Search found 336 matches

by Tom Jones
Tue Feb 27, 2024 7:06 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Olympus BH2 versus BX series..how does one decide?
Replies: 6
Views: 624

Re: Olympus BH2 versus BX series..how does one decide?

What PeteM said. In addition, the BX series is much more substantial size-wise than the BH-2, more along the lines of a slightly larger BHS. They are however, narrower in the front so your arms have more room on the bench. The BX-40s have 30 watt lamps where the BH-2s have 20 watts. Both the BHS and...
by Tom Jones
Wed Feb 07, 2024 3:49 pm
Forum: For forum members who want to buy and sell equipment
Topic: WTB: Olympus BH2-AN Analyser for DIC
Replies: 21
Views: 1778

Re: WTB: Olympus BH2-AN Analyser for DIC

The shaft is bent a little. If you look at the video you'll see it work as it should. And they open up just fine. Use a JIS screw driver though so you don't damage the screws. I opened one up I had bought last year to replace a clip that was missing on the end of that shaft. I don't remember how dif...
by Tom Jones
Wed Feb 07, 2024 3:15 am
Forum: For forum members who want to buy and sell equipment
Topic: WTB: Olympus BH2-AN Analyser for DIC
Replies: 21
Views: 1778

Re: WTB: Olympus BH2-AN Analyser for DIC

This just came up. A bit pricy, but given how rare they are...

https://www.ebay.com/itm/186288985596
by Tom Jones
Sat Feb 03, 2024 1:58 am
Forum: My microscope
Topic: AO 160
Replies: 10
Views: 1271

Re: AO 160

That floating/grease/glide stage (the real name I think) is wonderful. I didn't know they existed until I found them on some AO Sixties I bought to rehab for a school. They make life a lot easier for students (and the rest of us) to move the slide by grabbing something other than just the slide. Mov...
by Tom Jones
Fri Feb 02, 2024 3:46 pm
Forum: For forum members who want to buy and sell equipment
Topic: Laminar flow equipment
Replies: 4
Views: 625

Re: Laminar flow equipment

Make sure you're sterile technique is up to speed. Tissue culture is pretty unforgiving when it comes to viral or bacterial contamination.
by Tom Jones
Wed Jan 24, 2024 2:54 am
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: Plastic cover slips?
Replies: 6
Views: 997

Re: Plastic cover slips?

Uh, NO! :shock: :shock: :shock: Do you use plastic lensed objectives? :cry: Or eyepieces? :cry: Why spend good money for nice objectives then stick cheap plastic between them and the specimen? :o :o Plastic coverslips are made for schools where the kids don't yet have the dexterity to use glass cove...
by Tom Jones
Sat Jan 20, 2024 8:02 pm
Forum: Microscopy accessories
Topic: Mystery Nikon Magnifier
Replies: 8
Views: 1122

Re: Mystery Nikon Magnifier

I have one of the Olympus ones (U-FT) I use for aligning BH-2s, but I think their original use was as a focusing aid for the film camera modules.
by Tom Jones
Sat Jan 20, 2024 3:39 am
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: How can I clean a concave lens?
Replies: 5
Views: 758

Re: How can I clean a concave lens?

I second what apo said. I've cleaned lots of objectives that way. Perfectly safe as long as you do it gently.
by Tom Jones
Thu Dec 21, 2023 1:54 am
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: Best size objective for Pond life?
Replies: 36
Views: 57034

Re: Best size objective for Pond life?

I agree that a 20x is highly valuable for pond life. I consider it a must have, and generally more useful and less trouble than a 100x oil. I have a 20x on every microscope I own that isn't an antique display scope. All of my outreach scopes have them as well. I even have mag changers on my BX serie...
by Tom Jones
Sat Nov 11, 2023 2:18 am
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Does anyone know the backfocal distance of the Swift M10T microscope?
Replies: 5
Views: 1117

Re: Does anyone know the backfocal distance of the Swift M10T microscope?

