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Hello from Connecticut

Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2019 1:23 pm
by Mickey
Hi all. I am a hobbyist with an interest in aquariums and photography and recently retired so have some free time. It was my interest in my 225 gallon reef aquarium that got me first interested in microscopy. To make a long story short, I've been battling some problems with my tank and it became critical to identify the actual organism causing the problems. So here I am.

I found this forum a few months ago while researching microscopes and it has been very helpful to me. I ended up getting the Amscope T720 from ebay as an open box deal at a very good price so I jumped on it, hopefully I won't regret it. I'm working on using my Olympus OM-D M5II (mirrorless) with it as I can keep it mounted on the scope most of the time since I have two of them (one as backup during travels). It's been a bit of a challenge so far getting it to be in focus with the eyepieces but I'm working on it. I found recent posts by Dave S. and Roldorg to be interesting and helpful as they work through issues with connecting a DSLR.

Really looking forward to getting more involved, though my husband is probably rolling his eyes. :roll:

Mickey

Re: Hello from Connecticut

Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2019 1:59 pm
by zzffnn
Welcome to the forum, Mickey!

You can use camera lens step-down rings to connect a Sigma 30mm f/2.8 (micro 4/3) lens, then to a visual 10x eyepiece (and connect E-M5 II to the Sigma 30mm lens). They can be easily disconnected by unscrewing adapter threads. You can use, for example, 46-28, then 28-27, then superglue an extra eyepiece onto the 28-27 ring. The last adapter ring will depend on size of your eyepiece, it could be 30-28, 28-27, 32-30 or something else.

Use electronic front shutter or full eletronic shutter with your E-M5 II for best results.

Do you have specific (targeted) treatment methods, once a harmful organism is identified from microscopy? I like aquariums too but have never got time to dive deep into it. On average, one of my tropical fishes would die every 1-2 weeks (I did not know to get the cycle going at the time), so I gave up.

I am using E-M1 mk1 (used to have a E-M10 Mk2) and have a collection of m4/3 glasses.

I live in Boston now (moved from Houston) and just visited a friend who lives in Woodbridge CT 06525. He owns a small patch of forest in his backyard. Housing cost is reasonable there too (unlike Boston or NYC :cry: ). It is such a beautiful state, if there are no ticks.

Are you interested in collecting seashells too? Many specimens from Philippines are very pretty.

Re: Hello from Connecticut

Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2019 2:40 pm
by Roldorf
HI Mickey welcome to the forum glad our posts were useful. :) :) :)

Re: Hello from Connecticut

Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2019 3:27 pm
by Mickey
zzffnn -CT is a beautiful state though taxes are quite high. There are definitely lots of wooded areas, including my backyard. However, there are ticks here. It's where Lyme disease started. :? And yes, I know the treatment protocol to use, or at least try. The problem I'm fighting is amphidinium dinoflagellates. BTW - my reef tank has been set up for 15 years, and my freshwater tank for many more than that. You should try again, but take it slow.

I'll have to look into your suggestions of using the Sigma lense with step down rings. Of course, I don't have that lens and don't want to superglue anything to the lenses I have and use. Not sure how I can use the eyepiece though as it won't fit in the photoport which is only 23mm. By the time I buy all the pieces, I might be better off using this item which I've been looking at https://www.telescopeadapters.com/other ... _micro_4_3

Roldorf - did you get your camera set up and working to your satisfaction? My initial attempts are okay but I could use more magnification in the camera and I need to refocus quite a bit sometimes so that's why I'm looking for a better solution. View through the camera is quite a bit smaller than through the eyepieces, but not using any lens yet.

Re: Hello from Connecticut

Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2019 3:45 pm
by Dave S
Hi Mickey, and welcome . :)

Re: Hello from Connecticut

Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2019 9:39 pm
by Roldorf
Hi Mickey.

Yes my camera is setup. I used a spare eyepiece that I had to connect all the bits together. The view through the camera is about 5% smaller than through the eyepiece but I can live with that. See here for a comparison, the two images are 180 degrees apart:- Image

This is taken with the canon camera on the trinocular port.



Image

This one is with my Sony DSC RX100 from the eyepiece.

See here for my post on what I did:-

Image


Image

Re: Hello from Connecticut

Posted: Wed Sep 18, 2019 9:52 pm
by Mickey
Very interesting, Alan. I did some experimenting with a 2x adapter for Canon and cobbled something together after taking off the Canon adapter and substituting a micro 4/3 adapter and found that it was a real good match for the view from the eyepiece and was very close to being in focus once I lifted the lens a bit. So, I ordered a 2X adapter for Micro 4/3 and the T-extension tubes and I think it's going to work out perfectly. I'll know in a few days when it gets here.

Re: Hello from Connecticut

Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 9:21 am
by Roldorf
Hi Mickey I will keep my fingers crossed that it all works out with the new lens.

Re: Hello from Connecticut

Posted: Thu Sep 19, 2019 7:08 pm
by Beerbatter
Hello Mickey,

Welcome to the forum. I just recently purchased the Amscope T720 as well. All I can say is wow! You will not be disappointed. I will be putting up a post in the My Microscope section in next few days.

I also very successfully maintained a reef tank for six years. After some initial learning battles, I got it to thrive. I sold it all before my move 1 year ago after deciding the maintenance was more than I wanted to keep putting in. I switched to fresh now and am content with that. Good luck with your investigations. Let us know what you find.

Re: Hello from Connecticut

Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2021 9:33 pm
by pasotteo
Roldorf what exactly did you use to built the adapter with eyepiece 10x inside if I can ask?
Thank you.
Do you have black edges? Is it good the quality of the pictures you take?