Search found 320 matches
- Sat Jan 23, 2021 7:44 am
- Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
- Topic: How to make Insect w.m. Microscope Slide
- Replies: 6
- Views: 140
Re: How to make Insect w.m. Microscope Slide
Silvanidae: Silvanus sp. would be a good place to start looking for an ID. There are some related genera that are similar.
- Wed Jan 20, 2021 9:43 am
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
A 100X1.25 SI objective like the one shown in the bottom photo must be in one of my drawers. If I can find it, attach to the DIN micoscope via a spacer ring to create some parfocality, and get some silicon oil, then it will be interesting to test. If you don't want to mess with silicone oil, I real...
- Wed Jan 20, 2021 9:40 am
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
A 100X1.25 SI objective like the one shown in the bottom photo must be in one of my drawers. If I can find it, attach to the DIN micoscope via a spacer ring to create some parfocality, and get some silicon oil, then it will be interesting to test. Viktor - which specimen do you plan to image with t...
- Wed Jan 20, 2021 7:07 am
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
And here are the two short-barrel (BH era) silicone objectives that are currently on their (long) way to me.
- Wed Jan 20, 2021 7:03 am
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
Just adding some additional information for completeness. Olympus did make at least some silicone immersion objectives during the BH-2 era. According to Carl Hunsingers's documents, there was 100x 1.20 SI achromat, a UV fluorite 40x 1.30 SI phase contrast objective, and a UV Fluorite 100x 1.30 SI ph...
- Tue Jan 19, 2021 7:09 pm
- Forum: Camera systems and imaging
- Topic: Stereo vs Microscope for photographing Conodonts, Foraminifera
- Replies: 7
- Views: 103
Re: Stereo vs Microscope for photographing Conodonts, Foraminifera
If you look at some of the rigs linked to in the following thread you'll get an idea:
https://www.photomacrography.net/forum/ ... 29&t=32155
https://www.photomacrography.net/forum/ ... 29&t=32155
- Tue Jan 19, 2021 7:07 pm
- Forum: Camera systems and imaging
- Topic: Stereo vs Microscope for photographing Conodonts, Foraminifera
- Replies: 7
- Views: 103
Re: Stereo vs Microscope for photographing Conodonts, Foraminifera
A solid microscope stand + the Wemacro micromate is another alternative to the macro rail.
- Tue Jan 19, 2021 7:06 pm
- Forum: Camera systems and imaging
- Topic: Stereo vs Microscope for photographing Conodonts, Foraminifera
- Replies: 7
- Views: 103
Re: Stereo vs Microscope for photographing Conodonts, Foraminifera
If your subjects are typically in the 1-3mm range, I think you would be happiest with a macro rail + a few microscope objectives. Many now use infinity objectives from Mitutoyo, but you can get truly excellent results for much less money using finite Nikon microscope objectives. 4x - there are sever...
- Sun Jan 17, 2021 10:38 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
By the way, circling back to silicone (and water/glycerol) immersion, I thought it would be nice to put this figure here as it illustrates very well why I became interested in trying silicone immersion objectives with pond life: Have you come across any diagrams like this with more explanation, lik...
- Sun Jan 17, 2021 12:48 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
Thanks Michael and Viktor, Incidentally, I am sure I have once seen an old 100X objective - almost certainly Olympus - that bore the mark "SI". In retrospect, might have been short for Silicone Immersion ? Yup, those are the short barrel silicone oil immersion objectives. The price list from 1978 h...
- Sun Jan 17, 2021 7:39 am
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
Thanks MichaelG. Yes, silicone immersion is clearly very useful when trying to reconstruct what's going on deep inside cells and seems to be increasingly used in super resolution fluorescence microscopy. I have some plans to build a DIY structured illumination super resolution microscope at some poi...
- Sat Jan 16, 2021 11:36 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
That makes a lot more sense now, thanks. By the way, circling back to silicone (and water/glycerol) immersion, I thought it would be nice to put this figure here as it illustrates very well why I became interested in trying silicone immersion objectives with pond life: https://static1.olympus-lifesc...
- Sat Jan 16, 2021 10:57 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?

My eyes grew wider and wider the more i looked at that picture. I don't understand how that would even be possible. Do you know anything about it? Can't find any information online.
- Sat Jan 16, 2021 8:32 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
Hi Viktor, please report how you get on with this very special objective. A 40:1 1.0 will be useful for many purposes. Do you know the free working distance to the cover slip? Now it would be nice if you can find a 100:1 silicone immersion to accompany it! :lol: Bob I sure will report on it! Haven'...
- Sat Jan 16, 2021 3:31 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
Well, I picked up the Olympus short-barrel 40x 1.00 Apochromat Silicone Immersion objective that I had been looking at. Got it for $125 and cheap shipping, which seemed like a reasonable gamble. I really like 40x immersion objectives, and the more I thought about it the more sense it made to use Wat...
- Fri Jan 15, 2021 10:45 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Need help deciding between Motic BA310E & Panthera CC
- Replies: 9
- Views: 244
Re: Need help deciding between Motic BA310E & Panthera CC
. . . He is using a Motic 310 and the results should make him happy: https://www.tv2nord.dk/mikroliv-i-nordjylland/mikroliv-i-nordjylland-s1e1?autoplay=1&fbclid=IwAR2JeKeoQxV2vMJByqVAJ20_trqTnKDar6GdM7Dyt55I0BshQyZdOI4aacc#player . . . Bob Spectacular images, Bob. Thanks for providing the link. Tha...
