Posts of the Category: Photography
This category deals with everything related to taking pictures through the microscope
How to make macro images
This time I’d like to talk about a topic which is only indirectly related to microscopy: macro imaging. Taking high-quality macro images can be quite a challenge and can involve quite a bit of trial and error until one has found the ideal conditions. The pictures of the rose have been taken with a Sigma [...]
Dandelion parachute ball up close
This is one of the first tries taking pictures with my new Sigma objective, and I have to admit that I’m very satisfied with the lens. The lens does not include image stabilization, a steady tripod is therefore a must. Contrast was slightly enhanced to make the background (my computer screen!) completely black. Mirror lock-up [...]
Human hair under the microscope
Today I’d like to show you a nice microscopic picture, which I took several years ago of two human hair. The pictures on the right show you the original, unprocessed image at the top, and a second cleaned-up image with a nice background on the bottom. The top image shows darkened corers from the field [...]
Köhler illumination to reduce reflections
The Köhler (or Koehler or Kohler) field diaphragm is located above the light source. It is responsible for controlling the width of the light beam (but not its intensity). The light source of a microscope without Köhler illumination will illuminate the whole specimen, which may be the source of stray light and excessive heating of [...]
Digital methods for improving microscopic photographs
Digital photography gives the users many new possibilities in improving photographs taken through the microscope. This post gives an overview of the different image processing functions that can be applied to microscopic images. This post places a focus on what is possible, but does not explain the “how” part. This is something that I plan [...]
Required camera resolution for photography through the microscope
My digital camera (a Canon EOS 450d) is capable of taking pictures at 3MP, 6 MP and 12 MP (MP=megapixels). Which setting should one choose to obtain the optimum results? If the camera resolution is too low, then this will result in the loss of image detail (but a small file). A resolution setting which [...]
Taking stable photographs with a microscope
Specimens which are suspended in water are not completely immobilized. Small objects will start to vibrate when one is tapping on the table on which the microscope stands. The optics of the microscope will magnify even the smallest vibrations. These vibrations become problematic when taking pictures with a photo camera which is mounted directly to [...]
Digitizing photographic slides with a digital camera
Several years ago, at a time when digital single-lens reflex (SLR) cameras were still financially unobtainable, I used slide film to document my microscopic observations. These slides are now sitting, more or less nicely sorted, in a folder, doing pretty much nothing. I don’t even have a slide projector to look at them. Evidently the [...]