I have a USB camera in my trinocular port which my PC uses the camera software so I can capture, measure live images etc. I would like do the same with my DSLR attached to the microscope but I'm struggling to find a way to get the PC to recognise it as a live camera. I have an Olympus E-M5 Mark III and have the latest version of OM workspace installed. Microscope is a Euromex trinocular i-Scope for reference.
Any help gratefully appreciated, I've tried searching and Google but struggling to find a clear answer e.g. do I need a video capture device?
Thank you!
DSLR as Microscope Camera
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macnmotion
- Posts: 549
- Joined: Mon Sep 26, 2022 3:13 am
Re: DSLR as Microscope Camera
I use my DSLR a bit differently than you are imagining (I have a Nikon D750). I connect my DSLR to a computer monitor via the camera's HDMI out, and record directly on the camera's SD card. I share one monitor between my computer and camera, and while my monitor has multiple inputs you could achieve the same thing with an HDMI switch. Of course I can't do direct measurement with software this way, instead I used a micrometer slide with each of my objectives to create scale bars which I can overlay in photo and video post processing. My Mac has a built in card reader, but an external card reader could also be used to transfer images to the computer.
Re: DSLR as Microscope Camera
What computer operating system are you running? That makes a difference when recognizing hardware devices. I'm primarily a Linux guy, but regardless of OS, there's always a system log you can check for device status. Best to open the log, plug in the device, then refresh. If nothing shows up in the logs, you might also try replacing your USB cable: sometimes they go bad.
Re: DSLR as Microscope Camera
Thank you for your replies , this is very much appreciated.
@macnmotion, the tip about using scale bars isn't something I had considered so this is very helpful, thank you.
@jorymil, I am running Windows 11, the advice on the system log is really helpful, thank you.
Jonathan.
@macnmotion, the tip about using scale bars isn't something I had considered so this is very helpful, thank you.
@jorymil, I am running Windows 11, the advice on the system log is really helpful, thank you.
Jonathan.
Re: DSLR as Microscope Camera
In Windows 11, the system logs are called Event Viewer. Should just be able to search on "Event Viewer" on your toolbar.