I actually didn't mean anything. It was just the first item in a quick Google search...
by Tom Jones
Fri Nov 10, 2023 11:20 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Magnification of the NFK eyepiece in the Olympus BH-2 system
Replies: 15
Views: 3770

Re: Magnification of the NFK eyepiece in the Olympus BH-2 system

My main problems are chromatic aberration and depth of field. I'm very far from seeing the round image because cropping is like 80%... If you want a round image, you will need to shoot through the eyepiece afocally. That's what it's called when you shoot through the eyepiece like you look through i...
by Tom Jones
Fri Nov 10, 2023 3:55 am
Forum: Illumination Techniques
Topic: Polarization analyzer being used without polarization on the condenser, what would happen?
Replies: 8
Views: 1450

Re: Polarization analyzer being used without polarization on the condenser, what would happen?

I used to work in a clinical lab where the urinalysis microscope, a Nikon Labophot 2, had an analyzer mounted at the base of the binocular head. That meant that all we had to do to check crystals for birefringence was to put the polarizer over the light output port. It worked pretty well and was bar...
by Tom Jones
Tue Nov 07, 2023 3:58 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Magnification of the NFK eyepiece in the Olympus BH-2 system
Replies: 15
Views: 3770

Re: Magnification of the NFK eyepiece in the Olympus BH-2 system

The U-PMTVC is actually for the BX series, but does a nice stand-in for the BH-2 Series MTV-3. The U-PMTVC has an adjustment for parfocality and the MTV-3 does not. The both have the 0.3x reduction lens as they were designed for C-mount cameras. I use the U-PMTVC and a 3.3x NFK projection lens for m...
by Tom Jones
Sat Nov 04, 2023 10:59 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Is a 2x objective worth having?
Replies: 11
Views: 5322

Re: Is a 2x objective having?

What are you looking at? A 2x is is a scanning lens generally, and often in tissue pathology. I would much prefer a 20x, particularly with protozoa and the like.
by Tom Jones
Mon Oct 30, 2023 10:04 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Budget camera options for Olympus BX40 - please help
Replies: 9
Views: 3191

Re: Budget camera options for Olympus BX40 - please help

The iPhone, or other cell phone, will be fine: http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artapr16/tj-cell-phone-photomicro.pdf The maximum resolution you'll get out of dried, wright's stained, blood films will be less than the microscope is capable of, and probably less than you camera is capable of as we...
by Tom Jones
Sat Oct 28, 2023 10:55 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Why a 50x OIL objective?
Replies: 4
Views: 1162

Re: Why a 50x OIL objective?

Hematology. Also gram stains in clinical microbiology. And higher N.A. Going from 40x dry to 100x and back, you will likely cover the tip of the 40x with oil necessitating cleaning before further use. With a 40x oil, or more commonly 50x oil, you can go back and forth while doing a diff without gett...
by Tom Jones
Thu Oct 26, 2023 6:16 am
Forum: Illumination Techniques
Topic: Phase eyepiece/telescope
Replies: 15
Views: 2721

Re: Phase eyepiece/telescope

A centering/phase telescope. You can do a reasonable job without one, just by looking down the eyepiece tube, but the centering/phase telescope makes it much easier and much more accurate. I thought they were important enough I bought three to go with three surplus Zeiss Standard 14 phase scopes I r...
by Tom Jones
Sat Oct 14, 2023 2:45 pm
Forum: Illumination Techniques
Topic: Interchangeable DIC prisms (shear values for different manufacturers)
Replies: 11
Views: 6242

Re: Interchangeable DIC prisms (shear values for different manufacturers)

Good luck finding the shear values. I've only seen a few for the UIS Olympus objectives, and those had been determined by the researchers who wrote the book. Those tend to be rather jealously guarded secrets. Edit - the post above lists the only ones I've ever seen. And those are not from the manufa...
by Tom Jones
Fri Oct 13, 2023 3:23 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Quick adaptor advice- Olympus EHT trinocular + Canon 1000D parfocality adaptors?
Replies: 10
Views: 2876

Re: Quick adaptor advice- Olympus EHT trinocular + Canon 1000D parfocality adaptors?

