MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Two years ago I went on a binge buying microscopes for watchmakers. I bought AO 570s and Stereozoom 7s. The SZ7 is too much scope for watchmakers. All the scopes I get are correctly aligned and parfocal. I am also getting ready to move this summer. I have SZ 7s with the translume stand and rotating ...

Thank you. I am asking about the charges from a repair shop that disassembles and lubes and checks alignments. I understand any alignment/repairs needed would be an additional cost. For example, my website states costs very clearly for various timepiece services excluding needed parts. After 30 year...

What is the typical cost of servicing (No parts) a B&L SZ7, AO 570 and AO 580?

I am thinking of seeing if I can tell a difference.

Thanks

Regards,

Dewey

Apochronaut and Scarodactyl Thank you very much. I just checked the 145s vs. 31 15 81s. No difference I can detect and they are parfocal with each other. I will stick with the B&Ls because the 145s I have are not threaded for a reticle and the retainer is not present. Oh, one thing I can contribute....

They are 31-15-81s. They are the pair that had the reticle I could calibrate. Do you have a suggestion? Thanks!

You are correct, I got the number wrong. Coax illum. Anyway, what about those windows behind the access plate? How critical are they? How to adjust? As it is, I just set it up at the small machine bench with the lamp bracket hung underneath the body bracket on the boom. Should work fine. But if anyo...

I am a watchmaker and use scopes extensively in my work. Since my interest is not really microscopes or biological (even though I am a MD Master Naturalist; but on a macro scale) I do not have much to offer. But you guys have been very generous. I have a new to me AO 580 which I may use over my watc...

I did figure out how to collimate it. Made a small aperture disc that slid into the bore. Rotated prism housing to bring a precentered (mechanically) target to get the horizontal axis centered. Then saw the screws on the inside of the casting that thread into a plate (one missing). Brought the apert...

Egg on face. &>)

Goes to show what changes when you have it right. I was hand holding it before. Attached are photos of how it is used and the post mount I machined. It is a 40mm W.D. (Fl?). About 1/2 of my Titan which it far more acceptable for setting for gutting gears and pinions. I have to make the reticle cell ...

You would ask me that. Glass??? Seriously no markings, but it is heavier than a normal 10X eyepiece. Almost as heavy as my AO/Reichert 15X utlrawides. So a lot is going on in there. Yes, field flatness is essential. You are really helping me avoid some costly experiments. I CAN live with the W.D. gi...

So if I want more room, I should go with the 40MM? Thanks!

Thank you for the quick responses. Here are two pics. The tube length itself is 90 mm with an added 40mm to the prism. I like this unit because it is so compact ( I use a lathe centering scope mainly on the lathe to line up pinion cutters). I do have a 3 inch working distance Moore(Titan) but it tak...

I use several stereo zoom scopes in my work and I understand how those optics work. I recently purchased a B&L centering scope (for lining up work in machines) and the objective is marked 32mm .01. This gives me a very short working distance (maybe 5mm) which is good for some setups, but I would lik...

Thank you for all the help and encouragement to now own 3 different stereo zooms for different purposes (SMZ-1b on boom for bench work (often use .75 or .5 aux. lens), SZ 7 for inspection and a Reichert (AO) 570 on boom for lathe work). I am surprised at how little these can be purchased for and the...

I am a watchmaker and have 3 different scopes at 3 different workstations. AO 570 on boom for micromachining, B&L SZ7 w/ 31-15-74s for inspection and micro-photographs (love Toupek!) and a Nikon SMZ 1B on boom w/ .5x Barlow for use at the bench. (Amazing what you can buy on ebay if you are patient; ...

Thanks all; this has been most useful. Disappointed my Amscopes may fall apart in time; will not hurry to sell the Olympus eyepieces. I really do like the image from the Amscopes though. I use the 570 for turning between centers and the SMZ1B at the bench for assembly/disassembly with a .5x barlow. ...

Ok. Here is what I found and like. I purchased a pair of Olympus 10X22 eyepieces and a a pair of Amscope 10x Extra widefield (NA measures 25MM). I will be using the Amscope. Very bright and high contrast; plus the EP is much better than the Olympus. Paid $75 for the Olympus, $29 for the Amscope. Bot...

Bill's reply answers the question. 30mm oculars are not all beefed up 23 mm oculars. Thanks Bill. I did just find a pair of Olympus that use a thin wall tube and do not appear to be field stopped. FWIW, as a photographer, I fully understand "sweet spots" of a lens. I never understood why people sold...

Yet, the Nikon 30mm occulars I have are field stopped to 23mm. Hence my question. Are all 30mm occulars really just 23mm occulars in a larger case? The Nikon occulars I have are machined from the solid (except for the cell cap). Seat for the lens cell; 30mm mounting OD, with a through bore for the l...

Of course. But the more light allowed through the occular, the brighter the real image formed on the retina. No different from using a 2 inch focuser/eyepiece on a 6 inch refractor rather than an 1.25 inch focuser/eyepiece. The 2 inch will always yield an image with greater brightness and contrast. ...

I appreciate your reply; but I thought NA is more related to field of view. Like a camera lens aperture (f stop), the tube size and or field stops determine who much light hits the lens. This results in a brighter image with more contrast. But, if 30mm tube size oculars are nothing more than a 23 mm...

I am a watchmaker with cataracts (soon to be fixed) and I bought a Nikon SMZ thinking the 30mm tubes would provide greater light gathering than my 23mm tube AO 570. I was losing edges when using a 10X loupe or even the AO for turning. While I know this will be fixed, I might as well have the best im...