Ok. This question is for the optics experts out there. Given it is near impossible to locate a Leitz 1.32 OEL condesner top I thought I would look at adapting a condenser top from another manufacturer.
So I acquired a 1.4 ach aplanatic condenser top from Zeiss. They are quite plentiful.
I had a threaded adapter made so the Zeiss would mount to the Leitz condenser.
Is there any reason this would not work?
I quickly looked at some slides with my oil objectives using the Leitz 0.90 top and then with the Zeiss top oiled and not oiled. It appears that the Zeiss top without oil works as good as the Leitz 0.90 top.
I still have some experiments with the Zeiss top oiled as initially it failed to reach the bottom of the slide when oiled. Needs some tweaking of the adapter.
Adapting a Zeiss 1.4 ach aplan condenser top to a Leitz condenser
Re: Adapting a Zeiss 1.4 ach aplan condenser top to a Leitz condenser
Ok using a Klaus Kemp diatom test slide the Leitz condenser with the Zeiss 1.4 top (Dry) has equal to better resolution than with the 0.90 Leitz top.
The real test and the reason for this experiment is to determine if I get superior performance from the Zeiss top when oiled vs the Leitz top dry. I believe I have adjusted the Zeiss top so it can reach the bottom of a slide when oiled. I do get better resolution with the Zeiss 1.4 top oiled vs the Leitz 0.90 top dry. Is it equivalent to having a Leitz 1.32 OEL top designed specifically for this condenser etc. I do not know.
Is the improved resolution worth the hassle of oiling the objective and condenser both. For me I am not so sure it is. I will say that my 10X/0.45 oil and 25X/0.75 oil objectives are simply beautiful using the 0.90 Leitz top, which you do not oil. Although the 40X oil has an na of 1.3 you have to oil the condenser to realize that na. So given the work and clean-up involved with double oiling a 40X/1.3 objective/condenser would a planapo 40X/0.95 be easier and sufficient?
Anyone else tried these types of comparisons?
The real test and the reason for this experiment is to determine if I get superior performance from the Zeiss top when oiled vs the Leitz top dry. I believe I have adjusted the Zeiss top so it can reach the bottom of a slide when oiled. I do get better resolution with the Zeiss 1.4 top oiled vs the Leitz 0.90 top dry. Is it equivalent to having a Leitz 1.32 OEL top designed specifically for this condenser etc. I do not know.
Is the improved resolution worth the hassle of oiling the objective and condenser both. For me I am not so sure it is. I will say that my 10X/0.45 oil and 25X/0.75 oil objectives are simply beautiful using the 0.90 Leitz top, which you do not oil. Although the 40X oil has an na of 1.3 you have to oil the condenser to realize that na. So given the work and clean-up involved with double oiling a 40X/1.3 objective/condenser would a planapo 40X/0.95 be easier and sufficient?
Anyone else tried these types of comparisons?
Re: Adapting a Zeiss 1.4 ach aplan condenser top to a Leitz condenser
I suspect the Zeiss won't cover as large a field at low power. I think it will be OK oiled at high powers, subject to it actually fitting (raising it, as you say, to reach the stage level). Others may know more.
FWIW, I've adapted around half a dozen condensers to different mounts. For example a Reichert 1.42 NA darkfield condenser to Olympus BH/BX, a Lomo oblique condenser with the shift knob, and numerous cheap slider-type phase condensers to allow use of phase contrast lenses. The Reichert darkfield works fine once it's oiled to the slide. The Lomo oblique works OK and is kind of cool, but not as impressive to me. The phase setups work, but with a fair amount of effort to find or make matching annuli.
I'm presently trying a cheap DIC condenser modification - a jury rigged 5x seems to work. I'll be trying higher power prisms later.
Very frequently the problem is getting the condenser high enough so the glass can be just below the stage level. I've made that mistake more than once and had to redo the mount. In some cases, other parts of the condenser will interfere (especially Zernicke type phase condensers) -- sometimes the fit is not just a (too low) height issue. In one case the condenser top was just to wide to fit the stage cutout without modification. Parts of sliders and turrets may also interfere.
It can also be too high to fit -- I'm struggling with a Zeiss Jena PhV phase condenser right now; already having some decent Zeiss PhV infinity planachromats. It's a Houdini act to retrofit it an Olympus BHS stand and almost as bad for a Leica DMLS.
If this were a Zeiss 1.4 phase condenser, I suspect you wouldn't be able to raise it far enough without interference with the stage of many microscopes. For a regular condenser, it should (I think) fit.
FWIW, I've adapted around half a dozen condensers to different mounts. For example a Reichert 1.42 NA darkfield condenser to Olympus BH/BX, a Lomo oblique condenser with the shift knob, and numerous cheap slider-type phase condensers to allow use of phase contrast lenses. The Reichert darkfield works fine once it's oiled to the slide. The Lomo oblique works OK and is kind of cool, but not as impressive to me. The phase setups work, but with a fair amount of effort to find or make matching annuli.
I'm presently trying a cheap DIC condenser modification - a jury rigged 5x seems to work. I'll be trying higher power prisms later.
Very frequently the problem is getting the condenser high enough so the glass can be just below the stage level. I've made that mistake more than once and had to redo the mount. In some cases, other parts of the condenser will interfere (especially Zernicke type phase condensers) -- sometimes the fit is not just a (too low) height issue. In one case the condenser top was just to wide to fit the stage cutout without modification. Parts of sliders and turrets may also interfere.
It can also be too high to fit -- I'm struggling with a Zeiss Jena PhV phase condenser right now; already having some decent Zeiss PhV infinity planachromats. It's a Houdini act to retrofit it an Olympus BHS stand and almost as bad for a Leica DMLS.
If this were a Zeiss 1.4 phase condenser, I suspect you wouldn't be able to raise it far enough without interference with the stage of many microscopes. For a regular condenser, it should (I think) fit.
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apochronaut
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Re: Adapting a Zeiss 1.4 ach aplan condenser top to a Leitz condenser
One technical specification that needs to be attended to is the focal length of the condenser. Older condensers , designed to be used with a remote illuminator would have been infinity corrected, whereas more modern condensers with near by illumination have a fixed focal length. Shifting location of the source of the illumination will affect the w.d. of the condenser.
Re: Adapting a Zeiss 1.4 ach aplan condenser top to a Leitz condenser
apochronaut wrote:One technical specification that needs to be attended to is the focal length of the condenser. Older condensers , designed to be used with a remote illuminator would have been infinity corrected, whereas more modern condensers with near by illumination have a fixed focal length. Shifting location of the source of the illumination will affect the w.d. of the condenser.
Yes I did notice that when using the Zeiss 1.4 top dry.
Re: Adapting a Zeiss 1.4 ach aplan condenser top to a Leitz condenser
"If this were a Zeiss 1.4 phase condenser, I suspect you wouldn't be able to raise it far enough without interference with the stage of many microscopes. For a regular condenser, it should (I think) fit."
Keep in mind I am not sing the entire Zeiss condenser- just the top. The top is mounted to the Leitz condenser body as it were. The issue was the Zeiss top is lower profile so it would not reach the underside of he slide when oiled. I used a different adapter to raise it up some allowing it to touch the underside of the slide.
Keep in mind I am not sing the entire Zeiss condenser- just the top. The top is mounted to the Leitz condenser body as it were. The issue was the Zeiss top is lower profile so it would not reach the underside of he slide when oiled. I used a different adapter to raise it up some allowing it to touch the underside of the slide.