Choosing ring light for Stereo Microscope

[deuslunus]

Looking for a ring light for my microscope. There are a lot of options, some of them are really cheap, others are expensive. I am wondering is there any difference between the cheap one and the expensive one. For instance this light from Euromex and the Chineese option from Aliexpress.

https://www.optics-pro.com/ring-lights/ ... 44/p,47752

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/144-LED ... 2e0eQth5RU

My main concern is that the cheap light will be more damaging for my eyes. Is there a difference in the amount of the blue light these lights are emitting? Is the halogen light like this one better for the eyes?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leeds-Light- ... 2763.l2649

Thank you!

[MichaelG.]

Welcome ...

Those are very good questions !!
... Impossible to answer in detail, without seeing the items and/or proper specifications, but I will try:

The two LED units look similar, and will probably have similar qualities
The Euromex spec indicates a Colour Temperature of 6000K ... which is 'bright white'
The LAPSUN description states 'bright white'

Generally speaking, these will be more electrically efficient than 'warm white' LEDs but will tend to have a stronger blue peak, and a poorer 'colour rendering index'. ... Whether you would personally find this objectionable might be a longer discussion !

The Leeds unit, listed on ebay is a fibre optic ring with a tungsten-halogen light source
This in a different league to the others: If it's in good condition, I would say it's a bargain
... 'though it will occupy much more space and the lamphouse will get hot.
The colour rendering should be 'natural' and, of course, the light output from the ring will be cool
[in the sense of not cooking the specimen]

Hope that's some help ... Happy to discuss further.

MichaelG.

[*]
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Color_rendering_index

[MichaelG.]

PostScript

I note that your ebay link is UK

If you are importing to the UK from the US ...
do bear in mind that import VAT, plus a handling charge, might be payable on the total cost [including shipping ] if the item value exceeds 15GBP.

MichaelG.
.
.

Edit: I note that the listed item is offered under ebay's Global Shipping Programme:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/pages/help/buy/s ... bally.html
... So at least the additional cost is 'known'

[mrsonchus]

Hi deuslunus and welcome to the forum.

Personally I'd say the LED ring-light is the better choice, and the cheaper version is very likely to be exactly the same as the more expensive one, branding excluded of course. I use a cheaper version of the LED ring, without the zonal capability, and find it to be far better than I imagined it would be before I bought it.....
The LED RL has of course a brightness control, which incidentally I never use as the 'full-on' setting seems to be just right for me nearly 100% of the time. I use it with my stereo-zoom, for examination and dissection of plant parts/material.

I also use a fiber-optic (150W) made by Schott (and the one you have linked is very likely indeed to be a re-branded Schott as nearly all of them of this design are - Schott even have the facility to have your brand added when ordering new I believe).

I suspect that you would find the Leeds (Schott?) FO to be far more trouble than you think in use - I notice that the fiber-arm is of the flexible type rather than the 'gooseneck' (goosneck is the type as seen in desk lamps, which once adjusted into position will stay-put - sometimes termed 'semi-obedient') type (the longer arms tend to be totally flexible for 'long-range' use on the bench).

This has a couple of rather awkward consequences (I know this from experience as I also have a FO unit with a longer flexible light-pipe like this) which are that the light-ring will need to be supported by some type of clamp arrangement - it doesn't fix directly to the base of the 'scope's lens housing, together with of course, as mentioned, the larger size and bench-footprint. The lamp housing however doesn't get anywhere near hot as the unit is fan-cooled by a very quiet and efficient internal fan - the case is only ever slightly warm to the touch.

That said I use a Schott twin gooseneck when I need a little oblique or spot lighting rather-than or in addition-to the overhead of the light-ring, which is prone to causing glare when the subject is wet - for photography that is, no problems through the eyepieces. I suspect however that the Leeds light-ring will not cause glare - it's construction is of a very high quality indeed. I have however settled into a routine that rarely uses the Fiber-optic, as the sheer convenience of the light-ring attached to the lens-case base in practice overrides the other considerations easily. In fact the more equipment I use in my microscopy the more I find that convenience in-use is the prime factor by far.

My choice would be the cheaper version of the LED ring-light, but others will have some good advice too I'm certain.

John B.

[MichaelG.]

Nice to have the full range of opinions expressed by just two respondents

I do understand and respect your comments though, John.

MichaelG.

[MichaelG.]

For info. only ... offered entirely 'without prejudice'
http://www.leedsforensics.com/Microscop ... t_Kit.html
https://www.leedsmicro.com/LED_Lighting ... R_SET.html

MichaelG.

