MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

The Reichert Polyvar saga continues :) We found a scope in excellent condition for our university unit. It does not have the universal condenser but we can find that one later. The condenser it does have I am unfamiliar with but will get details later. The objectives were marked as polarization com...

.92 is pretty high for an aux. condenser and would require at least a doublet plus highly curved plano convex back lens to achieve that on it's own with acceptable corrections. It seems that the unit might be a very low N.A. reducing aux. condenser that interchanges for an intermediate performance ...

Rorschach - thank you in advance for scanning and posting the Polyvar materials. I know that several of us find these scopes a mystery. No problem, I'll do it next week. It's nice to be able to do something in return, after all the help and tips I have received. And yes, the Polyvar seems to certai...

Is that wide field condenser a stand alone condenser or a suplemental condenser? I am not sure. It has an internal lens that can be swung into the light path and out, thus providing the 0.32 or 0.92 functionality. This condenser can be seen in two of the many photos of the Polyvar in the brochure a...

I am wondering about this polarization optic for the Polyvar, please see image below. It goes on the output of transmitted light at the foot of the microscope. I am thinking that it could be used for simple polarization with the universal condenser but I am not sure what else would be needed. Maybe...

Alright then. Next week I should have access to a good scanner so I can do this. I may have to split them into several images/pdfs as there seems to be a pretty strict pixel size & kb size limit on here. The mods can then remove the stuff, should they feel that way. I'll contact Steve Neeley as well.

What is the policy here regarding brochures etc. for legacy, out of production microscope models? I ask because I recently got hold of (probably) one of the last (1985) and most comprehensive (20 pages) Reichert Polyvar brochures in color and in excellent condition. I would like to scan it and put i...

It seems to have no-name eyepieces, which I will look to replace with proper Periplans, either 10x or 12.5x. I've seen at least two different versions of the 10x, thebasic 18mm field of view and 20mm. Maybe even 22mm, though not sure about that one.

Thanks guys. Yeah, a peculiar detail in the setup. In the photo below one can barely see the 25x on the nosepiece, presumably without the thread adapter as the other two (a 4x and a 10x) are RMS and are also attached. The 10x is a star lens, so DIC compatible and it will be interesting to see whethe...

This objective seems to have thread adapter (maybe 25mm) on it, even though the other two that come with the scope (Labovert) do not have an adapter. Also, the Labovert is supposed to be RMS. I find this a bit strange. I won't have the scope in hand until some weeks from now, so the photos are all I...

Old thread but I am curious how it went with the darkfield experiment? It seems like strange omission by Olympus, not to have a factory-made option for this. After all, darkfield is very useful to have.

Thanks Macro_Cosmos, good tips!

The Labovert comes with a Leitz 10x/0.25 Plan star objective, which is DIC compatible according to what I have read. So, perhaps also this one will work with the one 25x DIC prism. This is of course just an extrapolation from owl capones experiences.

Supplemental condenser lenses lead double lives and end up in strange places. My best acquisition of a needed one was from ebay and came complete with it's 1.4 achromat aplanat condenser. I picked it up on a Sunday morning and had to wait a while because the seller who looked like Keith Moon, espec...

It appears you have the required componnents for DIC The Polarizer, Analyser and the objective prism for the 25X L on the slider. It appears the condenser has a matching prism for the 25x (S25) as well? If so, it is complete for DIC on that one objective. Also, in a Labovert brochure there was this...

Nope, maybe my phrasing was a bit too convoluted :D The thing in your third picture is the polarizer for the illumination side. In the Labovert the upper arm carries the illumination pathway as well as the image going into the head. You can see some of the internal layout in the patent https://pate...

Pete, Charlie & woodytia, thanks for the excellent suggestions! Looks like we have good choices.

I have a Fluovert with DIC/ICT working on the L25 Fluotar and L40 Fluotar. Afaik in this version the condensor only needs the single S25 (Schnittweite 25mm - 25mm working distance) prism and then the objective-side prism sliders for each respective objective. In practice you can also just use eithe...

The seller has then provided many photos of what looks like maybe two different prisms in the condenser turret. However, I can't verify what exactly the other prism(s) are, the seller isn't 'in the know', and, outside the red 'S 25', there are no other stickers/markings on the outer condenser turret...

It appears you have the required componnents for DIC The Polarizer, Analyser and the objective prism for the 25X L on the slider. It appears the condenser has a matching prism for the 25x (S25) as well? If so, it is complete for DIC on that one objective. Thanks Wayne, helpful as ever :-) Yes, the ...

More pics here:

Hello, Does anyone know what exactly look like the DIC/ICT system parts for a Labovert? I am considering a Leitz/Leica (it has both labels on it, so early 90ies I guess) Labovert that seems to have two of the necessary sliders (that go in below the nosepiece), a polarizer slide of some kind that slo...

I need to look up what a strew slide is. I saw some diatom arrangement slides on the web and they might be an option. Depends on how many slides we deem necessary, those things seem to be expensive.

The sand grain tip sounds great!

At my unit we are planning a optical microscopy course. One of the main topics in it would be different contrast techniques, their pros and cons and usage. This is relatively straightforward with stereo microscopes as one can easily use fresh pond/stream/other samples and demonstrate reflected, brig...

The Reichert Polyvar saga continues :) We found a scope in excellent condition for our university unit. It does not have the universal condenser but we can find that one later. The condenser it does have I am unfamiliar with but will get details later. The objectives were marked as polarization comp...

I am wondering about this polarization optic for the Polyvar, please see image below. It goes on the output of transmitted light at the foot of the microscope. I am thinking that it could be used for simple polarization with the universal condenser but I am not sure what else would be needed. Maybe ...

I am glad you found a solution! These old scopes sometimes require us to come up with some tricks. We are getting two additional IMT-2 units in the next few weeks. They are refurbished and come with phase equipment. It's finally time to replace those Soviet Union inverted scopes that have been in a ...

Here it is! https://imgur.com/a/v749xGr https://imgur.com/a/v749xGr I'm really about the darkfield base, adds an extra dimension to the experience. Very useful to check for dust as well in your prep. Now I'm wondering about the trinocular tube, how do I adapt a M43 camera to it? The camera port is ...

You have a nice scope in your hands there! I like the IMT-2 a lot. We have one in our unit and we use it mainly for teaching, plankton for the most part. It was originally equipped with phase and epi-fluorescence, although we never used the fluorescence system. Now I have equipped if for DIC and wil...

I think you might be able to find a Pl Apo for the Wild probably for around 300-400 euros, depending on condition. At least if you have time to wait on deals. If in a hurry, might cost double that. If I recall correctly, the WD for a 1x Pl Apo is around 40-50mm.