Zeiss Standard

What equipment do you use? Post pictures and descriptions of your microscope(s) here!
Post Reply
Message
Author
Engineer28
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Apr 14, 2018 4:31 am
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Zeiss Standard

#1 Post by Engineer28 » Sat Apr 21, 2018 10:07 am

Hello all, as you may know I'm fairly new to this forum. In the past I've owned some cheap AmScope microscopes. Recently i bought a Zeiss Standard. I have a Pentax Microscope adapter that I have mounted to my Nikon D3200.

I just bought this microscope about a week ago and haven't had much time to play with it yet. Id like to set it up for bright field, dark field, and hopefully epi-fluorescent microscopy usage in the coming weeks. I bought the scope with a HBO 50 fluorescent illumination source, and am looking at a few ways to mount a led source inside to get around using a mercury lamp.

I currently have what I assume to be a dark field/phase contrast condenser attached to it (465277-9905), and a extra bright field condenser. When purchased I was able to get five extra objectives and three extra 10x-18 eyepieces. I will update later tonight with details on the objective types.

I played around with it last night with some prepared slides and found that there are definitely some floaters when looking through the eyepieces. Do you guys have a recommended way for cleaning dust of eyepieces, objectives and mirrors inside the microscope?
Attachments
Objectives (Small).jpg
Objectives (Small).jpg (72.91 KiB) Viewed 8184 times
Condenser (Small).jpg
Condenser (Small).jpg (42.83 KiB) Viewed 8184 times
Microscope - Copy (Small).jpg
Microscope - Copy (Small).jpg (29.95 KiB) Viewed 8184 times

Hobbyst46
Posts: 4277
Joined: Mon Aug 21, 2017 9:02 pm

Re: Zeiss Standard

#2 Post by Hobbyst46 » Sat Apr 21, 2018 11:27 am

Congratulations Engineer28 for this nice microscope. I am sure you will enjoy it enormously.
. I have a Pentax Microscope adapter that I have mounted to my Nikon D3200.
Hopefully you will show some posts that tell about the compatibility, color correction etc from this team of Zeiss finite optics, the Pentax adapter (w/ optics inside?) and Camera (w/ camera lens?).
haven't had much time to play with it yet.
Please just play it safe. The HBO-50 is an excellent lamp for this scope. However, like other Hg lamps, it emits UV. There is no filter inside the lamp house (unless someone installed it). Do not look directly into the light source, and get a pair of UV-protective goggles for the case when you have to align the lamp to provide uniform illumination.
Id like to set it up for bright field, dark field, and hopefully epi-fluorescent microscopy usage in the coming weeks.
The HBO-50 is useful for fluorescence only. It might be used for reflected and epi-darkfield, but it would be too strong. Also, turning the HBO-50 on and off many times shortens the lifetime of the bulb considerably. When you turn it on, it may take 20-30min to warm up properly and yield constant illumination. There are specific safety rules for handling the Hg bulb.

In your photo I could not see that the transmitted-light halogen/tungsten lamp is inserted in its original port on the back side of the base, below the arm. Is it the 6V 15W incandescent inside the base, or other?
and am looking at a few ways to mount a led source inside to get around using a mercury lamp.
If what you mean is to replace the HBO-50 with a LED, please note that the HBO-50 provides all wavelengths for excitation. A LED only provides 1-3 wavelengths. And it needs to be a very powerful LED. One commercial model is PE-100/PE-300 from the firm CoolLED (quite expensive as new).

Your phase condenser 465277-9905 is the same as mine, excellent for BF and phase, I could not get decent DF with it with objective NA's of >0.3. I never used the BF condenser, the phase condenser answers my needs. For fluorescence,, neither of these condensers is relevant, since the objective in use is the condenser.

If you post some more photos of the fluorescent items housings from other angles, and the catalog number of the cube housing (where fluorescence filters are). The mechanical-optical designs of epi-fluorescence gadgets have varied a little over the years.
that there are definitely some floaters when looking through the eyepieces. Do you guys have a recommended way for cleaning dust of eyepieces, objectives and mirrors inside the microscope?
There are specific recommendations for cleaning, there is a publication called "the clean microscope", but "floaters" could be (literally) in the eyes of the beholder. Install the 10x18 eyepieces, place your eyes at a distance of 2cm from the eyepiece front, be relaxed and look with both eyes simultaneously. Do not press your eyes (w/wout glasses) onto the eyepieces. If the floaters stay, and they are fixed, not moving, cleaning may be relevant.

P.S.
(1)
just noticed a post which may be relevant: on the forum Macrophotography.net
PostPosted: Mon Jan 21, 2013 9:30 am Post subject: Help with Carl Zeiss EPI IV FL Vertical Illuminator
Perhaps is the same model of illuminator as yours.

