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Leica DC100 microscope camera

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2019 7:21 am
by Scarodactyl
The DC100 isn't a very new model to say the least, but most Leica products still command decent prices. I wonder why this one was 5 bucks?
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Oh.
Not the most advanced photos, I took these to test out the Navitar Zoom 6000 system I just finished putting together. I'll probably post some about that in another thread, but suffice to say it's a pretty darn nice system for its relatively low cost.
I am not sure if this is mold or some sort of crystallization. The way the thicker branches seem to have scavenged material from around them, leaving surrounding areas bare, has a definite resemblance to dendritic crystal growth but I haven't looked at much mold. I'll have to take a look with some more powerful optics and see what I can see.

Re: Leica DC100 microscope camera

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2019 7:38 am
by MichaelG.
Scarodactyl wrote:I'll have to take a look with some more powerful optics and see what I can see.
Please do ... It should be an interesting investigation

MichaelG.

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Edit: Here's a vintage description of the camera:
http://meyerinst.com/html/leica/dc-100/default.htm
... My how things have changed in the last 20 years !

I've also just found this manual from 2003:
https://www.embl.it/services/microscopy ... aforPC.pdf
I don't mean to hi-jack your thread, but it's interesting [and maybe relevant to some concurrent discussion] to see the attention to detail by Leica, at a time when digital imaging was still in its infancy.

Re: Leica DC100 microscope camera

Posted: Thu Jul 18, 2019 8:55 am
by Roldorf
Wow and that's a Compaq PC.

Edit: With 5.25 and 3.5 floppy disk's. It maybe even has a 5 Gbyte hard drive. I would think that the PC was well before 2000 maybe even the late 1980's I would have to look at my old CV to see when I was working with them.

Re: Leica DC100 microscope camera

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 1:23 am
by Scarodactyl
Some closeup shots on my Z16--I am not sure if the oblique lighting is introducing issues or if something's off with the lens system, it's all a bit ad hoc. But you can still see some better details in there:
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I was sure it was mold when I first saw it without magnification. My dad thought maybe electrostatic discharge when he saw the picture. But there is also some on the very top glass surface, and it wiped off when I tried to clean some dust off to get a better picture, so ESD is out anyway. I am starting to lean towards crystallization, though of what I am not sure, nor how it would have gotten there.
Unfortunately the bulk of the camera makes it hard to put this on my Nikon compound, for whatever good that would do.

Re: Leica DC100 microscope camera

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 5:25 am
by MichaelG.
Scarodactyl wrote:Some closeup shots on my Z16 ...
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I was sure it was mold when I first saw it without magnification. My dad thought maybe electrostatic discharge when he saw the picture. But there is also some on the very top glass surface, and it wiped off when I tried to clean some dust off to get a better picture, so ESD is out anyway. I am starting to lean towards crystallization, though of what I am not sure, nor how it would have gotten there. ..
Thanks for posting the extra images
Do you have any idea what environment the camera has been used in ?

It's a long time since I worked at Kodak, but one interesting 'failure' that we saw was the crazing of lens coatings [which looks rather like the dried-up bed of an empty reservoir]: This could be the starting point for further degradation by contaminants.

Fascinating ...

MichaelG.

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Edit: I've just found this page, which has some superb images of crazed coating
https://www.2020mag.com/article/is-your ... ressed-out

Re: Leica DC100 microscope camera

Posted: Fri Jul 19, 2019 6:18 am
by Scarodactyl
That's cool! And certainly a potential factor. Unfortunately I don't have any more information, it was a really cheap eBay purchase on a whim, probably passed through at least one surplusing.