MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Zeiss jena stereos don't have the same optical reputation as Zeiss wests. Then again I've seen a lot of delaminated west zeiss stemis offered for sale which Jena microscopes don't struggle with to the same extent. The smz-2t is quite nice but 650 seems steep for one. Thr citoval is mpdular but that'...

Note there are two types of these nikon oem objectives. I don't think the exact difference has been nailed down (maybe different cover slip thicknesses?)

Due to regrettable historical naming conventions a 1" sensor is actually 9x12mm, much smaller than aps-c. The 'nikon mount' they reference is an old bayonet mount used on small-sensor industrial cameras which nobody uses anymore or even makes adapters for. I have one of these which I'm going to make...

There are cheap normal ones too, though the main guy listing them for 100 bucks doesn't have any at the moment. Maybe there will be more, maybe not.

With a 1x hrd adapter on my olympus szh it vignetted strongly. It is designed to cover a 1" sensor.
How you need to modify it depends on exactly which nikon head you have unfortunately. Some are easier than others.

300 doesn't seem like an amazing deal for one of these. Demand isn't very high, though then again niether is supply. I remember one for about 300 sat for a long time on eBay. Misalignment will usually be obvious and painful, but if it's subtle you might need to look at something flat and see how the...

Thr hrd adapters will not cover a dslr sensor. DI adapters to cover aps-c are ruinously expensive. Fortunately nikon objectives will natively cover aps-c (but not full frame) with no intermediate optics, which is the best solution for image coverage and quality as far as I have been abke to tell. Wi...

I would guess misalignment is the buggest thing like most stereos.
How cheap is it?

They have a mixed reputation. Most of what I hear is the optics are only OK and they don't ship well and repairing them after they break is impossible. I have recently seen some nice pictures tsken with one though. 300x might be technically possible with 30x eyepieces or something like that but is n...

Lite is almost worthless imo, it is crippled by removing basic features like manual touchup.

A spacer is also necessary for parrocality (at least with a canon dslr) but fortunately a standard Chinese one works well--I linked my thread about it above.

It isn't the same length but can be adapted with readily available parts.

You should include the Nikon optiphot/labophot line in your searches. Comparable to the bh2 and sometimes very cheap via surplus sellers.

There is no modern microscope that won't accept c mount cameras, though they may require an adapter. The swift likely has a 23mm eyepiece at the top meant to accept standard c mount adapters with reduction optics.

Yeah, with any ultrawide eydpieces you also need optics that can deliver a good image across that ultrawide field of view. That's a lot easier on a stereo microscope with lower magnifications and resolution, while it's usually a more specialized feature on compound objectives. I am not sure how far ...

The only difference should be how big the image you get is (as in, how much you can see--magnification is the same, but the bigger the field number the less of the available image is cropped off). 20mm is ok but about the bare minimum for a modern microscope. 22mm is going to be noticeably nicer, bu...

The big difference is that eyepieces magnify the image you already have, while the auxiliary lens is grabbing an inherently higher mag, higher resolution image. Practically speaking, a barlow lens is going to halve your working distance and double your resolution, while 20x eyepieces double mag but ...

Good, this is the simpler one.
Just to clarify, have you already opened it and examined the prisms? If not, you can try gently shaking it to see if a prism is rattling.
There are other failure modes, but this is by far the most common.

Depends what head is on there. If it's the simpler one they can sometimes be saved by opening them up, realigning the prism using the broken epoxy that previously held it like a puzzle piece and regluing. Plus side this is easy and not insanely expensive to replace thanks to modularity. Compatibilit...

This is probably the easiest solution https://www.ebay.com/itm/124336976571 Not sure if the swifts need eyepiece correcrions, if so they'll miss them with this setup. Either way it won't give 100% perfect results but it is fast, easy and should be at least OK. If you find you need better photos ther...

It widens your search when buying used. Soketimes Wilds come up cheap (especially the 10x/21c variant http://www.microbehunter.com/microscopy-forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=9554 ) , more oftrn Nikons do. Wild limited theirs to a 21mm field number but a wider field like 10x/23 will work so that is a poten...

It does vary from head to head--I think later Leica ones changed the depth at some point. But non-focusable nikon and wild oculars have been compatible in my experience, able to be adjusted to parfocality. Focusing Nikons on a Wild head designed for focusing ones were pretty close iirc, not quite pa...

You probably want 10x eyepieces to replace the 20xes but they aren't necessarily expensive to get. Nikon stereo eyepieces are compatible as well as some cheaper Chinese ones. A 0.4x aux is good for super wide fields of view and long working distance and would be a nice accessory to have, especially ...

I was sure it would be hard, especially when the person at the camera shop left my sensor streaky. But following the instructions carefully got me no more spots.

I did not find that to be the case. If you don't use more liquid than necessary it doesn't leave streaks, and a squeeze blower takes care of dust.

You caan sometimes get away with it on low powered objectives, rarely even see an improvement with a tube lens. Not so on high powered objectives where specs are tighter.

Usually a normal stand. Wild/leica bfdf stands are usually kind of expensive but deals do pop up sometimes.

In the US around 1000usd on eBay for a complete one, more if you need one right now, less if you're willing to make a riskier buy and assemble from parts. Cheapest option I see: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Wild-Heerbrugg-M8-Microscope-body-W-1X-PLAN-objective-Leica-/274568023730 You'd still need the bi...

The m8 is a tier higher than the m7. More sophisticated optics and a wider zoom ratio. The only better stereo Wild made was the rare M10. If you find a deal on a used m8 take it and run. I've bought a few m7s cheap over the years, but never owned an m8, cheap ones disappear fast. I do have the later...

B&L will always have a special place in my heart, since it was a stereozoom 7 that really got me excited about home microscopy. I recently got a balplan with the epi dic slider--I've been looking forward to getting it set up. It's currently sitting here without a lamp and with but a single moldy mic...