only happens in DIC imaging--with the prism all the way in or out it doesn't double. I might just be doing it wrong, I should probably read more about this. The beamsplitter for the illuminator does have a lot of dust on it which is definitely not helping matters.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 10, 2020 03:42
|
|
|
We are super spoiled. My local university also does surplus sales and I have occasionally gotten pretty insane deals (rareish zeiss stuff, full scopes etc--nothing insanely high end but good stuff). I was playing around with normal brightfield epi on the scope and got a nice view of this tiny speck of copper inside this crystal of Oregon sunstone with the 50x.   That is not a nice crystal face--looks like a fracture. That makes me think this was a preexisting fracture that copper diffused into later. It can also get nice rainbows with crossed polars  Or with DIC  It is a pretty addictive scope!
|
|
#
¿
Apr 11, 2020 01:49
|
|
|
Absolutely, if I spot any deals I'd be glad to help pass them on. One other upside to olympus systems is that most of the modern Chinese infinity scopes are copied from Olympus standards, so that is a possible avenue of exploration as well (most won't be amazing but they're getting better). I also wanted to post a quick general reminder to people that the Nikon small world photomicroscopy contest closes for submissions on the 30th.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 20, 2020 21:30
|
|
|
Last week I bought this weird industrial scope on eBay. It is an odd setup, with an Olympus monocular head and single slot nosepiece, an eyepiece-to-c-mount adapter and an objective with a metal collar covering the label, all looking sode-on at a rotating stage. It was the objective that intrigued me--what could be hiding under that metal? He wouldn't sell it separately, but the whole setup was not too expensive. It came in today. Drum roll, please.  Underneath it was a Mitutoyo m plan apo 10x! And in good shape too. This is a pretty great lens for photomicrography, and the whole scope cost me significantly less than the objective is worth. These are some photos of fractures in a crystal of topaz I took with one.   Now I just need to figure out what to do with the other 40ish pounds of microscope. In other photomacrography news, there is a new Chinese copy of Nikon's legendary ITL200 tube lens (a lens used behind an infinity-corrected objective to focus the image onto your camera sensor). It apparently performs identically to the original at half the price. https://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=41851
|
|
#
¿
Jun 9, 2020 08:09
|
|
|
I've been reworking my setup a bit more, and I think it's almost done. I'm happy with the results I've been getting so far. These first shots are all mineral inclusions inside sapphires. Iridescent arrows of rutile (titanium oxide) floating around opaque sulfide crystals.  Rounded crystals of apatite.  A plane-level view of city lights through the clouds? No it's more rutile.  That's no moon (it's a sulfide).
|
|
#
¿
Nov 11, 2020 08:54
|
|
|
Thanks! I was using an olympus frame with my mitutoyo objectives but the tube lens turned out to be incompatible and mushes the corners of the image, so I have moved over to a Nikon industrial frame: This series was in an awkward in-between period in the 90s and they also made some as oem producers for other brands, so parts for these can sometimes be had inexpensively. I don't have the coaxial illuminator set up but the rest works, and best of all I now have a mag changer which can do a 0.62x reduction of the image for ultra-wide fields of view. That gives me a lot of vignetting on the camera but I think if I modify a few components it will be much reduced. There are a few more things to do on this but I think it is exactly what I've been wanting.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 12, 2020 02:13
|
|
|
I love SEM images. The things we struggle to tease out with a light microscope are just there to see in all their beautiful detail. Not having access to one is one of my only real regrets in not staying on in academia. The weird, fuzzy twigs making up the eggshell are a bit unsettling. I love it. Here's something at a slightly larger scale. Shot at 5x, a crystal of dioptase on calcite. 
|
|
#
¿
Nov 17, 2020 06:53
|
|
|
I just picked up a piece of amber with a suitably flat polished face and had a look inside. I was hoping he would be a mosquito but it looks to just be another fly of some sort.  
|
|
#
¿
Apr 10, 2021 23:34
|
|
|
It's not a total loss--maybe I can revive some sort of prehistoric fruit. This has been a long and somewhat involved project but I finally got an epi-DIC slider onto my microscope!  Differential interference contrast uses a prism or prisms to split your illuminating light and then recombine it after it has interacted with your sample--the interference between the two beams reveals a ton of details, and incidentally can render them in rainbow colors. The most popular type by far is transmitted DIC which allows you to see extremely fine details of transparent pond critters, but epi DIC is great for looking at reflective surfaces. It was widely used for inspecting wafers and is still used in a variety of industrial inspection applications, but in the gem and mineral world it's often used for looking at surface features on crystals. Here are some raised triangles on a Herkimer "diamond" crystal (a traditional name for super bright quartz crystals found in Herkimer, NY).    Yeah, I'm going to have fun with this.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 25, 2021 05:17
|
|
|
Ooh, that's a really cool setup! Looks like a really good interface too. Can't argue with the results either. Is there a variable pause after focusing and before shooting, or is that fixed?
|
|
#
¿
May 15, 2021 06:51
|
|
|
Thanks! I'm stoll a ways out from assembling my own automated system but it's definitely on the radar. I got a couple more neat DIC pics this weekend. These are surface textures on a brown tourmaline crystal. Oddly one crystal face is covered with the impressions of the mica crystals it grew among, while the other two show rounded, kind of bubbly textures.   