[Hobbyst46]

I am using a 144 LED ring, bright/cool white, at full intensity. For eyeview and dissections it works OK. The unit cost less than $30 (new) via eBay. Compact, easy to use. The intensity control is a tiny knob, but I set it to maximum and that is fine for me.
I do not do photography with the stereo microscope, but believe that for photography, halogen light will be better.

The OP questioned about health issues. Bright white and cool white LEDs emit strongly in the blue (~450nm). Warm white still emit blue, although to a lesser extent. AFAIK, there is ongoing debate about the potential damage of blue light. In my opinion, the concern, if any, should involve the world population of home owners, since cool white LEDs are marketed for domestic illumination (and vehicles). Whether the fraction of time spent on a microscope using blue light is bad for the microscopist health is, I think, anybody's guess.

[iconoclastica]

I quite agree with hobbyist46. Quite a long time ago I acquired a cold light source with the fibre-optic goosenex, mainly because I then thought it was the type of light one ought to use. I never liked it much, never enough light, always my hands in the way, ever noisy and hot. When I got my Mz7.5, which is on a boom stand and moves about a lot, I put it aside never to use it again for the light was always in the wron spot. I then bought a cheapo led ringlight. I wanted a zonal one, but they were (still are) way too expensive. Instead I took care to select a ring with as many leds as I could afford and made a cardboard ring to cover the leds where I wanted the dark zone.

I think, now with the digital cameras that can change colour temperature after the exposure, there's little reason left for cold light sources, unless you are bound to either a balanced spectrum or uni-directional light. Buy a led ring with too much output and a dimmer. Even if you don't need that much light, there will come occasions where you want it though and these occasions will come more frequently when you get older and your eyes need more light.

When I last looked into it,some three years ago, there was a lot of conviction but not a sliver of evidence that the blue-biased output spectrum of some leds would be harmful. It's new-technology fear, like cell phones cause cancer, radar makes you psychotic, electric trains cause hysteria, and probably flint axes cause soft brains.

Only when you use your microscope later in the evening warm white may be the better choice for the blue light interferes with the natural production of sleep hormones.

[billbillt]

More on the LED-UV debate..

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/led-ligh ... ad-randall

[MichaelG.]

More on the LED-UV debate..

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/led-ligh ... ad-randall

A useful link, Bill ... It's a good introduction

My only caveat being that I find this statement overly simplistic:

Contrary to some common beliefs, the spectrum of the light emitted by this phosphor mix is broadband in nature and emits at longer wavelengths, giving a full spectrum of visible light. (See Figure 1)

Now : It may, or may not, be considered 'full' but the plotted spectrum certainly doesn't match the smoothness of 'black body' radiation ... which is why the colour rendering from some white LEDs is often considered poor.

MichaelG.

[billbillt]

I guess it depends upon whether a person views "color rendering" as critical... To me it is not very important...


Regards,
BillT

[MichaelG.]

I guess it depends upon whether a person views "color rendering" as critical... To me it is not very important...

No argument there ... 'though I confess that I am surprised

I had somehow assumed that you might be working with thin sections, and would be using colour as an investigative tool.

MichaelG.

[billbillt]

I have worked with thin sections some years ago.. I am retired now and just use the microscope as a hobby... I don't take it as serious as I once did...

The Best,
BillT

[MichaelG.]

Thanks, Bill
Understood

MichaelG.

[deuslunus]

Thank you so much for the information. I use a stereo microscope with built -in light at work and I've never had problems with it, but recently I've had to use external light source for several days, which had given me really bad headache. Maybe my eyes are more sensitive. The light I am looking for is for my home microscope and I am afraid that I won't be able to use it for a long time if I have the same problem. I will try the Chinese product and see how it feels. MichaelG mentioned that this ring light will have stronger blue peak. Can you suggest a warmer ring LED? I can find only light ranging from 6000 to 6500 K. Thank you one more time and I apologize for all the mistakes, my English is not very good.

[iconoclastica]

I don't know how to quantify the blue-ness of light, but here's a comparison. The same patch photographed under the led-ringlight and under a daylight photo-lamp:

daylight white balance

patch.jpg (32.3 KiB) Viewed 15560 times

Note that the ringlight is several years old now and dominant led-types have changed.

[Hobbyst46]

Thank you so much for the information. I use a stereo microscope with built -in light at work and I've never had problems with it, but recently I've had to use external light source for several days, which had given me really bad headache. Maybe my eyes are more sensitive. The light I am looking for is for my home microscope and I am afraid that I won't be able to use it for a long time if I have the same problem. I will try the Chinese product and see how it feels. MichaelG mentioned that this ring light will have stronger blue peak. Can you suggest a warmer ring LED? I can find only light ranging from 6000 to 6500 K. Thank you one more time and I apologize for all the mistakes, my English is not very good.

