quality of Carl Zeiss Jena Amplival Phv objectives?

[PeterArmitage]

Does anyone have an opinion on the quality of these Carl Zeiss Jena Amplival Phv objectives (see appended photo)? How do they compare to contemporary objectives?

[MicroBob]

Since you only ask for an opinion, not personal experience:

Zeiss Jena was among the leading manufacturers at the time of these objectives (1970s). So it is reasonable to expect them to perform accordingly for their class of objective. Are these Planachromats?

The typical phase contrast set for the amplival would have been a phase add-on for the pancratic condenser. For this reason I don't know how well these phv (phase variable) objectives will work with you condenser. Maybe you can find a hint in the Zeiss Jena brochures or place a question in the german forum. BTW: They would like you to post a short presentation of yourself under "Mikroskopiker im Netz". There are many members who are very knowledgable in Zeiss Jena gear, and many will understand english if you don't find the right words in german.

[PeterArmitage]

Thanks for your response and advice, Bob. I just introduced myself properly to the German Mikro-Forum.

The 30-048c-1.G AMPLIVAL(T).pdf manual I found online mentions a "aplanatisch-achromatischer Kondensor 1,4" (Google translation? - aplanatic-achromatic condenser 1,4). I don't know if that means they are planachromats or not. I will ask about these objectives in the DE forum.

[MicroBob]

Hi Peter,
I'm not sure that your microscope really is an Amplival. I don't know much about the Mikroval series (wrong colour for me ). I think the Amplival had an exchangeable horizontal beam at the top of the stand which your stand does not have - maybe it's a Laboval?
This would explain the phase contrast without pancratic condenser but with the disc condenser. The trinocular adapter on your stand is quite rare and expensive when it shows up - great to have it right away.
One big advantage of the Zeiss Jena microscopes is that there is a flood of 5-hole nosepieces on the market (here) and so it's easy to have different objective sets in their own nosepieces. On german ebay they go for 25-30€, much less than for other systems. But shipping to Newfoundland might be expensive.

The google-translation is astonishingly/frighteningly good and the text can be read fluently. It's the best translation I have seen from them so far. The only things it didn't manage were the capitals that we Germans use at the funniest places - it still keeps my brain active to figure them out.

Bob

[PeteM]

I ended up with a set of Zeiss Jena Phv objectives, but infinity rather than 160mm tube length. These are wide field plan achromats with 25mm threads, and a bigger-than-DIN parfocal length on the 100x (55mm is my recollection; not quite to 60mm Nikon CFI territory).

There is an article (Microscopy UK?) extolling the virtues of these objectives. I've only tried them on Olympus (180mm infinity tube) and Leica (200mm infinity tube) microscopes, without quite the proper eyepieces. My experience was that they are very good in terms of sharpness, but contrast wasn't up to modern (e.g. Olympus UIS or Leica C or newer) standards.

Whether any of this applies to the finite series PhV objectives is a guess. That guess would be that they are sharp lenses, with older coating tech.

Also have a Zeiss Phv phase (disc type) condenser with the multiple phase rings if anyone is interested in a swap. It may be for finite PhV objectives, as only the 10x ring matches well to my infinite objectives (but, then, I temporarily retrofitted it to the Olympus and then the Leica frames).

[PeterArmitage]

I just joined the German Mikro-Forum where I have met several generous people offering to help me with my Carl Zeiss Jena microscope.

It appears that the DeepL translation program is better than Google. Here's a comment from Aquarius. Google mistranslated my English text.

He didn't buy the microscope from Zeiss, as Google Translate thinks.
I can recommend the DeepL translator instead of Google, its results are even better than those of Google. Especially for somewhat more complicated texts, which Google Translate unfortunately often distorts.
https://www.deepl.com/translate

Then another participant by the name of Lupus added this comparison of the back translations:

Here's an acid test, the comparison of the back translation of the first original English paragraph via German back to English with Google in comparison to Deepl. Only on Google does the content differ from the original in two places:

Google
I just bought an old phase contrast microscope from Carl Zeiss Jena Amplal, which I found in an antique shop in western Canada. Photo attached. I would like to use it for beekeeping applications like Nosema spp. Spore counts and pollen identification in honey, bee bread, etc. It's been 40 years since I took part in the biology classes at the university that needed microscopy, so I am at the beginning of my learning curve. First steps are to renovate the old microscope.

Deepl
I just bought an old Carl Zeiss Jena Amplival phase contrast microscope that I found in an antiques store in western Canada. Photo attached. I would like to use it for beekeeping applications like Nosema spp. spore counting and pollen identification in honey, bee bread, etc. It's been 40 years since I took university biology courses that require microscopy, so I'm at the beginning of my re-learning curve. First steps are the renovation of the old microscope.

[MichaelG.]

Thanks for the DeepL recommendation, Peter
I have used their Linguee App, but was unaware of DeepL

MichaelG.

[PeterArmitage]

Gerd, on the German Mikro-Forum tells me this is not an Amplival microscope. It's an Ergaval. He provided relevant documentation. Thanks Gerd!