Sold - portable microscope Swift FM31 - Mc Arthur

Have a problem finding shops that sell specific materials? Ask here. Are you looking for microscope parts? Do you have anything to offer for sale? Note: this is not a section for external companies to advertise their products.
Post Reply
Message
Author
User avatar
patta
Posts: 402
Joined: Sun May 10, 2020 6:01 am
Location: Stavanger Norway
Contact:

Sold - portable microscope Swift FM31 - Mc Arthur

#1 Post by patta » Sat Aug 28, 2021 9:00 pm

I have this portable microscope! It is really small.

Price, I don't know, they're still for sale at 600£ new, or about 300£ for a simpler version.
Photos & description coming soon.

http://microscope-antiques.com/fm31.html
Last edited by patta on Thu Dec 23, 2021 10:45 am, edited 1 time in total.

BramHuntingNematodes
Posts: 1538
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:29 am
Location: Georgia, USA

Re: FS - portable microscope Swift FM31 - Mc Arthur

#2 Post by BramHuntingNematodes » Sat Aug 28, 2021 10:31 pm

ppl go ga-ga over that field master i seen it sell used for almost the same price
1942 Bausch and Lomb Series T Dynoptic, Custom Illumination

User avatar
patta
Posts: 402
Joined: Sun May 10, 2020 6:01 am
Location: Stavanger Norway
Contact:

Re: FS - portable microscope Swift FM31 - Mc Arthur

#3 Post by patta » Fri Sep 03, 2021 1:07 pm

Here is the FieldMaster, a bit late: I had a "let's keep thinkering forever" syndrome.
It is nice and works properly. I think is ideal as travelling or field microscope. Total weight 1,2 kg or 2.5 pounds.

Below one photo of the baby; I've put the ad with many photos on Finn.no, the classified site in Norway:
https://www.finn.no/bap/forsale/ad.html ... =230586484

Some details:
It is a folded small microscope.
Inverted (slide facing down)
Objectives 4x 10x 40x Achromat Brightfield. The 40x has some scratches on the nose but the glass is clean.
Stage clips
I've got it in ok conditions about 1yr ago, overhauled and fixed small things. I sell it because realized I'm not versed for "field microbe hunting".

Eyepiece, the original was cracked; I've looked for proper substitutes. To discover that this microscope is not DIN, so I had to cut a second slot in the eyepiece holder so it seats nearer (the intermediate image is 15mm below tube flange, not 10mm as DIN). Now is all fine and parfocal. Other weird discovery, the original 10x is actually more a 7x.
Edit: careful measurement - no it is a standard 10x with 25mm focal length. Field diameter 18mm. Intermediate image 15mm down.
The 7x blunder was due to refocus "breathing" of the afocal camera (phone).

Winner substitute eyepiece is Nikon CFWE 10x, no compensation. Works great with the 4x and 10x. The 40x would like some compensation but ok. It's made in China, omg.
Other weakly compensating eyepieces, like CZJ 10x 18 p or Olympus WHK 10x 20 fit the the 40x better but compensate too much for 4 and 10x, and show also some distortion. The Olympus is also too wide for the non-plan objectives, the outer rim is not usable. on its advantage, has a nice sliding eyeguard, that is great for observing outdoor.
Choose one of them! I think the Nikon is the one working best. Maybe a generic 10x will be satisfying too.

Illumination, works with two AA batteries. I've found new LED bulbs for it, more bluish than the incandescent one..
At home, instead of its battery light, can use a desktop gooseneck lamp or the likes.
Also the phone flashlight is usable (but you'll need another phone to take photos)
The scope can be used also without illumination, just under the sun,quite ok for 4 and 10x!
The original condenser is just 1 ground glass + 1 lens. Does about NA 0.2
I've tried fitting my favorite M12 lens, a 4mm f/1 that works fine and gives ~NA 0.45.
You can make Darkfield, oblique or polarizing filters, but this model has no slot for them, so need to remove the lamp every time you want to put a filter.

Photography, you'll need to get a bit creative with it. I've taken all photos in afocal with the phone. Also a DSLR in afocal worked well (better) but I'm lazy in importing images. The phone is not the best (noticeable loss in resolution) but combines well with portability. If you have a newer phone with "telephoto" camera, it should fix the resolution loss.

Scope body and illumination fit in their purses. Would be great to make an "equipment case" for it, like from a Peli case, so all accessories are in and is easy and safe to transport, feasible to work on the field. Weight will likely climb to 3kg total. Tell me in case, I've made equipment cases as job for some time.
Or there is this one for sale, very reasonable
http://www.brunelmicroscopessecure.co.u ... eld.html


I'll ship it from Norway packed at best; shipping is ~40$. Or you can pick it up in Stavanger!
No Paypal or ebay plz. In case you absolutely want, I can post it there, it is going to cost about + 30% because of their stack of fees.
Swift_1.jpg
Swift_1.jpg (90.66 KiB) Viewed 3535 times
Some links about this microscope
viewtopic.php?t=6998
viewtopic.php?f=6&t=11901&p=97957&hilit ... ter#p97957
viewtopic.php?t=3623
https://blam-bl.de/images/dokumente/swift_br.pdf

User avatar
patta
Posts: 402
Joined: Sun May 10, 2020 6:01 am
Location: Stavanger Norway
Contact:

Re: FS - portable microscope Swift FM31 - Mc Arthur

#4 Post by patta » Thu Oct 21, 2021 1:38 pm

Still have the baby
the good season for "walking around and look at live pond water" is finished so.. open for offers

apochronaut
Posts: 6272
Joined: Fri May 15, 2015 12:15 am

Re: FS - portable microscope Swift FM31 - Mc Arthur

#5 Post by apochronaut » Thu Oct 21, 2021 2:03 pm

Can you include a kg. of smoked Stavanger sprats in the price? I'm wondering why you are using compensating eyepieces? The neutral Nikon with no compensation sounds a little too much so you need to go the other side of neutral: correcting. Standard achromats in my experience require some further correction to neutral correction. Compensating eyepieces induce inverted chroma peripherally.