Scarodactyl fucked around with this message at 19:33 on May 29, 2021 |
|
#
¿
May 29, 2021 19:30
|
|
|
Coaxial illumination (light shining down through the objective with a half mirror) has limited uses, but when you have flat refective platelets floating inside a gemstone it's just perfect. Photos of rainbow lattice sunstones have gone semi viral a few times, and the material is famous for long flat crystal inclusions which have a sort of woven pattern arrangement. If you look closer, however, you can see a variety of other forms as well. Here we have the remains of a hexagonal crystal which likely got partially dissolved and recrystallized, and the eye of sauron. FoVs are about 1mm and 0.5mm respectively.  
|
|
#
¿
Jul 8, 2021 20:35
|
|
|
A couple more photos--these are of a quartz crystal using epi DIC. In the second one there is an iridescent fracture just under the surface. 
|
|
#
¿
Jul 28, 2021 02:50
|
|
|
Thanks! For my main system it was easy conceptually but a bit involved logistically. I used kinda mismatched components and didn't want to pay the asking price for the exact right thing (things like a proper DIC nosepiece which starts around 600usd on eBay vs modifying a normal 100 dollar bd nosepiece). I've tinkered with a few other epi doc systems though and it's not usually that hard, just a matter of sourcing the right components. It's a lot easier overall than transmitted DIC since you only need one prism (either one per objective or one single slider for all of them) and it's more forgiving of partial mismatches. edit: if you're thinking about setting one up I'd be happy to help. Scarodactyl fucked around with this message at 03:22 on Jul 29, 2021 |
|
#
¿
Jul 28, 2021 05:46
|
|
|
Thanks, I appreciate that. Honestly I'm kind of clueless on editing beyond basic stacking and dust removal, it's something I need to put some time into in general.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 30, 2021 03:41
|
|
|
Belated, but thanks for the tips on that. I've been working on it but it's a lot to learn. The Nikon Small World results came in, and I got an Image of Distinction for this shot:  Quartz crystal surface DIC by Stephen Challener, on Flickr It was kind of a surprise to me but definitely makes me want to keep hunting for more fun subjects. Ending up in the same category as a photo I bought a print of and have up on my wall feels weird.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 13, 2021 18:19
|
|
|
I think it has always been micro only, though their definition of 'micro' is reasonably broad. I know some people were worried that customized photo rigs using microscope objectives directly on a camera wouldn't count, while Nikon doesn't actually seem to care as much about that kind of distinction.
Scarodactyl fucked around with this message at 23:27 on Sep 13, 2021 |
|
#
¿
Sep 13, 2021 23:09
|
|
|
I thought that looked like your style! Congratulations, that's an awesome image.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 14, 2021 16:08
|
|
|
My microscopes were in storage for months due to renovations but I'm finally back. Here are a few pictures I shot of iridescent hematite crystals inside a sunstone.   
|
|
#
¿
Feb 8, 2022 18:58
|
|
|
Thanks! It feels really good to have everything set up again. Here are a few more shots.  A tiny tumbled pebble of demantoid garnet, showing classic 'horsetail' inclusions.  A closeup of a fire agate, showing the bubbly layers of iridescent iron hydroxides that give it its name.  This is a closeup view of a partially 'healed' surface on a quartz crystal. This happens when quartz fractures while it is still deep underground and subsequent fluid action allows the surface to begin to recrystallize. Left long enough the crack could heal shut, but sometimes the surface just develops a crystalline texture.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 2, 2022 00:04
|
|
|
Fresh pics! Negative crystals in quartz filled with oil, bubbled with methane and speckled with bitumen.  Surface texture of an etched topaz crystal imaged with DIC, with an iridescent cleavage plane below the surface lending some color.  A rose-shaped bubble in a rejected laser sapphire crystal.  Reflective crystals in hypersthene, also right above a reflective fracture for some color.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 15, 2022 22:28
|
|
|
I've recently been having some fun working on these challenging mineral inclusions, three-dimensional flakes of native copper floating within charoite. Charoite is a lesser-known gem only found in one location in Russia. What we call charoite in the trade is actually a rock composed of a mix of minerals; silky purple charoite, fibrous golden tinkasite, black needles of tschermakite and scattered little bits of other stuff too. It's fun to photograph just for its silky texture and mix of colors (click for bigger).  But this is about the scattered bits of other stuff, specifically the little bits of copper I kept spotting. They are mentioned in the literature as an indication of the weird, highly reducing conditions the rock experienced during formation--typically copper likes to react and form other minerals, but here it's bright and shiny as a new penny. I've been wanting to get a better look at these, but they are challenging. Their crinkly shape, shininess and being embedded in another mineral makes everything harder than it should be. Step 1 was to pour some tumbled pebbles out under a low mag scope and see if I could spot any copper. Now that I know what to look for it seems like 80% of the stones have readily visible flakes of copper.    Yup, found one! The reflective crinkles are very unforgiving and require a ton of diffusion--undiffused light gibes a diffracted image and kills fine detail. Coaxial illumination is good on some but does nothing for others. On others a tiny fiber optic ring light around the objective ended up being a pinch hitter, adding some nice top illumination. Here's that same flake shot with my 10x objective and heavily cropped (click for bigger). The horizontal field of view is about 1mm.  