MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

When I said I'd make a thread I meant a forum thread. For adapters I just have Raf do it.

I think the M series has maintained partial compatibility since the M3 (not sure about the M4 or the M7a, but certainly the M3, M8 and M10). The M5 was their first stereo scope(1958!), but it was still well-liked. It makes sense that there would have been interest in continuing the line with Chinese...

Yeah, I did a bit more searching and found at least one reference to that on Martin, though it isn't something I've seen directly. Some of the K series are definitely M5 clones, but it would make sense for them to want to make one that's compatible with the series that's still in major use/productio...

If the the concern here is helping people ease into the micro world I'd worry the overt hostility might be more of a hurdle than the equipment. I know having strong opinions about microscopes is sort of what it's all about but dang. 700$ is quite a bit, in the sense that in the US you could get star...

I believe the motic K series are Wild M5 clones. The M5 is not compatible with the later Wild M3 series from which the MZs are descended. The M5's optical paths are much further apart from one another. There is an apparent MZ75 clone out there, not by Motic. https://m.alibaba.com/product/60704876602...

At gemologyonline every new user's posts have to be manually approved (until they have ten approved posts). It does eat up moderation time but it is extremely effective.

I've never seen a ring light that wasn't secured by set screws (typically 3). Outside of a more specialty item I don't think you're likely to run into a different connection type. You might want to measure the diameter of the threads that accept auxiliary objectives. There are quitr a few third part...

The wikipedia article is a bit more specific about the optical phenomenon as well https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circular_polarization
Basically it is rotating within the plane as it travels along, which traces a helix.

That is probably a 38mm tube, so with the appropriate relay lens you might just need a 38mm tube to c mount adapter like this one https://rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F264233643710 Edit: in light of the below post, there is also a 42mm one available https:/...

Much like gemstones, it is possible to make money buying and selling microscopes, but it is a job, not a passive investment. You have to put a fair amount of work into making sure a unit is complete and functional and getting it properly listed in the right venues. And even then you're not guarantee...

I picked up a Bausch and Lomb fiber-vue portable scope. It is a pretty simple design, with coacial illumination switchable to 'oblique' (just a bulb beside the objective). Downsides, it came with a 10x objective which is a bit much (and my generic 4x can't handle coaxial illumination), and the sampl...

Hi deuslunus and welcome to the forum. I suspect that you would find the Leeds (Schott?) FO to be far more trouble than you think in use...This has a couple of rather awkward consequences (I know this from experience as I also have a FO unit with a longer flexible light-pipe like this) which are th...

That's the essential question for sure. Scienscope does still sell those others too, they just added these to their lineup like everyone else. I was surprised at how well the 10:1 scope holds up to be honest. The problem being, who is going to shell out 2k to find out? If I had that kind of money la...

Hi everyone. A while back I got a Chinese-made stereoscope with a 10:1 zoom ratio on eBay. It was listed as being a Scienscope, but these exact stereo scopes can be seen under many names and badges, from Scienscope , from Amscope , from Unitron, from Nyoptics , from Ningbo Yongxin (Novel Optics) in ...

The 15x uwf eyepieces are good on everything and give an apparent field of view which I think is slightly wider than my labophot UW head with ~26mm fov 30mm eyepieces, which is pretty amazing. That said I think it would be fair to call them rare. I personally would take a 580 over a cycloptic, since...

As it came it didn't quite grip the shaft and needed to be tightened a bit. Ease of operation didn't seem to vary much from semi-tight to really cranked down. If I were using it a lot I might consider replacing it, but my usage also involves a lot of adjusting as I currently swap objectives and zoom...

OK, I got it in and have installed it. It seems to grip very tightly and is solidly made, and its aesthetic qualities are favorable. The downside is that, while it is hand-adjustable it is not easily hand-adjustable, as the clamp is pretty tight. Oh well, it should be fine for quick adjustments.

I would think those would be a great option for permanent or semi-permanent installation, but if you need to adjust the heigh of the head semi-frequently they'd need to be modified for easier tightening and loosening (something like epoxying an allen wrench into the set screw for a better grip).

Thanks! I haven't had muxh luck looking for stop rings either, but I am getting the feeling they just aren't often sold separately. However searching for the photographic clamps led me to some great keywords--I think the general term is a shaft collar? It looks like barbell clamps might offer a resa...

If my googling is correct, they were actually built for B&L stereozooms after Cambridge took them over (but I guess before Leica as we know it existed). Did they start merging the stereo star/stereozoom lineups at that point, or was it only later when under the Leica name they started building their...

Hello everone! This is something that I've been wondering about for a while, but finally have a pressing need to find out. What is the proper term for a "drop stop ring" (as I've seen it called once or twice), the round clamp used as a failsafe in case a pole-stand mounted stereo microscope (or macr...

This was a great read! Thanks for sharing.

The camera adapter is a bit annoying anyway because it has a built in 4x mag which gives you a tiny portion of the FoV, at least with direct projection. The next time I set one up I'll probably try it with a reducing eyepiece but it all adds uo to extra hassle.

I think that 585 might be the camera adapter, which is attached at the offset port.
The 580 is a really nice scope, I hope that you enjoy it.

Nice find! They are a bit scarce but have a great reputation. Hope you have a blast with it!

If I remember right the UW head is similar to the F head. If you can get one you ought to consider it. They are a pleasure to use.

The iris is praised in gemological circles for not varying the light temperature while dimming, so there's at least some justification for it.

I saw this one go up on eBay--it's a really nice scope at a great price.
I'm not a buyer right now, but I am curious what the mags are like on this one.

Price here down to 75 including shipping inside the US. The Tucson gem show is coming up and I'm going to need more money and more space in that order.

The thin points are a really nice feature. I'll have to keep my eyes out for one of those pipes.