MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Unfortunately I didn’t get any responses to my original posting. I’d originally had great hopes for using the beam splitter at outreach events, but I’m now considering returning the faulty unit to the vendor and trying to find another one. In other respects it is in near mint condition and I could u...

I recently purchased this Zeiss 3 Way Beam Splitter with drawing attachment (part 47 30 51). The plan was to use it in outreach with cameras and the drawing attachment. It appeared to be in pristine condition externally and the vendor had described the optics as excellent. When I use it in straight-...

Doron, I was going to reply by saying that it only had the BF iris as I've only ever used phase condensers where there is only one and none were visible on other windows, but your question prompted me to look more closely at the DIC windows. Initially I could see no sign of irises there either but a...

Buoyed by the success with freeing the phase condenser I decided to try freeing the aperture on a Zeiss DIC/Phase/BF. But on this unit the iris leaves are fully open and any adjustment is impossible. It is almost as though the aperture was locked in the open, could this be the case? If so how can it...

Doron and Bob, thanks for the tip. I tried it with Camping fuel (Naphtha) and it solved the problem immediately. Thanks.
Michael

The bright field aperture adjustment on my Zeiss Standard phase condenser is extremely stiff, more so at the open end position of its travel than the closed position. I have tried loosening it by repeated back/forth movement and while this helped initially it wasn't sufficient. I found posts and lin...

Missing image

I found this Arcella in a pond sample. A couple of pseudopods are visible below the teat but there is also this prominent "veil". Could this be a part of the Arcella or its target? The test itself is 82 micron across and the "veil" is 290 microns in length, (20x SPlan, 0.46).
Thanks
Michael

I’ve been asked to help a local marine citizen science group involved in counting eggs from forage fish (sand lances etc). I’ll be preparing calibrated images to assist in training their new volunteers. I would like to also explore staining of the eggs to enhance visibility against the fine sand bac...

I have the following items for sale, they comprise the components needed to add a pair of binocular heads to a standard BH2. The oculars are the L and the LH pairs, all are Widefield, and one is also High Eyepoint. They have been used carefully as teaching tools in the office of a pathologist. I wou...

Thanks for these responses to my question, It was especially useful to hear the concern raised about the M100 in this application, the missing features are important ones for my applications. Other ideas are still welcome of course!
Michael

I've been lucky enough to acquire a Zeiss W.Germany long TV tube (47-79-01-990)1 with the C-mount adapter to attach to my C.Z. Standard WL. When coupled to an APS-C camera with an adapter it projects a full FOV to the camera sensor, ideal when used for outreach. To make full use of this new acquisit...

Just returned from a day at the Pender Harbour (BC), Seaweed and Mushroom Festival. People were using the dissecting scopes to examine the mushrooms and seaweeds and I was showing the amazing variety of forms and types of spores using my CZ Standard WL. There were literally hundreds of mushroom vari...

Thanks everyone for the helpful replies. I had not considered absorbing the stains onto suitable materials for solid disposal but I think that’s the way I will go. The vermiculite suggested by Doron is what I intend to try first. I’m only simple exploring plant sections so I won’t be dabbling in the...

I wonder how other amateur microscopists manage stain disposal? What are the protocols? My lab is my office and it has no sink or running water. Our waste water goes to a community septic system. I will soon start using plant stains including safranin, toluidine, meth. blue, eosin and I'd like to se...

I’ve decided to sell a couple of the objectives and a photo-eyepiece that came with my BH2 that I rarely (or never) use. I need “hobby funds” to invest in an NFK 1.67x photo eyepiece. I’d also be prepared to negotiate an exchange though. Olympus LWD CPlan 40/0.55 0.7-1.3 Olympus DPlan Apo 40/0.85 UV...

I subsequently found several more of these organisms, here is one in Bright field at 40x. I'm still not sure what I'm looking at though.
Michael

Found in garden pond. Objective was 10x SPlan phase low, imaged on Canon D60a afocal setup. The object in the image was 110um long and 20um at the narrowest point.
The shape makes me think pennate diatom, the sample had lots, but this one was different and I see no signs of a raphe.
Thanks
Michael

Olympus make a range of LWD and ULWD objectives for use with inverted brightfield microscopes. The 40x have working distances of 2 and 7 mm respectively and work with DIC. Pricey though! See page 12 in this manual on Alan Woods' site. http://www.alanwood.net/downloads/olympus-lb-objectives.pdf Michael

I tried projecting an image directly onto the sensor of a hand-held DSLR and got a shaky but respectable image. I'll try to arrange a fixed support for the camera and post the images.

Thanks everyone for all the detective work in answer to my query!

michael

So if it's a photo-compensating eyepiece does this mean that it is also a projection eyepiece and so could be used for direct projection to a sensor? If not then what is its advantage over a regular KPL? I always understood that Kpl eyepieces were fully compensated and could be used for AFocal photo...

I came across this eyepiece recently. What is the purpose of the 10 to Infinity scale? Is it a dioptre adjustment?
It functions normally as an 23mm eyepiece.
Thanks
Michael

The unit is 13.5 cm in length and carries no makers information, at least none visible externally. It projects a respectable image onto a screen at roughly 4cm from the edge of the c –mount, I haven't tried measuring this precisely yet. Since a brand name is absent, I don’t expect that it incorporat...

Can anyone identify this item? It appears to be a projection eyepiece with a c mount adapter at one end, a lens at the other and an internal lens that can be moved up or down the tube and locked in place. The barrel fits a 23mm eyepiece tube and it does project a real image.
Thanks
Michael

I've added a picture taken from the side that shows the mounting keyway to assist in identification.

Yes ImperatorRex I had noticed the very nice (and pricey) multi-immersion objective and it works as advertised when mounted on my Standard.

Michael

I came across this item in an estate collection, it seems to be brand shiny new. Can anyone tell me which microscope model this nosepiece is for? It looks very like a Zeiss design but the mounting rails are too narrow to fit the Zeiss Standard range.
Thanks
Michael

I am in the process of assembling a Zeiss Standard WL - Black. I am currently looking for a matching Trinoc head and a matching Optovar unit for reasonable prices. Can anyone suggest potential sources?
I am located in Canada.
Thanks

Michael

I recently invested in this device and I'm very happy with it. The casing is customised for each phone model and it comes with a 10x lens installed making the installation as simple as changing an eyepiece. The unit comes with a set of adapters for different tube widths, including telescopes. https:...

I have now been fortunate to locate some parts taken from a Standard GFL, they included a regular, rather stiff, phase condenser and an aligned nose-piece. As a result I now have a fully operational Standard WL(Black) carrying the following: CZ Plan 2.5x/0.08 CZ Neofluar 16x/0.4 Ph2 CZ Plan 25x/ 0.4...

It does appears that I have 2 auxiliary lenses 75RR. The lower swing out filter holder had been modified to carry both a filter and a lower auxiliary lens by adding a short (~10mm) extension tube secured with a with locking ring. A very nice job.
Thanks
Michael