MicrobeHunter.com Microscopy Forum

I am still wandering in the vacant landscape of PZO trinoculars. I have looked at the possibility of a 42mm Olympus retrofitting onto a PZO but even there, I am likely going to get dinged for a lot for something that will need work in order to work.
Then I find this.
https://www.ebay.ca/itm/154270886649?ul ... noapp=true

And they will custom make a 43mm dovetail for it for the same price!

I've been curious about this listing. Please let us know how it works out! Even used olympus trinocs are awfully expensive, so this could be a good alternative.

Scarodactyl wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 09, 2021 1:25 am

I've been curious about this listing. Please let us know how it works out! Even used olympus trinocs are awfully expensive, so this could be a good alternative.

Yes, please.

The Indian microscope industry began using tooling and obsolete designs from Zeiss, if my memory serves me correctly.
They are probably still using some of the same castings. A look at the microscopes section of Indiamart will give you an idea of where they are at. They still pump out tens of thousands of metal horseshoe scopes with mirrors, while at the same time producing highly motorized 6 objective, 60mm parfocal DIC scopes with planapo optics. Very similar in fact to a Nikon E200 only with better accessories.
I had an Indian Zeiss knockoff head once : similar to a Standard head. Everything inside was hand done. All of the copper prism clamps had been hand cut with shears. Each prism was hand marked that it had been aligned.
Right now, they share a lot with China and Japan.

Yes, Indian products are amazing; I had once a metal spoon that was evidently carved by hand with a file. Your head at 88$ incl shipping is likely unbeatable. They even still sell profile projectors!
On Allegro, https://allegro.pl/listing?string=pzo%2 ... e-1-1-0528,
the main Polish classifieds site, they always have many PZOs and may ship overseas. No trinoculars now of course... many nice stereo.

Hi Phil,
here: https://www.ebay.de/itm/292522215586
you could buy the original trino head for the MB 30.
BW Optik is a company trading in microscope stuff, partly made by themselves. As a company they should be able to ship one to you.

Bob

Thanks, Bob. Yes, those are available but by the time I get it here, especially if customs steps on it, it will be possibly 350 $CDN.
I'm building up a 100 watt Biolar piece by piece. Two interchangeable 5 place nosepieces; one with a 5X scanning objectve and then the 4 PZO planachros with the integrated interference prisms, the other with 5 planapos for BF, DF and the types of interference that use the interference head, instead of the objective prisms. I have the entire PZO interference system. It will also have Pol.

I am already at about 1400.00, so I am trying to keep the cost of the head down. But, that is a lot of microscope for 1500.00.

Hi Phil,
yes, this would not be a cheap option, and I can't actually saw how good this trino tube is (tube factor, field size, split vision/photo...) There was a later model in Biolar look, the Trino Vario-Phototubus B4 with changeable split factors 100% / 30% - 70% / 100%. In the german forum a guy from Poland posted a lot of informations on PZO microscopes: https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/index. ... ic=34574.0

Here you can find more to read about trino tube options for the Biolar: https://www.mikroskopie-forum.de/index. ... c=33200.15
From system to system the split of how much of the tube lenght are in the tube and how much in the microscope head is different, the values are given in the thread.

I'm working on completing an MB 30. I have to dismantle it one more time as I'm not satisfied with the choice of lubricants I used first time, too stiff. In case aliens land in my back garden I have with the MB 30 the right microscope to make them feel at home!

Bob

That is very useful. I have my German English fictionary at hand. The 100-0/30-70/0-100 head sounds like the one. I have a similar head for the Diastar only 20-80 and I love it.
Yes. I don't know the tube distance. I will have to see. At least the Indian head is new and won't need to be cleaned???

About 10 years ago some people in the german forum bought stuff from India, often trino tubes. Experiences varied, overall mediocre built with much plastic and very basic threads and screws. But some experienced microscopists attested the good ones a good functionality. Here in Germany Zeiss Standard microscopes are very popular and compared to other systems there are fewer trino tubes on the market, so it is interesting to find alternatives. On the Zeiss Standard the indian trino had a certain tube lenght difference, but usable. By useing Leitz eyepieces from the 170mm era one might be able to compensate for this. On my Phomi with Universal tube head I can switch between 100% vision, 100% photo and a split of unknown ratio. For situations with low light levels it is nice to be able to shut of the eyepieces and avoid room light to enter the image, but usually I use the split setting.