Was this you?https://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/ar ... omicro.pdf Yes, that's the article I wrote. Looking a bit farther, it seems your 1000D doesn't have HDMI output, only USB, so you'll need a computer connection. And that resolution is 768x512 pixels, so the 4K I mentioned is only useful when ...
by Tom Jones
Fri Oct 13, 2023 3:37 am
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Quick adaptor advice- Olympus EHT trinocular + Canon 1000D parfocality adaptors?
Replies: 10
Views: 2876

Re: Quick adaptor advice- Olympus EHT trinocular + Canon 1000D parfocality adaptors?

Actually, there is no way to get an identical field of view between the camera and the eyepieces. The eyepiece view is round, and the outer edges, probably about a third, of the image are generally not quite as nice as the center two thirds. That's why cameras usually crop the image in from the edge...
by Tom Jones
Tue Sep 26, 2023 2:59 pm
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: Unable to clean residue from objective lens
Replies: 11
Views: 2691

Re: Unable to clean residue from objective lens

Dish soap I use roughly 2 drops/50ml of water.
by Tom Jones
Tue Sep 26, 2023 4:19 am
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: Unable to clean residue from objective lens
Replies: 11
Views: 2691

Re: Unable to clean residue from objective lens

Try a drop or two of dish detergent in 50ml or so of water. If the residue on the objective is organic, like a body fluid if it was used clinically, that should take it off nicely when the alcohol won't. If that fails I've used acetone, just don't flood it or leave it on very long to prevent damage ...
by Tom Jones
Mon Sep 18, 2023 7:27 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Freeing Slideways that are frozen.
Replies: 9
Views: 2891

Re: Freeing Slideways that are frozen.

I'm with PeteM. Heat it up. I've freed up a lot of parts of microscopes from slide holders to eyepiece threads, focus dove tails, gears, bearings and the like. Adding heat helps penetrating oil loosen the rock hard grease and can actually melt the grease. The grease gets so hard penetrating oil by i...
by Tom Jones
Mon Sep 18, 2023 7:19 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Olympus BH2 Trinocular head damaged
Replies: 3
Views: 865

Re: Olympus BH2 Trinocular head damaged

If it was listed as used, send it back as with a crack it's not fully functional and "as described". The light path selection slider controls the distribution of light between the eyepieces and the camera head. The prisms that move with the slider position are what directs the proper amount of ligh...
by Tom Jones
Sat Sep 16, 2023 2:25 am
Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
Topic: Practical applications
Replies: 8
Views: 1879

Re: Practical applications

Hospital labs for 40 years. :ugeek: Hemocytometer blood cell counts, platelet counts. Stained WBC differentials including malignant cell ID, Body fluid hemocytometer cell counts and differentials including malignant cell ID using stained slides. Blood bank to identify clumping in crossmatch or antib...
by Tom Jones
Sun Sep 10, 2023 1:34 am
Forum: For forum members who want to buy and sell equipment
Topic: Stage Leveling Tool
Replies: 9
Views: 16689

Re: Stage Leveling Tool

I like it!
by Tom Jones
Mon Sep 04, 2023 4:54 pm
Forum: For forum members who want to buy and sell equipment
Topic: Stage Leveling Tool
Replies: 9
Views: 16689

Re: Stage Leveling Tool

I've never seen one, but perhaps something like this could be adapted using a modified objective, filled and bored out or drilled to hold the shaft? Even one dial indicator would work fine as long as you can rotate the shaft. Another thought would be a small machinist's square laid along the side of...
by Tom Jones
Sat Sep 02, 2023 1:07 pm
Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
Topic: How best to clean slides for thin blood smears ??
Replies: 7
Views: 16391

Re: How best to clean slides for thin blood smears ??

Clinical labs use new slides straight out of the box and essentially never get fish eyes. If we get a box where they stick together, it just goes into the trash, even if we're just doing urinalysis. We could never afford the time necessary to clean them, or deal with needing to clean them. And now w...
by Tom Jones
Wed Aug 09, 2023 3:31 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Field Microscope Collection
Replies: 10
Views: 1926

Re: Field Microscope Collection

The Protami took more than two years to find. The Metami took even longer.