MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

My favorite research tool is Google Images. I’m always surprised by the obscure photomicrographs they can dig up.

My image is a sample I collected from a very decomposed and moist pine tree stump in a deep Appalachian hollow. The image I’m posting is a very enlarged and cropped portion of a much larger image which shows most of the body of a nematode. I believe the nematode is C. elegans. I would like to identi...

Excellent work. Do you know the genus/species of this little guy?

Thanks very much both of you. I know some people get excellent results with a cell phone on an eyepiece and that should work for me because the flare does not show up when viewing thru the eyepieces, only when using the trinocular tube. I can even see where it’s occurring in the brass parts of the t...

Some time ago I purchased a Unitron Z650HR stereo microscope with a small digital camera attached to the trinocular tube. I bought it specifically for viewing and photographing biological specimens such as fungi, insects, plant parts etc. I’m satisfied with the scope for viewing and doing some disse...

That’s a good thought, thanks. The scope is new enough that the dealer would probably do a swap for another head that would cost me little or nothing. I really like the ergonomics of this head, not just the tilt but also the in and out feature of the eyepieces. I’ll check with the dealer and see wha...

Ok, thanks. You’re right, the right angle assembly is a separate component and detaches from the head. However there are 3 rubber plugs at the base of the tube. I suppose I can remove the plugs and see if I find screws, then consider if I want to try to detach the tube. I know that if I want to buy ...

I’ve done a few photos. The riser tube is 10cm not 15cm as I had guessed. Looking down into the tube I can see a lens about 1/3 of the way up from the bottom. It’s listed as a 2.5x adapter so I imagine that is the lens which provides the 2.5x. On the top of the tube is a Nikon Fx mounting ring and i...

Recently I was fortunate to acquire a Nikon Eclipse Ni-U microscope. It has a trinocular head which has a long tube extending vertically about 15cm and having a Nikon camera adapter on the end. This allows me to attach my Nikon full frame sensor DSLR directly to the tube. With this arrangement the c...

A very valid point, Don. In fact, if you read the criteria Nikon posts for judging the entries it turns out that originality and aesthetics play a large role. And some of the winners with the most lifetime wins, like Krebs, were also great landscape and wildlife photographers. I don’t mean to imply ...

I’m curious about people’s experiences and opinions about the Nikon Small World competition. I first learned about it 3 years ago when the exhibit came to Indianapolis and I had the chance to view it. My daughter works at the museum where it was hung and she got me in free. I wonder how many members...

Nice explanation. I I was wondering if anyone else uses crossed polarizers combined with phase contrast. I think that the phase contrast gives the polarized light image more dimensionality although the halo artifact is also noticeable. It might be better to stick with just one technique at a time bu...

Recently I was viewing the spore capsules of a moss using phase contrast and 10x and 20x objectives. In particular I was interested in the peristomal teeth, structures which look like fangs and surround the opening in the tip of the capsule where the spores are released. I decided to add crossed pol...

I started focus stacking over 15 years ago doing terrestrial photos with a DSLR and adjusting increments manually. I used Combine ZM which was about all there was then. Now I use a simular approach with a DSLR on my microscope. For each image I do a couple of “practice runs” to find the two endpoint...

Sorry about the image rotation, I don’t know why that happened. They were all in the correct orientation when I uploaded them. Here are two views from opposite sides that show the levers for the field and aperture diaphragms. The LED illuminator can also be seen.

Yes I do have photos and I apologize for not putting them up from the start but I’ve had trouble due to the file size being too large. I did get a photobucket account but I haven’t exactly figured out how to use it yet to attach photos. So I reduced the size of my files drastically and I think it wi...

I spent years searching for a “cheap” DIC scope and wasted time and money without any real results. Last year I decided to bite the bullet and spend the money to get a true DIC microscope. Now I realize that true DIC microscopy is a thing of beauty, DIC photomicrographs can be quite stunning, especi...

Thanks for your help Ross. You’re certainly right, the Ultrapak is very difficult to understand. Considering how complex this little unit is there seems to be surprisingly little info available on how it functions and how to use it. The link you provided does have a few useful clues but doesn’t expl...

I agree, the Canadian seller seems to specialize in “pseudo-DIC” microscopes which give a false impression of DIC by using polarization in one form or another. If you look at one of seller’s scopes on eBay you will see a photo in the lineup which supposedly was taken thru the scope currently for sal...

Awhile back I bought a Leitz Laborlux with a transmitted light phase contrast condenser and turret with 4 objectives. It also has a Uropak episcopic adapter with a 4 position turret and 2 objectives which seem correct for episcopic illumination. I am just now trying out the Uropak adapter. With it i...

Another thing to consider is that you will need higher magnification to see bacteria well and determine if they are gram positive or negative. Generally I like to use a 100x oil immersion objective. There are only a few places in medicine where microscopy is useful in diagnosing bacterial disease. O...

You’re right, it does mention set screws holding the focus knob on. But where are they? I’ve looked the knob over many times and I don’t see any sign of a set screw or anything that holds the knob on. If I could get the knob off on the left side I think I could install a telescope planetary coaxial ...

I have a Nikon Metaphot which came from the factory without a fine focuser. I’d like to add one. I’m thinking that I could buy a metaphot or Labophat “for parts only” on eBay and salvage the fine focuser knob from the left side of the instrument and put it on my Metaphot. I’ve also thought of buying...