(2)
You are probably aware of it but just in case: fluorescence is very very weak compared to other illuminations around. Weaker by several orders of magnitude. It is often observed after the room has been darkened, or (more antique) the scope and microscopist covered with black cloth...
Last edited by Hobbyst46 on Sat Apr 21, 2018 7:25 pm, edited 3 times in total.

User avatar
75RR
Posts: 8207
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 2:34 am
Location: Estepona, Spain

Re: Zeiss Standard

#3 Post by 75RR » Sat Apr 21, 2018 1:54 pm

Congratulations - that looks nice.

A couple of suggestions if I may.

Do not play around with the HBO until you have read up on it and are clear on how it could impact your eyesight.

re "floaters" (if it is you rather than dust) the angle that you are viewing through the binoculars can increase the number of floaters seen. Adjust seat height and posture.

There are several links to useful publications in the Resources (online, books etc.) section

here is one: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=4323&p=40196&hilit
and here another: viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1428&p=10663&hilit

Larger and clearer photos please

re - condenser:
Attachments
46-52-77.jpg
46-52-77.jpg (63.13 KiB) Viewed 8157 times
Last edited by 75RR on Sat Apr 21, 2018 7:36 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)

Charles
Posts: 1424
Joined: Mon Mar 02, 2015 11:55 pm

Re: Zeiss Standard

#4 Post by Charles » Sat Apr 21, 2018 4:40 pm

Congratulations on your Zeiss Standard.

Concerning the light. You have two lighting methods on that scope. The in base light is for use in transmitted light, The HBO light is for use with the fluorescence use and requires a separate power transformer. The fluorescence unit should already have a fluoro reflector (round insert in the side of the fluorescence unit) with fluoro filters. That whole upper fluorescence unit can be removed and just the trinocular head attached until you are ready to use if for fluorescence use.

The condenser is most likely a Phase condenser with different phase annuli labeled Ph2, Ph3 (it could also have a Ph1), as well as a Brightfield position labeled J. Some also have the Darkfield stop, and it will be labeled D. I can see at least one of your objectives has a Ph which indicates it can be used for phase. The other condenser is primarily for just brightfield user with a flip in/out lens. When the lens is flipped out of view, it is used for low power objectives.

MicroBob
Posts: 3154
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2016 9:11 am
Location: Northern Germany

Re: Zeiss Standard

#5 Post by MicroBob » Sat Apr 21, 2018 6:20 pm

Engineer28 wrote:Do you guys have a recommended way for cleaning dust of eyepieces, objectives and mirrors inside the microscope?
Nice microscope you have there!

Cleaning:
1. blow away dust and grit
2. breathe on and wipe with a clean non-impregnated tissue
3. if necessary repeat with new corner of the tissue with white spirit

The worst thing to do is rubbing the dirt back and forth on lens lens. So one quick wipe and change of tissue-corner.

demirci
Posts: 3
Joined: Mon Mar 04, 2019 12:32 pm

Re: Zeiss Standard

#6 Post by demirci » Wed Mar 06, 2019 10:41 am

I have just bought a standard 14 from eBay (at a rock and roll price) it comes with two objectives, but I wanted to change them as, at least in the pictures, they look really old, do you know what models are compatible? Or what models should I look for?

User avatar
75RR
Posts: 8207
Joined: Sun Oct 12, 2014 2:34 am
Location: Estepona, Spain

Re: Zeiss Standard

#7 Post by 75RR » Wed Mar 06, 2019 11:22 am

demirci wrote:I have just bought a standard 14 from eBay ...
Congratulations

Perhaps a link or some photos of the objectives would help with their ID.


This should help you in choosing some more objectives:

Zeiss Optical Systems brochure: http://www.science-info.net/docs/zeiss/ ... ystems.pdf

Just about everything in there will fit on your Standard 14, but you need to decide what it is you want to observe.

Where are you located?
Zeiss Standard WL (somewhat fashion challenged) & Wild M8
Olympus E-P2 (Micro Four Thirds Camera)

wstenberg
Posts: 291
Joined: Sun Jul 23, 2017 6:11 pm
Location: Dallas TX
Contact:

Re: Zeiss Standard

#8 Post by wstenberg » Thu Mar 07, 2019 1:27 am

Objectives for the Zeiss Standard series are pretty easy. You can look for objectives labelled "Zeiss". The look for a "160" on them. 160 is the tube length for that series of microscope. Later objectives will have an infinity symbol; don't get those.

The thread pitch is usually RMS- that's the most common thread pitch for the Standard, and it looks like that's what you have in the photo.

Those two things will give you mechanical and optical compatibility. After that, there are still a lot of choices to make depending on what you want to look at.

Hope this helps...
William
Astoria, Oregon

Zeiss Axiomat
Zeiss Stereomikroskop
Zeiss Tessovar

Post Reply