Search found 336 matches

by Tom Jones
Fri Sep 30, 2022 7:37 pm
Forum: Identification help
Topic: Fluke (But What Type?)
Replies: 4
Views: 1175

Re: Fluke (But What Type?)

Debris. Not a fluke. Last image doesn't look like an egg either. Human parasitology isn't for amateurs. I'd pick other specimens if I were you. Or, consult this from the American Society for Microbiology: https://www.amazon.com/Practical-Guide-Diagnostic-Parasitology-Books/dp/1683670396 Lynn Garcia ...
by Tom Jones
Wed Sep 21, 2022 3:33 am
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: Plankton sample
Replies: 18
Views: 2850

Re: Plankton sample

Very nice! :D :D
by Tom Jones
Sun Sep 18, 2022 4:07 pm
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: full frame dslr on which microscope?
Replies: 12
Views: 2899

Re: full frame dslr on which microscope?

Remember, for years, before the advent of CCD and CMOS cameras, film was the only way to record microscopy images. All of the major manufacturers have systems that would project from 35mm up to 4x5. So, yes, you can get systems that cover your 35mm frame. I don't know about the Chinese scopes, but I...
by Tom Jones
Fri Sep 16, 2022 3:32 am
Forum: Miscellaneous
Topic: transport of a heavy microscope - how to handle it?
Replies: 18
Views: 5963

Re: transport of a heavy microscope - how to handle it?

I assume you have a DIY workshop?
That I do. Not as complete as I'd like, but whose is? :roll:
by Tom Jones
Mon Sep 12, 2022 3:27 am
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: medical student help deciding on an Olympus model please
Replies: 9
Views: 2233

Re: medical student help deciding on an Olympus model please

You will need specific phase contrast objectives, The condenser alone is not enough. An offset phase ring will give you pretty nice oblique contrast which sometimes can show as much and be more pleasant than phase. Be aware too, that unless the labs you normally work with use phase contrast for urin...
by Tom Jones
Sat Sep 10, 2022 9:06 pm
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: medical student help deciding on an Olympus model please
Replies: 9
Views: 2233

Re: medical student help deciding on an Olympus model please

A BH2 will serve you nicely. I used one in a clinical lab for 20 years or so. All of the extras you mention are readily available. DPlans are quite nice with really flat fields, SPlans are even nicer, but generally overkill clinically. A couple of things though. I've never seen anyone use phase for ...
by Tom Jones
Tue Aug 30, 2022 3:24 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Restoring an Olympus IMT-2
Replies: 10
Views: 1817

Re: Restoring an Olympus IMT-2

Third camera option is to replace the IMT binoc head with a BH-2 Trinoc, add the appropriate projection lens and adapters for your camera and frame size, then utilize that just like it was a BH-2.
by Tom Jones
Wed Aug 24, 2022 7:05 pm
Forum: Miscellaneous
Topic: Olympus nearing deal to sell microscope unit for more than US$2 billion: Sources
Replies: 8
Views: 1826

Re: Olympus nearing deal to sell microscope unit for more than US$2 billion: Sources

Silly me, I just thought Evident was just a stupid corporate name change. I hadn't heard about the company being up for sale. PeteM's right. These things rarely go well for anyone other than the private equity firm. I'm betting customer service gets cut, middle management gets cut, R&D gets cut, off...
by Tom Jones
Wed Aug 24, 2022 2:43 am
Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
Topic: Slide Storage
Replies: 5
Views: 1985

Re: Slide Storage

Pathology always stores their slides vertically, slide to slide without spacing. And they store them that way for years, even decades. They produce way too many slides to do it any other way. Then again, they're tissue, blood and body fluid slides that seem to have little tendency to slide. No diato...
by Tom Jones
Fri Aug 19, 2022 10:34 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Thin helicoid grease...
Replies: 8
Views: 1586

Re: Thin helicoid grease...

That link is to Amazon as a source...
by Tom Jones
Fri Aug 19, 2022 8:04 pm
Forum: Miscellaneous
Topic: Brain eating amoeba kills child inNebraska
Replies: 8
Views: 2370

Re: Brain eating amoeba kills child inNebraska

An illustration. It's on the CDC's main page about Naegleria. A bunch of other pages, too.
by Tom Jones
Wed Jul 20, 2022 6:16 pm
Forum: Microscopes and optics
Topic: Why is DIC so Expensive?
Replies: 13
Views: 2214

Re: Why is DIC so Expensive?

Probably both. It's a research technique, and that implies a very small market. Research is generally funded through grants and that tends to support higher prices. DIC was never intended to be an amateur technique, but I suspect now more amateurs utilize it than researchers, given the advent of new...
by Tom Jones
Tue Jul 19, 2022 10:36 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Camera won't take pictures
Replies: 3
Views: 1064

Re: Camera won't take pictures

Break out you camera manual. Somewhere in there is a function to allow shutter release without a lens. Enable it. It's disabled by default since normally you take pictures with a lens. Obviously your adapter doesn't tell the camera it is a lens. Also see: https://www.dpreview.com/forums/thread/4437376
by Tom Jones
Fri Jul 15, 2022 2:35 pm
Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
Topic: Interesting bacteria structures or problem with over heat fixing?
Replies: 3
Views: 1443

Re: Interesting bacteria structures or problem with over heat fixing?

