MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Will looking around the garden for subjects I came across a plant with a few plant lice on. I found the proboscis interesting but it turned out to be a difficult image to capture as the background to the proboscis in my mount was the body of the Aphid. I had to get the light right and then make sure...

After many pollen images something a bit different.

Moss leaf, 20x objective, DF illumination, 51 image stack.



Thanks for looking,
Rudi

Ran some numbers through the price calculator - the cutoff seems to be 29Kg At that weight the charge is $459, using Priority Mail Express International when you go over (to 30Kg) it jumps to $1036 as your only option is Global Express Guaranteed. So how much does a 820 actually weigh? Note: Came a...

Insane shipping costs. Just for fun I checked from Sweden to South Africa. I tried 35 Kg, box that is 40x40x30 cm (big enough to fit a microtome) and was quoted 3020 SEK which equals to US $320. Promised delivery in three days (!) Just as a comparison... Weird why shipping from US should be more ex...

Insane shipping costs. Just for fun I checked from Sweden to South Africa. I tried 35 Kg, box that is 40x40x30 cm (big enough to fit a microtome) and was quoted 3020 SEK which equals to US $320. Promised delivery in three days (!) Just as a comparison... Weird why shipping from US should be more ex...

Among the many 820's I can find on eBay I have found 2 that will ship to South Africa, in one case the shipping is $1850, via USPS and the second quote was for $2250. The variation is somewhat surprising as is the high cost of both quotes. Have you tried pricing USPS shipping yourself? If you can p...

That is a replica of a Spencer/American Optical 820. Perhaps one the most classic rotary microtome. I have one myself and they are really good. However, I would rather buy a used original spencer 820 in good condition than to trust a replica. Perhaps they are great, perhaps they are not. I bought a...

Hi everyone. I am looking at acquiring a Microtome, rotary most likely. There are many options on eBay but in most cases shipping is really expensive. Some of the cheaper and faster shipping options are from places like India, mostly for new equipment. Would something like this: http://www.ebay.com/...

Interesting image, does look a bit ghostly

Thanks for sharing!
Rudi

Hi Rudi, Thanks for sharing your photos of pollen.. I find them very interesting.. BillT Thanks BillT and pleasure! I just switched over to a 100x oil to take some more detailed images, as the pollen moved into focus all went black, power failure! Welcome to Dark Africa, hope it does not last long ...

Hi Everyone. A quick trip around the garden this afternoon produced this pollen sample. - Clerodendrum splendens (Flaming glorybower) a native to western Africa, is a woody or semi-woody evergreen vine or running shrub to 12 ft long, that climbs by twining. The leaves are oval, to 7 in long, and arr...

I forgot to mention: obviously, camera imaging is more sensitive to vibration - you may not see vibration during visual viewing or magnified live view, but it can still make images not sharp. But I am sure Rudi has the basics covered. I mentioned vibration, as some small basic BHMJ models with pole...

Stunning!

Thanks for sharing,
Rudi

Sometimes art is more important than science

Love the rings, thanks for sharing!
Rudi

Rudi, I meant vibration while viewing through the scope. You may have that at 40x and up, if base is not stable enough. A few of my mineral samples are 40 mm thick. I like viewing them with 1x objective. Photographing is better done with macro lens at that magnification, I agree. Aha, ok, will look...

Not that you shouldn't get a incident based light microscope or anything but (just in case you didn't know and apologies if you do) you can view small objects via reflected light without a dedicated microscope. I do. I just use various lamps/goose neck things to light my subjects. I'm not saying th...

With a bit more reading I figured out what the "L" in the name stands for. It denotes the "large" stand with the additional illuminator and condenser below the stage as apposed to the smaller model with a stand that looks like a stereo scope stage. It is the one on the left in the photo from the man...

You may need to mass load the base, before putting on a 100x. Look at a loose diatom with your M40x and see if there is much vibration. For thick and big minerals, say at 40 mm thick, you may need a 1x objective with SHORT working distance (if you need 1x objective at all). Or your pole height may ...

Looking through the semi-transparent wall inside the stamen at the pollen forming.

Plumbago auriculata, 60x objective, 51 image stack.




Thanks for looking,
Rudi

RudiV- your photos are spectacular. How did you connect your microscope- the Amscope T690C-PL to your cameras? Your comments lean toward practicing rather than purchasing, which brings up another question- how to make things sharper and brighter. I've played with the camera (EOS and speed), the lig...

Hi everyone. I have been looking for a reflected light compound microscope for a while, the plan is to use it for small non transparent objects like tiny insects and maybe some minerals, fossils and micro meteorites. It will also be used for a bit of metallurgical work mostly looking for fatigue in ...

Revisiting my Plumbago pollen slide I liked this view of the stamen showing the grains of pollen forming inside.

Plumbago auriculata stamen, 20x objective, 32 image stack, DF illumination.



Thanks for looking,
Rudi

Rudi's recent awesome pollen shots inspired me to do some pollen viewing too :D This is the pollen of a Morning-glory flower, 40x objective 12image stack. PollenMorningGlory.jpg Great image and stack Johann! Lots of detail. I think pollen can become a very interesting field of study. Regards, Rudi

zzffnn, my preposition is to make a threaded ring that raises the top lens to a much more reachable height. It'll fit between where you would normally put the top lens and acts as a height increaser. I don't think just raising the top lens is a good solution as you then change the distance between ...

Thank you, Rudi, for your honest and detailed answer. I wonder what test slides (targets) you used? Have you tried a Klaus Kemp 8 form (diatom) slide? Camera pixel peeping should be sensitive enough, when used with a good test target. Hi zzffnn. I have used a few different slides, looking for subje...

My photos come out dark and poorly focused. I don't know if it's incompetence on my part or the inexpensive adapter from I bought from Amazon, (AmScope CA-CAN-NIK-OLY-SLR-II Canon and Nikon SLR). Would it make a huge difference if I bought a good system- lens adapter, camera adapter, and photo eyep...

I took an early walk in my garden, while it was still cool and fresh, too look for subjects to examine under the microscope. My indigenous garden never fails to disappoint and produced enough subjects to keep me busy. Here is another in the pollen series, this time pollen from a grass, Guinea grass ...

You are building quite a stable there. Nice. CE This addiction is bad..... :D Rudi How do the two scopes compare in image quality? How much difference do the Olympus objectives make? Just curious, thanks! That is a very good question, and one that I wanted to check for myself after many people told...

Thanks everyone! Yes, the scope seems to be fine and the camera setup was easy as was worried since I have not setup a camera on a finite system before but it turned out to be a non event. I am enjoying playing with the 3D effect, the Olympus turret condenser allows for lots of experimentation. Here...

Hi everyone. Testing a new (to me) Olympus CH30RF with DPlan 160 objectives. It seems to be working well after a decent clean and re-grease. Plumbago auriculata pollen, mounted in glycerin jelly. Olympus 40x DPlan objective, 32 image stack. https://c1.staticflickr.com/3/2857/33337755592_319c5181fb_z...