Accessories for my Bresser Researcher ICD

[kkokkolis]

I've been using my Bresser Researcher ICD for some days and here are my first impressions.
- The microscope is very good for what I paid (158 euros).
- So far I didn't feel the need for a boom mounted option, most small items I would observe fit in the working distance.
- I didn't need a socket power adapter, it works fine with the three AA rechargable batteries and they seem to last long (I didn't have to recharge yet and I have a second charged trio ready, 1700 and 2600 mAh). This way I can move the scope into the house, to visit my mineral collection in the living room or my workbench (my daughters former desk). I guess I can take it in the field if I want with the batteries. That's fantastic in the amateur level of use.
- I feel that the zoom would be very practical but it is only available to scopes of double the cost. I can overcome that with a pair of additional eyepieces or two (see further down).
- Eyepieces: This is my only concern. You see, I'm in astronomy and I have a nice setup of Televue, Explore Scientific and Baader eyepieces for astronomy, with apparent field of view up to 100 degrees and eye relief up to 20mm, including Ethos, Delos, Radians, and Orthoscopics. After that, the microscope's eyepieces seem very restricted.
10x is nice, small AFOV but good eye relief and reasonably sharp.
20x is recessed in the tubes, so the eye relief is non existent. The AFOV I get is about 20 degrees. I can see details at 80x (where it isn't so sharp).
Now, what I undestand is that they are a Kellner design at best (perhaps Huygens?) and they have this problem with eye relief these simple designs have.
As a Kellner it seems that the 10x is of 25mm focal lenght and the 20x of 12.5mm. So 5x I wanted should be 50mm and that means it would have even less AFOV, given that there is a restriction of the 30.5mm tube for the field stop, so I would get tunnel vision. Question 1: Is that right?
The 15x should be somewhere in the 16.67mm region and would give me eye relief between the 10x and 20x and 30x-60x magnification which I find reasonable. So I would get a pair like this this. 40 euros for a pair of same quality with the ones I have. Question 2:Should I pay more to buy Planachromates for 100 euros? Like these. The eyepieces I have are reasonably flat, so I would mostly need better eye relief.
I know of better high point eyepeces (Zeiss, Optica etc) that cost more but I wouldn't want to go there (yet).
Question 3: If I buy the 15x fro Telescope Service, should I add the Celestron CIM - digital microscope camera? What are the magnifications I would get? I red that it is 15x but elsewhere that it is 100x (and that gives 200x and 400x that is too much). I use my Sony DSC for the moment and I'm going to try it with a tripod for better results. It simply works. But is there a reason to try this 2MP camera? I would like to try it for the price only if it gives magnifications close to the ones the eyepieces give, so if it is 15x it is good, if 100x it is bad.
Question 4: Are there barlows to take advantage of the good eye relief of the 10x eyepieces?

Thank you for any effort to answer.

[kkokkolis]

Also, do you know if these (they look as having better eye relief) are 30.5mm?
http://www.astroshop.eu/optika-eyepiece ... r_2_select

Or the AMScope extreme widefields? http://www.amscope.com/accessories/eyepiece.html

[The QCC]

The Optika eyepieces your link refers to are 22mm and would not work if your Bresser uses 30mm

The Amscope link has several 30mm eyepieces.

All eyepieces with the eyeglass symbol are designed for eyeglass wearers.

Which one is best?
That is a very good question. I am glad you asked it.
I will answer in the fullness of time or wait for ...

[kkokkolis]

For what?

[The QCC]

"For what?"
For someone who actually uses eyepieces to look through.

Although my microscope has places for eyepieces, I do not use them.
I do all of my viewing on a computer display.

When I did try the eyepieces to view things, I could not find any that were really suitable when wearing eye glasses.

[kkokkolis]

Then you might probably answer the other question, about the Celestron CIM 2MP camera?

[Crater Eddie]

These are some good questions. In the telescope world, the eyepieces are the replaceable part and much is made of this design and that design, eye relief, field of view, etc. In the microscope world, the eyepiece and objective are both replaceable, but it is usually the objective that is replaced and fussed about while little is said about the eyepiece.

[kkokkolis]

I see that and can't adapt easily.

[The QCC]

The Celestron 2MP camera is adequate as a starter camera.
The software that come with it uses the microscope a snapshot camera. The software does not do measurements and other post processing that are available with software such as ToupView.

But for $40.00 US it will get you started and probably leaving wanting more.

[kkokkolis]

Thank you. It's 60 euros in fact. But I may use other software with it I guess.

[The QCC]

For a better software programme that costs very little (It is donation based) that should work with the Celestron camera, you might want to investigate Science4All Microscopy and Photography
I use Micam with my 5MP Windows USB camera and DigiCam with my Canon 5D and quite like it.