Years ago, my first microbiology professor said of heat fixing, to pass it through the flame 2-3 times, smear up, then lay the slide on the back of your (then ungloved) hand. If you heard the sound of sizzling flesh, it was too hot!
by Tom Jones
Sun Jul 10, 2022 4:09 pm
Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
Topic: Dry mounted slides (no coverslip) are hard to see
Replies: 4
Views: 1599

Re: Dry mounted slides (no coverslip) are hard to see

In clinical labs dry mounted blood smears get a thin coating of immersion oil over them prior to examination with low power objectives to reduce diffraction. Horrible images otherwise. Body fluid smears and grams stains, too. It acts just like a coverslip. Another drop is added when going up to 100x...
by Tom Jones
Sun Jul 10, 2022 3:59 pm
Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
Topic: Can these be saved?
Replies: 7
Views: 2612

Re: Can these be saved?

Nothing. The tissue or blood smear remains fixed to the glass as long as you don't accidentally scrape part of it off! I can't vouch for specimens not originally fixed to the glass slide.
by Tom Jones
Sun Jul 10, 2022 3:56 pm
Forum: Identification help
Topic: Help identifying round worm or nematode?
Replies: 2
Views: 954

Re: Help identifying round worm or nematode?

Probably Dero digitata (Ward and Whipple, Fresh Water Biology, 2nd. Ed., pgs 530-531, and https://worms.myspecies.info/taxonomy/term/936)

Edit: Nice images, too!
by Tom Jones
Sat Jul 09, 2022 2:30 am
Forum: Specimens, samples and slides
Topic: Can these be saved?
Replies: 7
Views: 2612

Re: Can these be saved?

Yes. Before I retired I re-coverslipped a couple hundred teaching slides I had made as a student and mounted with Permount. Soak in Xylene if you can. It's a lot faster than the citrus-based solvents. They work, they're just slower. Xylene should loosen the coverslip in a couple of days. Flood the s...
by Tom Jones
Tue Jun 28, 2022 3:13 pm
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Mirrorless camera and adapter combination?
Replies: 26
Views: 4701

Re: Mirrorless camera and adapter combination?

Be aware that video usually does not use the full sensor. :cry: Look in your camera specs to see the pixel dimensions and you can calculate the physical size of the part of the sensor being used for the resolution you have chosen. Each of the various video formats will use a different set of pixel d...
by Tom Jones
Sun Jun 26, 2022 2:13 am
Forum: Camera systems and imaging
Topic: Nikon Live view vs actual picture
Replies: 8
Views: 1597

Re: Nikon Live view vs actual picture

Have you checked your camera settings to be sure your photos are not being saved as a really low resolution jpg?
by Tom Jones
Thu Jun 16, 2022 11:07 pm
Forum: Pictures and Videos
Topic: Count colonies on mobile phone. Get it done in a few seconds
Replies: 2
Views: 1202

Re: Count colonies on mobile phone. Get it done in a few seconds

Just don't use it in clinical medicine in the US as it's legally a medical device and needs FDA 510(K) clearance before it can be used.
by Tom Jones
Mon May 30, 2022 2:56 pm
Forum: Miscellaneous
Topic: These 'New Members'
Replies: 20
Views: 4104

Re: These 'New Members'

Thanks Wes!
by Tom Jones
Sat May 28, 2022 11:31 pm
Forum: Miscellaneous
Topic: These 'New Members'
Replies: 20
Views: 4104

Re: These 'New Members'

It's not that these posts aren't annoying. They certainly are. But requiring an answer to a rather esoteric question doesn't seem like a productive way to screen potential members for bots. They're usually pretty obvious, and I don't find them annoying enough to do anything keep new folks away. This...
by Tom Jones
Sat May 28, 2022 4:02 pm
Forum: Miscellaneous
Topic: These 'New Members'
Replies: 20
Views: 4104

Re: These 'New Members'

Wes wrote: How about "calculate the resolution of a microscope with a 63/1,4 objective coupled to a 0.9 condenser at 550 nm"? I'd venture a guess that most amateurs wouldn't care what the resolution is numerically. Most professional microscope users wouldn't either. I know I've never bothered to cal...
by Tom Jones
Thu May 19, 2022 2:58 pm
Forum: Digital processing
Topic: IC Measure alternative ?
Replies: 4
Views: 3577

Re: IC Measure alternative ?

Have you tried running your old software in the Win 10 Compatibility Mode? It's designed to allow older software to run on Win 10.
by Tom Jones
Tue May 03, 2022 3:58 pm
Forum: Beginner's corner
Topic: Do I need to add immersion oil to the condenser too?
Replies: 5
Views: 1474

Re: Do I need to add immersion oil to the condenser too?

It's generally not important. For a little perspective, in clinical labs we used a LOT of oil. Every single WBC differential slide, and every single gram stain, was examined under oil immersion at the objective only. Unless the slide had be coverslipped and stored for later pathology review, we didn...
by Tom Jones
Fri Apr 22, 2022 11:52 pm
Forum: For forum members who want to buy and sell equipment
Topic: Sold: Olympus BX60 Polarization Microscope. Portland, Oregon
Replies: 4
Views: 1571

Re: Olympus BX60 Polarization Microscope. Portland, Oregon

That's an absolute steal. If I was anywhere near you I'd grab it, and I already have one!
by Tom Jones
Wed Apr 20, 2022 3:30 pm
Forum: My microscope
Topic: I need some sample Salmonella bacteria in microscopic research topics
Replies: 1
Views: 852

Re: I need some sample Salmonella bacteria in microscopic research topics

Have a chat with your university's head of clinical or epidemiological microbiology. They have all the resources you will need.
If you want to do research at a university medical school, you need to go through the proper channels.