$15 well spent

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Plasmid
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Joined: Mon Sep 28, 2020 5:34 am
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$15 well spent

#1 Post by Plasmid » Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:13 pm

I've been using a swift phone mount in conjunction to an old Galaxy Note 4 to record videos, I found multiple problems with this.
1. The phone mount won't allow you to shoot full HD horizontal video using your phone.
2. The weight of the phone and the phone mount can actually damage the binocular tubes, to the point where they can actually misalign.
3. The small gap in between the eyepiece and the insertion tube, combined with the weight of the phone and the holder, make the eyepiece point upwards, instead of a linear alignment; causing blurred edges on the image.
I realize this is not the optimal way to record videos or taking pictures; ultimately I plan on investing on a trinocular head for my Microlux as well a proper SLR camera, but for the time being this works. And so I wanted to share this for anyone that is looking for a cheap solution, as well as bringing awareness to the possible damage that can be caused from just using a phone mount by itself.
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dtsh
Posts: 977
Joined: Wed May 01, 2019 6:06 pm
Location: Wisconsin

Re: $15 well spent

#2 Post by dtsh » Thu Feb 11, 2021 7:56 pm

Plasmid wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:13 pm
I've been using a swift phone mount in conjunction to an old Galaxy Note 4 to record videos, I found multiple problems with this.
1. The phone mount won't allow you to shoot full HD horizontal video using your phone.
If I am understanding you correctly, I think this is mostly a function of the phone's camera lens. They aren't designed for this kind of application so the results are going to be imperfect. That said, my experience with cellphone adapters (and similar P/S camera adapters before the days of cellphones) seems to be like yours, that they work surprisingly well. I see the imaging people get with dedicated setups and I concede right off that it's not equal, but neither are the costs.
Plasmid wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:13 pm
2. The weight of the phone and the phone mount can actually damage the binocular tubes, to the point where they can actually misalign.
IMO, minimizing weight is important when doing this sort of imaging for that reason; a few grams here and there can add up.
Plasmid wrote:
Thu Feb 11, 2021 6:13 pm
3. The small gap in between the eyepiece and the insertion tube, combined with the weight of the phone and the holder, make the eyepiece point upwards, instead of a linear alignment; causing blurred edges on the image.
I realize this is not the optimal way to record videos or taking pictures; ultimately I plan on investing on a trinocular head for my Microlux as well a proper SLR camera, but for the time being this works. And so I wanted to share this for anyone that is looking for a cheap solution, as well as bringing awareness to the possible damage that can be caused from just using a phone mount by itself.
My solution to this has been to 3D print a sleeve which I clamp in the adapter, then I have separate sleeves with an OD that slides into the sleeve in the phone adapter for a nice fit and an ID that matches the eyepieces I am using. It seems to allow better alignment. An added bonus is that it all slides on and off easily. I end up making sleeves to fit each of my eyepiece sets, but there aren't many that I use, so it's not that much. Given, this only works for those of us with access to a 3D printer.

I recently acquired trnicoular / photo tube adapter for two of my microscopes, so we'll see if my thoughts change much as time goes by.

MicroBob
Posts: 3154
Joined: Sun Dec 25, 2016 9:11 am
Location: Northern Germany

Re: $15 well spent

#3 Post by MicroBob » Thu Feb 11, 2021 8:58 pm

Hi,
I have the same Swift holder, my son has the second, and I can overall recommend it. It works best if one uses with a separate eyepiece that stays in the holder. The sleeve is hollow, so it can't be turned out on the lathe, but it is from polystyrene that softens at fairly low temperatures and can then be removed. I replaces it with 3D-printed insets made to fit to the eyepiece in use. Smartphones usually have wideangle objectives today and it helps to use a wide angle eyepiece. A 10x 18mm eyepiece has a narrower angle than a 12,5x 18mm eyepiece, so the latter fits better. but one doesn't get a full screen image with the most smartphone/eyepiece combinations without zooming in. Some smartphones today have extra tele cameras, these might work very well.
The weight and leverage won't harm a sturdy microscope. I've been using small DSLMs stuck in bino eyepiece tubes for years now and no problem so far.

Bob

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