MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

The other darkfield option is generally a paraboloid or cardioid condenser. Is the cx31 abbe condenser permanently fixed?

I looked at the Bausch and Lomb catalog from 1959 for an equivalent scope to the one I bought for $50. It is listed as costing $710, or adjusted for inflation, about $6,300. It might well be again as much for the additional eyepieces and fancy objectives, paraboloid condenser I found here and there ...

We wouldn't call it microbe hunting if they came to you!

A note about the cover glass I see you are on Amazon looking at some stain you might see the box of Amscope cover slips-- really cheap and convenient. I think Nikon uses #1.5 slides at about .17 mm. The Amscope cover glass are frequently much thinner, like .12 mm. This probably works but will cause ...

I got a used one because taking apart machines, cleaning them, oiling and greasing them, and putting them back together in precisely the same way is a pretty fun and diverting part of the hobby. Doing research on old parts is also an interesting way to get some historical background on the field. Th...

Oh gosh I didn't even think of a microscope becoming bricked with an OS deprecation. Sounds like a nightmare.

Here is a question from someone that's only ever used old 'scopes: what would be the limiting factor in the lifespan of a new microscope?

You can do the same thing with a non-flip condenser by unscrewing the top lens for lower power obj. I guess the manufacturers noticed this behavior and saw an opportunity to market the convenience of not having to do that.

flip it down for the 4x and 10x. Flip it up for the 20 and 40x.

Not too much of a shame as I am sure you will perfect re-lamination techniques, restoring the scope to even better than new and able to pass your experiences along.

Actually, according to the handbook of Ellipsometry (2005) p 304 from somewhat dubious source here http://optics.sgu.ru/~ulianov/Students/Books/Applied_Optics/Handbook%20of%20ellipsometry%20(2005).pdf it appears that the normal plane of c is tangential to the obtuse vertex and the optical axis c goe...

so on the crystal there are two vertices that have all obtuse angles, the optical axis is I think tangential to these vertices.

If this is like a big version of my sample, were the c axis an arrow it would Pierce the big flat side at nearly a 45 deg angle, but I would have to check again to see which side would be tilted which way

Also, from the same booklet:

the excellent rhomboidal cleavage which is orientated 44.6 degrees from the optic axis

So if your calcite is in its natural state with easily observed cleavage, you tilt it about 45 degrees.

If you want a rough starting point you can draw an "X" on a white card and position it so that you can't see any doubling then you're either looking down the optical axis or down the plane normal to the optical axis. You can check which by holding up a polarizing filter up to your computer monitor s...

Thanks fellows. As you might be able to tell from my username, Ross, I am also interested in soil microbes, although more from a natural history point of view. I thought to myself several years ago that I should become familiar with all the plants and animals in my backyard and I have a long way to ...

Hello everyone I was convinced to register after I saw that someone here was thinking of grinding some raw calcite to make some Nomarski prisms and I was thinking about the exact thing a few days ago. Anyway, the microscope I have been using is a little interesting. It's a Bausch and Lomb Dynoptic. ...