MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Hi,

AmScope does not officially support a Polarizer/Analyzer accessory for the T490B family of microscopes. Is it possible to buy or make a Polarizer/Analyzer accessory for this microscope for the purposes of photography ?

is amscope telling you their Simple Polarizing Kit for Compound Microscopes
SKU: PZK will not work?

Thanks for the PZK kit info. Do you know how it can be adapted to the camera mount on the head of a T490B.

Alternatively I understand it may be possible to add a polarizer in the filter holder of the condenser (will this work ?). Is there a way one can put an Analyzer in the Camera mount, or rotating object holder.

Hi Franz,

For polarized effects, you need a polarizer before your specimen and one above the specimen.
The easiest way is to put a polarizer over your light source and another in your head just above the objectives and where your viewing body attaches. You will need to be able to rotate of these to get crossed polars and the easiest is the one over your light source. You could put the polarizer in the filter holder but it maybe a little harder to rotate it.

This ebay seller sells a polarizer set for the Amscope:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Polarizing-Filt ... SwT6pVvb~6

Franz, a much less expensive way to explore and photograph polarized subjects (in fact it could be free) is with 3D movie glasses. Check my DIY article in issue 49 of the MicrobeHunter magazine.

Since your scope has halogen illumination you may have to provide an air gap between the light source and the plastic filter depending on how hot the lamp gets.

Give it a try. Works for me

JimT

Thanks you all for all your replies, ideas and links. It has given me some food for thought. Actually I have not bought a microscope yet but am not a newbie and have used all kinds of microscopes at University and love photomicrography. I am in the UK. I am evaluating my options between importing AmScope (such as the T490B) and buying Brunel SP100 locally (or even SP150/SP200 pushing my budget). AmScope is more cost competitive (despite shipping and import tariffs) but Brunel has advantage of providing a complete set of accessories for most of their microscopes (including polariser and phase contrast).

Love this site.
Warm regards

For what it is worth, from what I understand, Brunel have an excellent reputation for customer service and they know microscopes in addition to being local to you, all great advantages. If you get a Brunel microscope, then you can, as I understand it, obtain polarizing filters for it. In any case, the advice given above is all good and would save you money and still give you excellent results. If you go the do-it-yourself way, any linear (as opposed to circular or CPL) camera filter that covers the light port in the base will be good for a polarizer. The analyzer would be best placed between the head and the objectives as was described above (and can be left there even for non-polarized work), but I think it would be good if you can use a thin plastic polarizing film there instead of a glass or thick plastic in order to preserve the optical tube length of the microscope.

Has anyone tried either (the eBay or AmScope PZK) of these? AmScope doesn't call out the 400 series in the PZK blurb and the illuminator portion seems to be the wrong size on the eBay item.

JimT wrote:Franz, a much less expensive way to explore and photograph polarized subjects (in fact it could be free) is with 3D movie glasses. Check my DIY article in issue 49 of the MicrobeHunter magazine.

Since your scope has halogen illumination you may have to provide an air gap between the light source and the plastic filter depending on how hot the lamp gets.

Give it a try. Works for me

JimT

Your article doesn't say what type of 3D glasses are to be used. I suspect polarized passive glasses and not the red / blue ones. Is that right? If so would these be suitable?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Resin-Lens-Circ ... xyPFJTl8fl

Al

Being the curious type I tried a couple of astronomy polarizer filters (one above and one below the target) to see what the effect would be. It didn't have the effect of colorizing the image or simply dimming the image that I expected when rotating one but it did have a very interesting effect. It darkened the background and seemed to sharpen the image. I was looking at an onion outer skin layer. I don't have an understanding of what occurred but it was good.

mich_al wrote:

JimT wrote:Franz, a much less expensive way to explore and photograph polarized subjects (in fact it could be free) is with 3D movie glasses. Check my DIY article in issue 49 of the MicrobeHunter magazine.

Since your scope has halogen illumination you may have to provide an air gap between the light source and the plastic filter depending on how hot the lamp gets.

Give it a try. Works for me

JimT

Your article doesn't say what type of 3D glasses are to be used. I suspect polarized passive glasses and not the red / blue ones. Is that right? If so would these be suitable?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Resin-Lens-Circ ... xyPFJTl8fl

Al

Well, lacking informed direction I invested $4 and I'll give it a try.

mich_al wrote:Has anyone tried either (the eBay or AmScope PZK) of these? AmScope doesn't call out the 400 series in the PZK blurb and the illuminator portion seems to be the wrong size on the eBay item.

I am familiar with the vendor of the eBay auction. I have purchased polarizer sets for two different AO scopes from him. They are excellent products, custom sized to fit the scope he advertises the product to fit.

I recommend him highly.

Well, lacking informed direction I invested $4 and I'll give it a try.

Sorry, didn't see your earlier question. Those should work fine.

JimT

These 3D glasses are listed as being circular polarizers... I was under the impression that microscope analyzers were linear polarized to be able to achieve extinction..

BillT

BillT, that it is what I made my polarizers out of. Both kinds will work.

OK, thanks!.. The linearity was why you rotated one of them... Being linear gives the phase direction and causes extinction at 90 deg..