MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I do my microscopy in a windowless room. Is there any artificial light (light bulbs) that simulates natural daylight?

Judge,

I just bought this for a microscope light-
Harbor Freight Tools 144 Lumen Ultra-Bright Portable LED Worklight/Flashlight
https://www.harborfreight.com/144-lumen ... 63878.html

They have other models also. I think some of the worklights/flashlights said the term "day light."

Maybe you just mean a general ceiling fixture light bulb or table top lamp light bulb-
They are making more and more better kinds which are like "day light." (They state it on the package.)
Go to any store from a hardware store to Walmart or Lowe's or Home Depot etc etc.

Judge wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 30, 2022 12:45 am

I do my microscopy in a windowless room. Is there any artificial light (light bulbs) that simulates natural daylight?

.

The classic ‘simulation’ of natural daylight uses a normal Tungsten filament in a blue-filtered light bulb.

These are [were?] widely used by Artists and needle-workers
But the very laudable pursuit of energy-efficiency has effectively killed-them-off
[ the light bulbs that is ]

The mission to get full-spectrum from LED-based sources continues …
This page is worth a look: https://www.waveformlighting.com/color-matching

MichaelG.

I use an Ulanzi VL49 video light, It is recharged via USB-C and lasts quite a few hours. The screen on the front is quite a good diffuser so I focus the condenser onto that.
I see that they make another model with an adjustable colour temperature and a more powerful battery, but this model seems OK to me.



This is it: For microscopes with an angled eyepiece tube like a Lomo, I just plonk the light on the table. For tilting, horseshoe, stands I have a 'Smallrig 5 inch magic arm and clamp' and clamp the arm to the microscope tube and put the light on the end of the arm.

Perhaps, because it has a straight edge it seems quite easy to get oblique lighting using the curved side of the mirror.

I apologize, I didn’t make myself clear. I don’t have a window sill to place my specimens on to get some light. I understand that there are special lights available for indoor plants. That might work.

Judge,
I buy the "Daylight" type of light bulbs now for my table and ceiling lights (Lowe's or Home Depot)

You can buy for plants also "Grow Lights" Some are reg. and some are for the "flowering stage."
Interesting that stores carry them more with changing Marijuana laws.

Thanks

I would not use those same grow lights for observation, clearly.

Oh I was just mentioning different new lighting.
He was saying he wanted light on his water sample cause no windows.
He just didn't want the water samples in the dark. Wanted "sun light" like lighting for the room not microscope.

Daylight, meaning a cloudless blue sky with the sun unobscured, measures 5200 Kelvin. Depending on what artificial light you use, the color temperarure varies immensely and will require a filter
(usually a blue filter) to give an approximate and desired white light.

The old fashioned tungsten light bulbs gave out an orange light, fluorescent lights were on the green side. LED lights today are all over the scale, measures as "warm", to "cool", brightwhite, etc.

I'm assuming your microscope has a mirror rather than a built in illumination system, so you can select any of the above light sources and use a compesating filter available from AmScope or on Ebay.

My microscope has a light not a mirror. My question is not about a microscope light. I’m interested in a light as a substitute for sunlight, not available in my work room, for my specimens.

Judge wrote: ↑

Sun Dec 04, 2022 7:49 pm

My microscope has a light not a mirror. My question is not about a microscope light. I’m interested in a light as a substitute for sunlight, not available in my work room, for my specimens.

Are you referring to something like this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/390738773518 (full spectrum light fixture for plants)?

Too expensive. I ordered a $20.00 one. I'll let you know how I make out.