Incident lighting on a budget

[mrsonchus]

Hi all, had a go at setting up incident-lighting to look at some larger specimens of seeds (placed in a well-slide). I've a little bottom-lighting too which gave a nice background although I think I'd have been better off with an opaque black or white card under the seeds...
I got the bendy USB LED lights online from China for about £4 each delivered - they seem to work reasonable well. The larger light is just an LED torch (£1.50 from a shop) with a frosted filter blue-tacked over it's front. That ups the levels considerably and the diffuser 'tunes out' the multiple LEDs it contains. Works quite well.
The whole rig is very Heath-Robinson but it's an inexpensive start....

The Rig

websize_incident_lighting_1.jpg (319.6 KiB) Viewed 4744 times

websize_incident_lighting_2.jpg (302.3 KiB) Viewed 4744 times

websize_incident_lighting_3.jpg (286.34 KiB) Viewed 4744 times

websize_incident_lighting_4.jpg (284.52 KiB) Viewed 4744 times

websize_sonchus_seed.jpg (335.83 KiB) Viewed 4744 times

A start anyway.

[75RR]

A start anyway.

Indeed!
Like how the torch hangs from its strap which is placed around the binocular head!
How happy are you with the colour?
I think you might find that diffused light will give you a better match. Bit of tracing paper will do at a pinch.
Also do you post process? Photoshop or the like?

[kkokkolis]

Very nice!
I have a Celestron color filters set that I didn't use much for astronomy but I kept it having an instict it might prove useful. I'm goimg to experiment with it on my microscope, I even might try to make an adaptor for the incident LED light of the Bresser.

[charlie g]

Congrats, mrsonchus! I am a terrific fan of low cost LED torches...I use them all the time at my microscopy bench.

Is the image of those seeds with your 4X objective? Very crisp image.

Being on the other side of the pond..I'm curious about your remark: 'Heath-'...does this equate with: 'quick and dirty/DIY'?!

Thanks for shareing your microscopy. charlie guevara/finger lakes,US

[mrsonchus]

A start anyway.

Indeed!
Like how the torch hangs from its strap which is placed around the binocular head!
How happy are you with the colour?
I think you might find that diffused light will give you a better match. Bit of tracing paper will do at a pinch.
Also do you post process? Photoshop or the like?

Well, I usually set white-balance during live viewing before I take any pictures just to give a 'std' result if you like. Sometimes I simply like the colours as they appear, as in the case of the seed - I rather like the yellow background and the 'scope's lamp is really simply providing a background rather than than contributing to the actual image of the seed. I really lashed this all together in about 5mins but my next attempt will definitely have no bottom-lighting only an opaque black or probably white (I suppose a neutral grey piece of cardboard would also be very good photographically) surface under the specimen. I never really find white-balance to be a problem, it's very easy to set either pre or post shoot.
I do all my post-processing with PSE-9.

regards

[mrsonchus]

Very nice!
I have a Celestron color filters set that I didn't use much for astronomy but I kept it having an instict it might prove useful. I'm goimg to experiment with it on my microscope, I even might try to make an adaptor for the incident LED light of the Bresser.

Have a go! I bought a cheap booklet of colour gels made for camera flash-guns (each is about 10x7cm) and am using them for all sorts - I've just started dabbling with Rheinberg and using these. I hold the various components together by simply putting them between laminating sheets and laminating the lot. This is also great for giving single-colour filters that are a lot stiffer than just the gels on their own. A 'gel sandwich' if you like.

Using a green filter can, at higher powers, allow a brighter than usual light level to be used and it seems to preserve or even improve resolution especially with predominantly transparent subjects. I don't know why this is so - but I've seen this effect and know it's true.

Get out the scissors and start having fun!

[mrsonchus]

Congrats, mrsonchus! I am a terrific fan of low cost LED torches...I use them all the time at my microscopy bench.

Is the image of those seeds with your 4X objective? Very crisp image.

Being on the other side of the pond..I'm curious about your remark: 'Heath-'...does this equate with: 'quick and dirty/DIY'?!

Thanks for shareing your microscopy. charlie guevara/finger lakes,US

Hi and thanks - I love those cheapo bendy lights - they remind me of 'War of the Worlds'. Yes the image is a single unstacked taken with the x4 objective - I think I got pretty lucky. I post-processed it with a very slight lightening of shadows and darkening of highlights using PSE9. Next I'm going to try the HDR approach with this type of image and stack exposures (oh and maybe a bit of focus stacking too)....
Yes, Heath Robinson just means a bit 'home-made' or 'cobbled-together' or improvised.
I'm having a huge amount of fun and learning an awful lot too!