Nikon 20x Apo infinity

[PeteM]

This is just a heads up on an Ebay listing:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/352556679367

I bought one of these a couple months ago at a higher price. It's a spectacular lens at an affordable price -- my vague recollection is that these might have originally been intended for something like DNA sequencers?? Given the high NA it should allow significant photo enlargement.

Might also add that it will work pretty well on Reichert/Leica infinity scopes that have the room for a 60mm long objective with a 25mm diameter thread. I know it will fit a Leica DMLS, which uses the same 200mm tube lens distance. Using adapters, you could even fit this to an RMS turret and then -- using extensions and a bit of fiddling -- have existing 4x to 100x DIN infinity objectives parfocal. Something like a Reichert Diastar might be a fitting stand for this?

There's also room to the adjustable stage to fit this to an Olympus BHS retrofitted with an infinity head, or the BX series. I haven't seriously checked the image using a BX infinity head -- but a casual look suggests its better than something like an Olympus 20x plan achro selling for about the same price. Could be way better despite a not-perfect matching of telon tube lenses.

[zzffnn]

They were just talking about this same objective at the other forum: http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... 72&start=0

Note it works best with 2-3 0.17mm cover slips, not 1 or 0.

[PeteM]

Thanks for the link, ZZ. The one I received was marked Nikon, DIC, and .17mm cover slip. Seems to work fine with a single normal cover slip. It does sound like there are at least three versions of this lens now being sold at heavily discounted prices; two of the three built by but not actually marked "Nikon."

Could be there are hundreds of these out there and they'll be available cheap for a while? Could also be this is a rare opportunity to get a modern plan Apo / DIC lens for the price of a generic plan infinity achromat?