MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Over on the "Doing Diatoms" thread we have been discussing the cleaning of a Pensacola Florida beach sand sample sent to me by zzffnn.

Here are a few images from the sample.

AO 20, 100x Plan Achro Phase Oil Objective, Phase Condenser, Canon 70D, Single Frames

No ID's yet for most yet.

First a monster of a centric at 100 microns. Didn't fit the field, but too pretty to back out.
A colonial
Another beauty
A great group
And now one that caught the eye of this canoeist....

Wow, what a great series! Rod the magician has turned sand into beautiful pearls

I did not see #2 or #5 in my rough screen.

I need to look into Galveston beach surf sand when it warms up next year.

zzffnn wrote:Wow, what a great series! Rod the magician has turned sand into beautiful pearls

I did not see #2 or #5 in my rough screen.

I need to look into Galveston beach surf sand when it warms up next year.

Thanks zz.

No magic involved. The challenge was the limited material that the sample produced. I just needed to adjust things a bit to maximize conservation of the sample. The rest was pretty straightforward.

I am working to dilute the suspension to produce slides that are a bit more sparse, and more appropriate for darkfield for you. That will take a bit of trial and error, but is doable.

Some interesting stuff in there.

Rod

Fantastic stuff there, Rod! Your contributions to this hobby are significant as far as I'm concerned. The forms you're bringing to light, and the images you're making of them, are just wonderful and impressive!

Phase working very well in these images.
Would like to see how COL works for you, if you can find the time of course.
Perhaps you could run a comparison test on a single diatom to give it a fair shake and see if you think it has potential.

WOW!!.. These are superior photos!..

BillT

KurtM wrote:Fantastic stuff there, Rod! Your contributions to this hobby are significant as far as I'm concerned. The forms you're bringing to light, and the images you're making of them, are just wonderful and impressive!

Thanks Kurt, you are very generous. I don't think I am breaking any new ground in any way. I do hope it might encourage others to give it a try.

It really is addicting to scan a strew slide at high power and marvel at the sights. I think that is really enhanced by the satisfaction of creating the slide with your own efforts, or in this case in a cooperative effort of like-minded folks.

Thanks again.

75RR wrote:Phase working very well in these images.
Would like to see how COL works for you, if you can find the time of course.
Perhaps you could run a comparison test on a single diatom to give it a fair shake and see if you think it has potential.

Thanks 75.

I can do that. I see it all the time as I am switching between objectives and annuli, and I admit it has caught my attention at times. Stand by.....

billbillt wrote:WOW!!.. These are superior photos!..

BillT

Thank you Bill

These are reeeeaaaly great shots! The diatom in the first image, I have never seen before. Thanks for sharing

hkv wrote:These are reeeeaaaly great shots! The diatom in the first image, I have never seen before. Thanks for sharing

Thanks much hkv, glad you like them.

Sorry I'm late to the party.
But I have to chip in, late or not.
Absolutely stunning.

billben74 wrote:Sorry I'm late to the party.
But I have to chip in, late or not.
Absolutely stunning.

You're not late, and your comments are always appreciated. Thank you.

Rod

Bonjour.
Très jolie série images.
Cordialement seb