MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

Quite a common critter in the wetland that I'm getting my water samples from.
4x acro, over 100 images in the stack, probably overkill, but it's the best internal detail I've got to date.

thats awesome - i always struggle when focus stacking transparent subjects - all the details usually blend into a mess in the final image.

Great stuff.

Thanks Aenima
I know what you mean, I had to retouch the intestine in this image because of that.

Very good image of a tremendously difficult subject to shoot, especially a 100 shot stack.

Did you pin him with the coverslip?

Well done.

Rod

Hi Rod,
Sorry to take so long to get back to you.
Out of the loop for a few days.
I transferred it to Glycerol.
Slows things down a bit.
I don't use it much, but find it really useful for these critters.

No worries, I understand.

I have never used glycerol, but have heard of its usefulness with subjects like these. I have used the pinning technique to so good effect, but it can cause some undesirable side effects....especially from the subject's point of view.

Thanks

Rod

I make mini aquariums out of .2mm thick acetate and put the critter and the glycerol in that, then a cover slip.
The internals are still moving around but with some luck you can time the shots to have the bits in the same place each shot at the sharpness level you are working at.
I use the aquariums with the pond water as well, things seem to be able to swim freely in them.
The main prob I find with glycerol is it has a bad tendency to bubble, once you get one in the mix it's pretty much impossible to remove.

Grahame wrote:I make mini aquariums out of .2mm thick acetate and put the critter and the glycerol in that, then a cover slip.
The internals are still moving around but with some luck you can time the shots to have the bits in the same place each shot at the sharpness level you are working at.
I use the aquariums with the pond water as well, things seem to be able to swim freely in them.
The main prob I find with glycerol is it has a bad tendency to bubble, once you get one in the mix it's pretty much impossible to remove.

Other viscous media, like fructose solution and nail polish, also release air bubbles. It is dissolved air in the liquid. The only way I know to remove bubbles is to apply vacuum to the slide. Member mrsonchus (I believe) has posted a very nice DIY vacuum chamber, which so far I failed to copy...

Thanks Hobbyst46,
Went looking for the vacuum chamber and got lost in a thread on mounting dandelion stems by mrsonchus.
This site is worse than aimlessly following leads on G for getting sidetracked

Link to the vacuum chamber thread
viewtopic.php?f=12&t=3763&p=34434&hilit ... ber#p34434

very nice

Merci beaucoup vasselle

Agree. Very nice image of a difficult subject.

Thanks 75RR