pros / cons of this Olympus ??

[jimur]

1-IMG_2814.jpg (185.51 KiB) Viewed 5173 times

As a newbie, I currently use a basic Leitz SM-LUX (grey mdl.) with a trinocular head and a couple of APO objectives. My main interest is viewing pond water organisms and of course attempting to incorporate my very meager and limited photography skills. I have the opportunity to purchase this Olympus IM microscope locally for what seems a very reasonable price of $75 although I have no knowledge what so ever of inverted microscopes. All controls and light works yet it has only one objective, an Olympus of unknown power. I can't even recognize a condenser in the photo. I'm wondering if my funds might be better served adding accessories to my SM-LUX or purchasing a stereo microscope. I don't want to spend $ after $ just to make the Olympus usable and equal to the ability of what I have. (which seems mostly a desire to hunt microbes) Can you guys help me? lol

[75RR]

Does the current owner have any additional parts for it?

Here is a manual and a brochure:
http://www.alanwood.net/downloads/olymp ... manual.pdf
http://www.alanwood.net/downloads/olymp ... ochure.pdf

Perhaps you can attempt to source the missing bits before you buy - check out availability and price.

[wporter]

The Olympus shown has a condenser (or at least most of one): the black tube thing hanging off the rod on the right. The scope looks externally to be in pretty good shape, and has eyepieces. May need cleaning of internal mirrors & lenses. It has a trinocular head for camera mounting, nice.

You would would profit from an objective or two with correction collars, since you will be looking up through the bottom of a specimen dish or cavity slide. Inverted scopes are much better for surveying pond water for protozoa, plankton, etc, since the sample can be much larger, not squished by a coverglass, included with plants, etc. I've had dishes on my inverted scope stage for months at a time which have remained interesting (true, the makeup water for evaporation was more pond water).

So the application is different, but complementary, to a normal non-inverted scope. The price sounds pretty good. All scopes will need some more accessories; the hobby, like many others, is a black hole, continually sucking at the contents of your wallet.

[75RR]

Image from brochure:

[wporter]

I stand corrected; from 75RR's post, there is clearly no condenser in place on this scope. The illuminator housing is just and only that (some old scopes have them combined).

Still a good deal, if the optics can be cleaned up OK.

[jimur]

Thanks for the replies. I should have waited until I had opportunity to inspect the microscope before asking for info here based on a pic. The seller seems even less knowledgeable than I. Any idea what the difference is between the condenser and the auxiliary condenser? I'm also confused as to what type condenser I should search for. I presume they are different for inverted and non inverted models??

[jimur]

It appears I would require an Olympus ULWCD Phase Contrast Condenser 0.30 Imt-2. I haven't determined the carrier I would need as yet.

[Hobbyst46]

Any idea what the difference is between the condenser and the auxiliary condenser?

On some old Olympus microscopes, not inverted, there was a rotatable vertical "auxiliary condenser" or collimator, that looked like a short lens telescope, was installed between the field diaphragm and the "ordinary" condenser. It was in one position for the high-mag high NA objectives, and rotated by 180 degrees for low mag, low NA objectives. Quite analogous in function to the auxiliary lenses attached below the condenser of old Zeiss microscopes for example.

[PeteM]

That model of Olympus inverted scope can produce very good phase images. It's a massive unit -- and of fine mechanical quality if cared for.

However, as others have noted, yours is apparently missing the proper objective lenses, probably the phase annuli for the objectives (should be a long bar-looking thing below the objective turret), and perhaps the condenser and its phase annuli. It could take and cost more time and money to buy those separately than to spend a few hundred and buy a complete scope.

I say perhaps the condenser is missing because there was a model with a slot for one annulus at a time and a condenser below it. Could be yours is that type, with our without a single phase insert. Hard to tell from the picture. It's also possible that the annulus bar is inserted fully and not clear in the photo. In any case, I think you want to buy a scope with at least the 20x and 40x long working distance lenses in place along with the proper annuli (two for each lens, one above the stage in the condenser and one below the objective. It might cost you another $200 to get a working scope if you're lucky.

Just to be clear, this model of Olympus inverted scope could use their regular long working distance brightfield lenses for phase contrast, by adding various phase rings (that bar-like slider) just below the objective turret. These were the older short barrel Olympus optics, but still decent optical quality. I'm pretty sure it could also use objectives with internal phase rings and a different condenser with phase rings.

If it's near by it might be worth taking a look at. If in fact it has at least one (20x or 40x) lens combination (lens plus phase insert), the condenser and the annulus bar clear and in good shape -- and it powers up (the cord connection needed to be repaired in the two I've seen) it might be worth the $75. The trinocular head alone could be worth that -- but you could be a long way from a complete phase scope. You'll also want to check the focus isn't entirely gummed up.

[coominya]

For $75 I would think it would worth buying just for the trinocular head.

[jimur]

I was able to physically inspect the instrument last night and although not complete I was rather surprised. The light path is bright, clean and clear and cosmetically the stand has no scratches, dings, chips, marrs, etc. The focus knobs work smoothly (both course and fine). The stage moves up and down nicely and locks/unlocks in place with either of the two stage locks.The main power cord and the light cord are in excellent condition. The field iris works well and there are two filter holders above what I presume is the auxiliary condenser.

It has a friction lock feature on the trinocular head that seems a good idea. The lever controlling the light path to the third port is rather tight but works. I'm not sure how to adjust that. Moving an eye piece to the third port confirmed parfocality as spot on with a matching clean, clear, bright view. The annulus bar located between the focus knobs and head.slides well and has stations for 0, 10, 20, 40 and the rings are present. There is also a sliding bar (??) below the five station turret which has an open station and a station with a greenish filter. The microscope produced nice bright field views of onion skin, mosquito wing slides, as well as butterfly wing scales in a petri dish with the phaco objective and a long working distance non phaco Leitz objective I took with me.

The down side is it has only one phase con. objective with viewable annulus ring which is 10x but the instrument is missing the main condenser and condenser carrier. Please forgive my long post.