My microscopes

What equipment do you use? Post pictures and descriptions of your microscope(s) here!
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
Pat Thielen
Posts: 372
Joined: Sun May 08, 2016 5:02 am
Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota

My microscopes

#1 Post by Pat Thielen » Mon May 09, 2016 1:12 pm

Here is my very first microscope (well, after the Tasco toy scope my brother and I had as kids). It's a Swift series Eleven Ninety, and it was my good friend throughout high school. My Mom and Dad gave it to me one Christmas and I suggested that we could also get a 20x eyepiece for it to replace the 10x one it came with. The next we went out and got one -- Suddenly my microscope could magnify 860 times with pretty decent resolution. I studied pond life with it and identified quite a few different types of protozoans from the ponds around the house and cabin. While my brother and friends were playing football and baseball in the back yard I had my eye glued to this sitting out on the picnic table. It still works great -- I had it serviced for the first time ever just last year. Not too bad from a microscope that may be older than I am!
Here is my very first microscope (well, after the Tasco toy scope my brother and I had as kids). It's a Swift series Eleven Ninety, and it was my good friend throughout high school. My Mom and Dad gave it to me one Christmas and I suggested that we could also get a 20x eyepiece for it to replace the 10x one it came with. The next we went out and got one -- Suddenly my microscope could magnify 860 times with pretty decent resolution. I studied pond life with it and identified quite a few different types of protozoans from the ponds around the house and cabin. While my brother and friends were playing football and baseball in the back yard I had my eye glued to this sitting out on the picnic table. It still works great -- I had it serviced for the first time ever just last year. Not too bad from a microscope that may be older than I am!
13147582_10154260765504668_8848174664347329561_o.jpg (84.67 KiB) Viewed 5375 times
Attachments
Here is my working microscope that I bought last year after much research and deliberation. It is a Motic BA310 equipped with the phase contrast / dark field turret. I use it with a Nikon d810 (not attached in this photo), which I'm able to shoot directly to a PC using Nikon Capture software. This is really nice as I can see on the screen what I'm photographing and I can shoot video as well. The image on the PC is a dark field view of a prepared (store-bought) slide of blood. This is my evil laboratory of doom hidden within the bowels of an undisclosed location.
Here is my working microscope that I bought last year after much research and deliberation. It is a Motic BA310 equipped with the phase contrast / dark field turret. I use it with a Nikon d810 (not attached in this photo), which I'm able to shoot directly to a PC using Nikon Capture software. This is really nice as I can see on the screen what I'm photographing and I can shoot video as well. The image on the PC is a dark field view of a prepared (store-bought) slide of blood. This is my evil laboratory of doom hidden within the bowels of an undisclosed location.
10636704_10153885861479668_374474909946448537_o.jpg (242.33 KiB) Viewed 5375 times
Here is a stereo scope I picked up at a local science store (I call it the mad scientist store), BME Scientific. It works really well magnifying 10 or 20 times. I plan on using it to find things to look at under the compound microscope and photograph.
Here is a stereo scope I picked up at a local science store (I call it the mad scientist store), BME Scientific. It works really well magnifying 10 or 20 times. I plan on using it to find things to look at under the compound microscope and photograph.
13055720_10154211166129668_5007117637299858200_o.jpg (132.13 KiB) Viewed 5375 times
Pat Thielen
Motic BA310, C & A Scientific Premiere SMZ-07, Swift Eleven-Ninety, Swift FM-31, Bausch & Lomb VM349, Olympus CHA
Nikon d810
Top
User avatar
MicroInspector
Posts: 365
Joined: Tue May 03, 2016 7:01 am

Re: My microscopes

#2 Post by MicroInspector » Mon May 09, 2016 2:25 pm

Very nice microscopes .
Nice to see an old classic mucroscope
The microscope reveals the truth of life.
Omax M82EZ microscope
Top
User avatar
Mintaka
Posts: 241
Joined: Fri Feb 27, 2015 6:24 am

Re: My microscopes

#3 Post by Mintaka » Mon May 09, 2016 4:17 pm

This is my evil laboratory of doom hidden within the bowels of an undisclosed location.
:D

I've been admiring that Motic for a few years now. A sleek instrument for sure.
Top
User avatar
Pat Thielen
Posts: 372
Joined: Sun May 08, 2016 5:02 am
Location: Saint Paul, Minnesota

Re: My microscopes

#4 Post by Pat Thielen » Mon May 09, 2016 4:39 pm

Mintaka wrote:
This is my evil laboratory of doom hidden within the bowels of an undisclosed location.
:D

I've been admiring that Motic for a few years now. A sleek instrument for sure.

I like it quite a lot really. I had to do a fair amount of research, but basically this was the only microscope I could find that would allow me to attach my Nikon and have phase contrast and darkfield capability. It cost a lot more than what I had envisioned spending, but I guess that's what 401k loans are for. I also added a 4x lens to it for seeing larger things and for more rapid scanning of the slide. That lens isn't a phase contrast lens; just a normal one. Overall I'm quite happy with it -- I just wish they had included something of a manual with it.
Pat Thielen
Motic BA310, C & A Scientific Premiere SMZ-07, Swift Eleven-Ninety, Swift FM-31, Bausch & Lomb VM349, Olympus CHA
Nikon d810
Top
User avatar
gekko
Posts: 4701
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 7:38 am
Location: Durham, NC, USA.

Re: My microscopes

#5 Post by gekko » Mon May 09, 2016 6:57 pm

A very nice set of microscopes!
Top
alschultz94
Posts: 2
Joined: Sun Nov 10, 2019 4:03 pm

Re: My microscopes

#6 Post by alschultz94 » Sun Nov 10, 2019 4:07 pm

Nice!!

I just purchased a Motic trinocular microscope, and I want to attach my Nikon D5300 to it, and I have been looking everywhere for an example of someone attaching a DSLR and not one of those Moticams to the scope. Could you, please, let me know which adapters did you use to attach the DSLR? Also, do you get a nice representative view of the field or is it too magnified?

I hope you're still active lol!
Top
Post Reply

Return to “My microscope”