- Fri Jan 15, 2021 7:42 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
Here's another thought. A 50/50 glycerol/water solution has a RI of 1.398 at 20°C. Maybe that could be a workable substitute for silicone oil? As far as refractive index goes it sounds fine but the mixture could differ in its dispersion properties relative to the oil. Been reading some about this, ...
- Fri Jan 15, 2021 1:28 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
Oil can be removed fairly well by wiping with lighter fluid, so objective and slides are really clean. Silicone is quite inert and doesn't dissolve in usual cleaning fluids, so you push it from left to right and back to the left. A fine silicone layer or tiny drops of silicone oil repell water and ...
- Fri Jan 15, 2021 12:13 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
Here's another thought. A 50/50 glycerol/water solution has a RI of 1.398 at 20°C. Maybe that could be a workable substitute for silicone oil? I think one of the reasons silicone is favored in research is that it's so stable, does not evaporate and that it's RI changes very little with temperature. ...
- Fri Jan 15, 2021 11:31 am
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Re: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
Oh boy, that sounds even messier than I had expected. I definitely don't have room for another microscope and work place! It would need to go on the same microscope as my dry and oil objectives.
Could you explain a bit more how a drop of silicone oil on a slide would behave?
Could you explain a bit more how a drop of silicone oil on a slide would behave?
- Fri Jan 15, 2021 10:34 am
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
- Replies: 29
- Views: 503
Silicone immersion objectives - any experience?
Hello, Has anyone here had any experience with using silicone immersion objectives for regular pond life microscopy? I haven't seen this subject discussed much on here. Silicone immersion objectives mostly seem to be used in research for imaging deep into living cells, as the refractive index of sil...
- Wed Jan 13, 2021 11:02 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Nikon gene sequencer objectives
- Replies: 47
- Views: 1801
Re: Nikon gene sequencer objectives
Sure, the eclipse 100 is made in China and uses a simplified tube lens as well as lower FoV eyepieces, and it's also equipped with lower end objectives with smaller image circles. It has lower end optics made to lower overall standards, which is kind of the point. I'm not sure what relevance that h...
- Wed Jan 13, 2021 9:37 pm
- Forum: Beginner's corner
- Topic: Looking for an older scope... I think
- Replies: 7
- Views: 188
Re: Looking for an older scope... I think
There are high intensity commercial LED lamps for microscopy, including power supply and dimmer, by the name CoolLED. Pretty expensive. Can be attached to an Olympus BX microscope (and other microscopes), so I believe can be interfaced to a BH2 stand. One still needs the epi-illumination field aper...
- Wed Jan 13, 2021 10:51 am
- Forum: Pictures and Videos
- Topic: Sperm explosion - Stephanosphaera pluvialis, sexual reproduction
- Replies: 5
- Views: 520
Re: Sperm explosion - Stephanosphaera pluvialis, sexual reproduction
Hello Viktor, indead - Anne Gleich really makes phantastic photos! I press my thumbs that you will find the S. pluvialis. Another alternate would be that I sent you some resting aplanospores, so you can grow them on your side. But at the moment I am not convident that the cultures will develop well...
- Mon Jan 11, 2021 6:59 pm
- Forum: Pictures and Videos
- Topic: Sperm explosion - Stephanosphaera pluvialis, sexual reproduction
- Replies: 5
- Views: 520
Re: Sperm explosion - Stephanosphaera pluvialis, sexual reproduction
Wonderful presentation of this incredible creature and its habitat! I learned of Stephanosphaera i while ago from a beautiful photo Anne Gleich posted on Facebook. I immediately became obsessed with finding it and only grew keener when I read about its habitat. I've staked out a couple of abandoned ...
- Mon Jan 04, 2021 6:40 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: 100X Dry Objective Working Distance
- Replies: 9
- Views: 480
Re: 100X Dry Objective Working Distance
Yes, that note is correct, but the pictures (where the 100x dry looks as good as, or even better, than the 100x oil) is flat out misleading or even consciously deceptive.
- Mon Jan 04, 2021 4:40 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: 100X Dry Objective Working Distance
- Replies: 9
- Views: 480
Re: 100X Dry Objective Working Distance
https://www.lwscientific.com/products/100x-infinity-plan-dry-objective Our new 100x DRY Infinity PLAN objective will bring a radical change in the world of microscopy. With clarity, resolution, and flat-field-of-view that rivals the best 100x OIL Infinity PLAN objectives. Why use oil? That doesn't e...
- Sat Jan 02, 2021 8:37 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: 100X Dry Objective Working Distance
- Replies: 9
- Views: 480
Re: 100X Dry Objective Working Distance
A 100x dry LWD is a pretty limited objective. A regular (short working distance) 100x dry would be limited to a NA of less than 1.0, which is already a disappointing low resolution for that magnification. Long working distance always comes at the expense of NA, so a LWD dry 100x will have an even lo...
- Tue Dec 29, 2020 10:16 am
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Leitz dry objective for high magnification
- Replies: 25
- Views: 809
Re: Leitz dry objective for high magnification
To be honest, most such objectives are quite disappointing and difficult to use compared to oil immersion objectives. I use my Nikon CF planapo 60x 0.90 mostly for quick checks of mushroom spores, etc, when I don't want to mess with oil. For photography, a 40x, 60x or 100x oil objective will provide...
- Mon Dec 28, 2020 11:56 pm
- Forum: Microscopes and optics
- Topic: Nikon gene sequencer objectives
- Replies: 47
- Views: 1801
Re: Nikon gene sequencer objectives
Nope, they come from gene sequencer and were designed to peek into a flow cell and detect fluorescence from DNA. The quote below is from this thread: http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=243091#p243091 Those non-labeled PA20's are from the GAIIx's and the labelled PA20xs are for the...