Olympus BH2/CH2 compatibility.

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Plasmid
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Olympus BH2/CH2 compatibility.

#1 Post by Plasmid » Sat Jan 30, 2021 7:23 pm

How compatible are Olympus ch2 and bh2 component specially when it comes to the universal phase contrast condenser and trino head?
Thank you.
Adrian

deBult
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Re: Olympus BH2/CH2 compatibility.

#2 Post by deBult » Sat Jan 30, 2021 7:36 pm

I have both BH2 and CH2 phase.

Most (all?) BH2 phase condensers will fit the CH2. The CH2 phase condenser and condenser (phase) inserts wil NOT fit the the BH2.

Apart from some extra functionality on the BH2 version (auto tube length correction when you change the inter pupil distance) the trino heads fit both BH2 and CH2.

Plasmid
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Re: Olympus BH2/CH2 compatibility.

#3 Post by Plasmid » Sat Jan 30, 2021 7:53 pm

This is the condenser in question comes from a CH2 with 10 and 40X PL objectives and was wondering if it would work on a BH2....
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deBult
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Re: Olympus BH2/CH2 compatibility.

#4 Post by deBult » Sat Jan 30, 2021 8:38 pm

This is a CH2 specific condenser, As stated in my earlier post CH2 condensers will not fit a BH2.

PeteM
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Re: Olympus BH2/CH2 compatibility.

#5 Post by PeteM » Sat Jan 30, 2021 9:06 pm

You could try fitting a machined or 3D printed dovetail to the bottom of CH type condenser if you want to try it on a BH2 stand.

Plasmid
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Re: Olympus BH2/CH2 compatibility.

#6 Post by Plasmid » Sat Jan 30, 2021 9:40 pm

deBult wrote:
Sat Jan 30, 2021 8:38 pm
This is a CH2 specific condenser, As stated in my earlier post CH2 condensers will not fit a BH2.
Ah got it , just a bit confused, the seller has a CH2 with + low PH and a BH2 as well with the trino and 100X apo, and I was trying to figure out if they could match, but it feels risky buying without knowing the condition of the optics and carousel inside the condenser.
Thank you for your help,
Adrian.

AntoniScott
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Re: Olympus BH2/CH2 compatibility.

#7 Post by AntoniScott » Wed Sep 29, 2021 10:51 pm

The BH2 and CH2 are basically the same microscope. The CH2 is a less expensive alternative to the BH2, available with standard "entry level" objectives. The CH2 came with a three and four objective turret, the BH2 with a three four an five objective turret. The earlier version, the BHT, had the advantage of having a removable objective turret so that additional objective turrents could be switched in seconds. They were available in four, five and six objective turrets. The disadvantage of th BH2 series was the inability to have a simple "dark field" capability which was available on the less expensive entry level CH2.
I own both the CH2 and the BH2 ( actually the earlier BHT) and the so called entry level objectives of the CH2 are every bit as good as their higher priced counterparts from Olympus.
Interchageability of the CH2 and BH2 in limited, The binocular heads are interchangeable as are the trinocular heads between the CH2 and BH2. The lighting system is completely different. The CH2 has an internal 30 watt illuminating bulb but the BH2 has an external light source mounted on the rear of the microscope frame. Lighting quality is more or less the same. The BH2 does have an optional exterior lighting system which probably offers a superior overall illumination. The BH2 does have the abiity to add a sophisticated phase contrast system to the substage.

Objectives are interchangeable between the BH2 and CH2. With the advent of the infinity objectives I am not sure if they are interchangeable.

For individuals seeking a less expensive alternative to the BH2 with no reduction in image quality, the CH2 is a the best choice.

Antoni

carlh6902
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Re: Olympus BH2/CH2 compatibility.

#8 Post by carlh6902 » Thu Sep 30, 2021 2:32 am

Advantages of the bh2 over the ch2:
1) True kohler lighting.
2) Better modularity.
3) Greater ruggedness.
4) Wider viewfield (18mm on ch2, 20mm or 26.5mm on bh2)
5) Tube length compensation. The viewing head for the bh2 is compensated to prevent changes in tube length with IOD adjustment, whereas the ch2 is not.

Although the EA educational objectives commonly found on CH2 scopes are fine for their intended market, here are the quality levels of LB objectives:
1) EA educational achromats
2) D (marked A) achromats
3) DPlan achromats
4) SPlan achromats
5) SPlan apochromats

So there are four steps in optical quality above the low-end CH2 objectives. All are better, some vastly so. Not to mention all the specialty optics for polarization, phase, UV, etc.

See this reference:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/191X1Kx ... p=drivesdk

Carl
--- If you're in the Kansas City area and you need help with an Olympus BH-2 scope, PM me. I love to work on these things ---

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