Well. I am comitted to the 88.00. . We will see. It is the 100/0-0/100 split I use most on the Diastar, rarely the 20/80.
This head from India is claiming extra wide prisms in order to handle an extra wide f.o.v., whatever that means. To some, 20mm might be extra wide. I would see it as 22mm with R.M.S. eyetubes.
I believe PZO went to 18mm as W.F. but I have tested the objectives to 20mm. Their image circle can do that and I would be happy with that. I just have to find eyepieces that maintain their planarity at that f.o.v.
The image quality of the PZO objectives is very good for planachros. Very little ca and lots of contrast. I questioned them way back around 1990, why they did not have apochromats and their answer was " we don't need them".

MicroBob wrote: ↑

Thu Jun 10, 2021 9:18 am

... On my Phomi with Universal tube head I can switch between 100% vision, 100% photo and a split of unknown ratio.

Hi Bob, if it ever becomes important, I believe one can actually measure the amount of light that goes into each port with a photodiode. There is a "Physics Toolbox" mobile phone application (at least for Android) that utilizes the phone to measure brightness.

The 88.00 head arrived today, dropped off at the door by UPS. Free shipping .No customs involvement. Quite a different scenario than buying from the U.S. A 14 day turnaround from India.

The custom 43mm dovetail is perfect. Fits the PZO like a glove. There are only a few plastic parts; the solid oversize knob on the prism slider, maybe the interpupillary gauge.The finish is a quite thick eggshell pebble enamel for the body and a similar black enamel for the rest. It is marked 1.0X.

The trinocular tube was a surprise. I was expecting a thin black straight tube as per the picture but received instead, a cast telescoping tube that has about 30mm of vertical adjustment with a Philips locking screw. It could easily be swapped for a thumbscrew. The tube walls are 1/8" thick and the top is precision bored to take a 23.2 photo eyepiece. The 3 lubricated functions; the prism slide, the diopter and the interpupillary adjustment are smooth and precise.

The trinocular section of the body lifts off when 2 Philips screws are removed from the bottom of the head, leaving all of the optics behind. It can be adjusted if ever need be on the microscope, which is a useful feature.

Having had an Indian Zeiss style head apart from the 70's, I was surprised to find that not much has changed internally. Individual craftsmanship and hands on workmanship is everywhere. A prism light shield is clearly cut with hand shears. The prism slider guide is handmade from a block of aluminum. A lot inside looks crooked, yet there are collimating marks here and there and it is collimated and works well. It is nice and clean and came with tightly fitting tube plugs.

I tried it out with 19mm eyepieces and it doesn't vignette with those. I don't know if it will take 20mm, yet.

apochronaut wrote: ↑

Wed Jun 23, 2021 7:33 pm

The trinocular tube was a surprise. I was expecting a thin black straight tube as per the picture but received instead, a cast telescoping tube that hss about 30mm of vertical adjustment with a Philips locking screw. It could easily be swapped for a thumbscrew. The tube walls are 1/8" thick and the top is precision bored to take a 23.2 photo eyepiece. The 3 lubricated functions; the prism slide, the diopter and the interpupillary adjustment are smooth and precise.

So those features are much better than the flimsy, miserly made, overly thin walls, and easily damaged optical items that arrive from the big Oriental source...

Probably. This isn't super sturdy either but seems well made enough.. It is 99% aluminum, so not too heavy . I suspect a good whack would misalign it but no microscope seems too compatible with whacks, good or bad.
It weighs a kg. with eyepieces in it, so not too shabby. The big bonus for me is that they put a custom 43mm dovetail on it to fit PZO. .....and it was 83.00 not 88!
Remarkable, actually.

Thanks for the detailed report! Sounds like good value for the money.

Have you been able to check out the camera port, yet, and does it function ok? I am think about getting one of these to upgrade a Laborlux.
Thanks.

Haven't been able to yet. It is a straight through from the objective., very solid . One issue I could see is that the interior is just bored. It will definitely need flocking. There is a reasonable extension, so it is adjustable for various tube lengths.