Pre-1948 Zeiss are 15mm focal length and Olympus are 16mm . Leitz 170mm tube are 18mm. Most others 13mm( Reichert) or less.

User avatar
patta
Posts: 402
Joined: Sun May 10, 2020 6:01 am
Location: Stavanger Norway
Contact:

Re: FS - portable microscope Swift FM31 - Mc Arthur

#6 Post by patta » Thu Oct 21, 2021 2:45 pm

apochronaut wrote:
Thu Oct 21, 2021 2:03 pm
Can you include a kg. of smoked Stavanger sprats in the price? I'm wondering why you are using compensating eyepieces? The neutral Nikon with no compensation sounds a little too much so you need to go the other side of neutral: correcting. Standard achromats in my experience require some further correction to neutral correction. Compensating eyepieces induce inverted chroma peripherally.
Stavanger Sprats no more, the last factory here closed in 1982! Either not profitable, or sprats were overfished to extinction.
Today, only farmed salmon - but won't survive the trip (and ain't so good). I may recommend Kaviar (smoked cod eggs). Or, maybe, a bottle of whale oil if I manage to find it (and if it is legal to ship it abroad).

Eyepieces, sorry I'll continue to swap compensation and correction for the rest of my life... I've tested all those that I have, and the neutral Nikon looked the best, both visual and with the phone camera. For the 4x and 10x objectives at least, while the 40x seems to like a bit of correction (Olympus WHK). So one has to choose? Maybe both.

apochronaut wrote:
Thu Oct 21, 2021 2:03 pm
Pre-1948 Zeiss are 15mm focal length and Olympus are 16mm . Leitz 170mm tube are 18mm. Most others 13mm( Reichert) or less.
You mean, 15mm the position of the intermediate image down the tube right? Yes old Leitz were 18mm, DIN 10mm, the others I didn't know, 15 0r13 mm, now I know, uff, more troubles when mixing eyepieces and tubes...

apochronaut
Posts: 6272
Joined: Fri May 15, 2015 12:15 am

Re: FS - portable microscope Swift FM31 - Mc Arthur

#7 Post by apochronaut » Thu Oct 21, 2021 5:03 pm

Yes. 15mm down the tube. I just tested old Zeiss objectives with various eyepieces and the older Olympus Bi WF10X was the best, although it is a slightly compensating eyepiece. Those were for the short mount Olympus objectives. The match is perfect, even out to the 18mm field stop, although I had to focus out the curvature of field.

I don't know if I have a pre-war Zeiss eyepiece. Many are unmarked, although I know some of them. I don't know if Zeiss branded their eyepieces pre-war.

Dubious
Posts: 426
Joined: Sun May 09, 2021 7:55 pm

Re: FS - portable microscope Swift FM31 - Mc Arthur

#8 Post by Dubious » Thu Oct 21, 2021 6:17 pm

patta wrote:
Thu Oct 21, 2021 2:45 pm
Stavanger Sprats no more, the last factory here closed in 1982! Either not profitable, or sprats were overfished to extinction.
Today, only farmed salmon - but won't survive the trip (and ain't so good). I may recommend Kaviar (smoked cod eggs). Or, maybe, a bottle of whale oil if I manage to find it (and if it is legal to ship it abroad).
No longer profitable in Norway, sprat canning business has moved to Poland and Latvia:

"Geographically, today’s King Oscar brisling sardines are still caught in the fjords or around the coasts of Norway. Sadly, however, there no longer exist any canneries for them in Norway, the last one in Stavanger having banked up its smoking ovens for the last time in 1982, the last one in Norway in 2008. So what happens to the fish? Got it in one: production has moved offshore, and to inside the European Union (of which Norway is not a member). Production costs in Norway, and freight costs from Norway, became too much for the industry to bear, and Poland beckoned, with a large population of canned fish-eaters already in place, and, almost by definition, lower wages than Norway."

https://amusine.typepad.com/journeys/jo ... tory-.html

User avatar
patta
Posts: 402
Joined: Sun May 10, 2020 6:01 am
Location: Stavanger Norway
Contact:

Re: Sold - portable microscope Swift FM31 - Mc Arthur

#9 Post by patta » Thu Dec 23, 2021 10:51 am

After long time, got sold locally, hope it finds good use; 1500 Nok (~150 Euro), net for both, no extra fees or import tariffs, 70 Nok shipping.
I've made Darkfield stops for its condenser, with the "Funnels" Openscad program, not perfect but of course Telecentric.

The buyer said it's going on boat trips! Maybe will see live critters from the abyss!
.
Stops_FM31.jpg
Stops_FM31.jpg (127.17 KiB) Viewed 2929 times

BramHuntingNematodes
Posts: 1538
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2020 1:29 am
Location: Georgia, USA

Re: Sold - portable microscope Swift FM31 - Mc Arthur

#10 Post by BramHuntingNematodes » Thu Dec 23, 2021 3:09 pm

They got a very good price. Glad it found a good home.
1942 Bausch and Lomb Series T Dynoptic, Custom Illumination

Post Reply