There's certainly more detail there but in spite of my best efforts at diffusion there are some hotspots. For these inclusions immersion objectives can be extremely helpful--these kenses have a liquid put between the end of the lens and the subject, which allows for higher resolutions and also reduces distortions from thr subject being embedded in another mineral. Here's the same inclusion shot with my water immersion 40x (shooting at 44x, stitched from 4 stacks) solely with coaxial illumination. The horizontal field of view is about 0.5mm or so.  Oil immersion is a better match for charoite, but my only oil objective is a 60x and the above inclusion was way too big for it unless I wanted to spend a long time shooting several stacks and stitching. I may eventually, but for now I found a smaller flake to examine with it.  What I like about getting such a closeup view of these is the story they tell. You can see how they likely started as single grains of a copper-bearing mineral which then got the crap reduced out of it, setting the metallic copper free to fill surrounding cracks in tbe rock and push up against the fibrous grains of the surrounding charoite, giving it a detailed texture. I'm still poking at these--the technique side is going better but I meed to find some particularly nice-looking ones to spend more time with. Incidentally, while doing all this I noticed this on the surface of some of these stones:  In spite of them being decent quality charoite some jerk tossed a bit of purple dye in during tumbling. It should come off easily with some acetone, but come on!
|
|
#
¿
Oct 21, 2022 07:41
|
|
|
It's been a busy couple months but we have a gem show in town this week and I picked up some opals. Fun material with a lot of color and interesting inclusions, but it has to be kept wet to the point of using a water dropper on it while I shot the stacks. FoV is 11mm across using my 2x objective, barely micro but whatever.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 19, 2022 00:21
|
|
|
Nice! It's fun to watch these guys move--they have a lot of personality.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 27, 2022 08:54
|
|
|
Microscopes have gotten better over time but properly old ones can still be quite good and vintage ones can be exceptional. Magnification-wise that one is fine. "400x" is including a typical 10x eyepiece to give the total magnification (and some cells you can see with your naked eye so don't expect a hard number on that). Above a 40x objective you'll deal with especially diminishing returns on resolution unless you use oil immersion (not great for a younger kid) so most scopes you're looking at are likely to top out there. There are two things I think you'd want for a beginner though that it lacks. First it probably just has a mirror for illumination, and that's a pain in the rear end. You probably want one that has a built in light that you can just turn on. You probably also want a binocular head (or better yet, trinocular). Unfortunately the used market in America is way way better than Europe. For younger kids a stereo microscope can be a good compromise. The magnification is a lot lower but they are more versatile and a lot easier to handle. The image isn't flipped like on a compound microscope and they have a much longer working distance so you can easily look at three-dimensional subjects (this is the type typically used for machining and electronics work--you'd not be able to fit anything big under that compound microscope). They also have a true three-dimensional image thanks to the two angled light paths. You can also use them for general examination and they are the ultimate tool for splinter removal.
|
|
#
¿
May 21, 2023 08:05
|
|
|
I missed the update on your post--the swift eighty is a very solid scope if it's in good shape. It was made in Japan and produces a very nice image, though only at low magnifcations. Also I did a video zooming in on a golden sunstone rupee that I faceted. https://media.discordapp.net/attachments/883491922717597837/1131990666336030730/lv_0_20230721124549.mp4
|
|
#
¿
Jul 21, 2023 19:21
|
|
|
In the US we are spoiled for choice in older professional scopes thanks to businesses and univeristies surplusing them. Depending on your budget you can assemble a pretty great scope for not too much money--any idea how much you're looking to spend?
|
|
#
¿
Sep 2, 2023 18:46
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 15, 2024 14:08 |
|
|
It all depends on what deal you find if you buy used. Sometimes you can get great scopes for criminal prices As an example this Nikon labophot is a basic but professional name brand microscope, a few K when new no doubt. It's part of a system with a lot of accessories available too, and it might end cheap. https://www.ebay.com/itm/386041996353 That said it helps a lot if you're a bit handy and willing to tinker. 20+ year old microscopes do sometimes develop issues, even the best of them. There are lots of viable brands to look at: Olympus, Nikon, Leitz and American Optical are good options. Zeiss of course has great optics but their older scopes tend to have problems with delamination so honestly I'd skip them. Journey to Microcosmos is shot with an extremely expensive scope with differential interference contrast (DIC). He paid way too much for it but it's hard to get into a biological DIC system for under 3k. Darkfield and oblique can be achieved much cheaper and give very nice effects though. I'm happy to go into more detail if desired. Scarodactyl fucked around with this message at 21:28 on Sep 2, 2023 |
|
#
¿
Sep 2, 2023 19:58
|
|