I tried to find a warm white LED ring but failed. I am considering filtration for my own illuminator. The appropriate filter to lower color temperature from 6000-6500K to 3000-4000K would be an amber filter, of the type used for black and white photography. For example, Hoya filter type 85B or 85C, or equivalents.

However, A large diameter glass filter that covers the objective(s) as well as illuminator might not be cheap. Also, it might attenuate the beam too much, since light passes twice through the filter on its way from the LEDs to the eyepiece. An alternative might be an amber-colored film filter, from which one can cut an annular piece, to cover the LED ring and not the objectives. I will be looking for one, for the same purpose on my own scope.

[iconoclastica]

In the living-room I had led spots that were too blue. That was easily solved with one layer of amber gel. If your luminous output is sufficient, you can do such things.

[Hobbyst46]

For the blue component of LED light, here is a previous discussion on this forum:
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=5686&p=53700&hilit=spider#p53700
On page 1 of the thread, about 8 responses above the end of page.

Also: Re-consideration of my previous comment in the present post, perhaps a round amber filter, of diameter ~90mm, used, at a reasonable price is not a bad idea (if found...). Since these 144- LEd rings provide intense light.

[MichaelG.]

... Can you suggest a warmer ring LED? I can find only light ranging from 6000 to 6500 K. Thank you one more time and I apologize for all the mistakes, my English is not very good.

I have found none on ebay ... but eventually confirmed that they do exist:

11. LED Color: White（Optional Other Colors）

http://phil-industries.com/catalogue/vi ... phs-172-6/
... at a considerable price, I would guess

Now let's find an affordable version !!
... Meanwhile; the amber filter should be a good work-around.

MichaelG.

[Hobbyst46]

Here is a link to an eBay listed amber glass filter, not inexpensive I am afraid, seemingly the diameter is 95mm, but it would be good to contact the seller and verify the dimensions:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Linhof-Korrekt ... rk:13:pf:0
I personally prefer the gel sheet if I can find it.
BTW: KR12 is equivalent to LA120 and 85.

[billbillt]

Looking for a ring light for my microscope. There are a lot of options, some of them are really cheap, others are expensive. I am wondering is there any difference between the cheap one and the expensive one. For instance this light from Euromex and the Chineese option from Aliexpress.

https://www.optics-pro.com/ring-lights/ ... 44/p,47752

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/144-LED ... 2e0eQth5RU

My main concern is that the cheap light will be more damaging for my eyes. Is there a difference in the amount of the blue light these lights are emitting? Is the halogen light like this one better for the eyes?

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Leeds-Light- ... 2763.l2649

Thank you!

Even your "cheap" one is way over priced.. Why not something like this?..

https://www.ebay.com/itm/56-LED-Adjusta ... 1a3c355836

BillT

[mrsonchus]

That's the type of thing I use, for a tiny bit more I have the version with the brightness knob on the light's housing like this one...
In fact, the 'scope it's pictured fitted to is the same as mine also!

Works perfectly and is very convenient indeed in use.

John B.

[billbillt]

Hello John B.,

Yep.. The larger one is what I would need also.. The smaller one , the ID is not large enough.. One as you describe would work just fine for me...

BillT

[billbillt]

Here is a gel amber sheet on Ebay, for a reasonable sum..

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Lee-Filters-80 ... 2322745629

BillT

[Scarodactyl]

Hi deuslunus and welcome to the forum.
I suspect that you would find the Leeds (Schott?) FO to be far more trouble than you think in use...This has a couple of rather awkward consequences (I know this from experience as I also have a FO unit with a longer flexible light-pipe like this) which are that the light-ring will need to be supported by some type of clamp arrangement

Typically you would mount it directly to the stereo head. Here's how I have mine hooked up to my M400:

The micro-lite fits directly on the Makrozoom lens with no adapter, though other stereo scopes that don't have an accommodating lens to latch on to will have adapters for this purpose. This does introduce some minor issues for deeper stacks, since the light source is moving from shot to shot, but is otherwise very easy to use.
That said, I bought a big parcel of cheap LED ring lights a while back and they are quite nice as well. The light is definitely less mellow than what you get from a 150w external, but it is not bad at all and hard to argue with the price. Honestly, I think the halogen is better overall for my purposes but it isn't nearly as cheap, easy or portable.

[Hobbyst46]

Here is another amber gel filter:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... coSun.html
Possible advantage (or not) over the Lee filter - it is transparent, not translucent and diffusive.
Problem is, rates of shipping outside USA more than triple the price, from ~7 - $11 to ~30 - ~$40...