Microscope Clarity/Filming

[birghtnight]

I've never filmed using a microscope before but after seeing some videos of choloropasmic streaming in Elodea (water plant) I would like to record similar footage using an adapter and my Panasonic GH5 SLR camera. The video I like the most use was recorded using a Zeiss Universal Research Microscope:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jw-N82tHjc

I know the Zeiss Universal is an older microscope I'm wondering how good the optics are because the footage I've seen of the Elodea plant varies greatly in sharpness and detail. For example this video on a different microscope doesn't have the same visual effect and the optics don't look as sharp:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybt2OOi7JLI

I have access to a Leica S9i and could probably get access to other microscopes or rent one. Will I be able to achieve the same optical quality of the Zeiss Universal Research Microscope using a Leica S9i? I'm also curious if anyone has any lighting suggestions. The first and second videos are the same plant but the lighting looks fantastic in the first video. I'm assuming it was recorded with a dark field and possibly a green light to make it pop.

[Scarodactyl]

The Zeiss universal can have excellent optics, and it is one of the most attractive-looking scopes ever made. However I would not recommend getting one because Zeiss optics from that era tend to delaminate over time which is heartbreaking. Sharpness will vary with the optical quality but also with how the camera is attached and how the sample is prepared and lit.

I have access to a Leica S9i and could probably get access to other microscopes or rent one. Will I be able to achieve the same optical quality of the Zeiss Universal Research Microscope using a Leica S9i?

No, the S9i is a stereo microscope. It is meant for observation at low magnifications with a side of documentation. It can't compete optically with a compound microscope at higher magnifications since that isn't what it is designed for.

[birghtnight]

The Zriss universal can have excellent optics, and it is one of thr most attractive-looking scopes ever made. Howevwr I would not recommend getting one because Zeiss optocs from that era tend to delaminate over time which is heartbreaking. Sharpness will vary with the optical quality but also with how the camera is attached and how the sample is prepared

I have access to a Leica S9i and could probably get access to other microscopes or rent one. Will I be able to achieve the same optical quality of the Zeiss Universal Research Microscope using a Leica S9i?

No, the S9i is a stereo microscope. It is meant for observation at low magnifications with a side of documentation. It can't compete optically with a compound microscope at higher magnifications since that isn't what it is designed for.

Wow thank you so much for the info, I came to the right place! So I should look for a compound microscope, are there any other characteristics I should look for in a microscope or camera adapter that will make my video sharper/better? Can you rent microscopes or are there relatively cheap/used microscopes these days that can match or out preform older microscopes like that of the Zeiss Universal? (hoping microscopes have improved significantly over time like cameras and the cost has come down). I might try to find one at a local university to use but if there are any models you would suggest I'd appreciate it.

[Hobbyst46]

I've never filmed using a microscope before but after seeing some videos of choloropasmic streaming in Elodea (water plant) I would like to record similar footage using an adapter and my Panasonic GH5 SLR camera. The video I like the most use was recorded using a Zeiss Universal Research Microscope:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jw-N82tHjc

I know the Zeiss Universal is an older microscope I'm wondering how good the optics are because the footage I've seen of the Elodea plant varies greatly in sharpness and detail. For example this video on a different microscope doesn't have the same visual effect and the optics don't look as sharp:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ybt2OOi7JLI

I have access to a Leica S9i and could probably get access to other microscopes or rent one. Will I be able to achieve the same optical quality of the Zeiss Universal Research Microscope using a Leica S9i? I'm also curious if anyone has any lighting suggestions. The first and second videos are the same plant but the lighting looks fantastic in the first video. I'm assuming it was recorded with a dark field and possibly a green light to make it pop.

The difference in appearance between the two movie clips is, IMHO, a result of different illumination rather than different optics.

[Phill Brown]

Video 1 I'm going to suggest is dark field with a green filter, slightly oblique mask.
Video 2 is bright field with the condenser aperture far enough open allowing enough light for video.
The first video effect needs a brighter than average light source but it's a bit flooded causing some glare, could be something as simple as a mobile phone camera with a lens that needed cleaning or an objective with the same issue.
Mobile phone cameras can be surprisingly good at dealing with short falls in optics.
I could be wrong on all counts,as always happy to be corrected.