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Alternatives to Nikon SMZ-10 for stereo-pair photomacrography?

Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2022 10:56 pm
by TiggerScope
I'm wondering if anybody knows of another stereo microscope (or maybe just a phototube) which can switch the photo image source from the left optical train to the right optical train, for making stereo photo pairs. The Nikon SMZ-10 can do that, but is there any other? Or is the SMZ-10 unique in this way?

Thanks everyone
Peter

Re: Alternatives to Nikon SMZ-10 for stereo-pair photomacrography?

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2022 12:37 am
by Scarodactyl
The smz-10 head can be put on any modular SMZ series body. I have heard Olympus made an old SZ series that also did it too but I've never seen one. Aside from that the modern Chinese SMZ clones have a dual camera port adapter as an option if you wanted to mount a camera on each side. I mean, I wouldn't, but the option is there anyway. There was also a setup for the Wild m5 that allowed a photo to be taken from either light path but it replaced the head entirely.

Re: Alternatives to Nikon SMZ-10 for stereo-pair photomacrography?

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2022 8:02 am
by photomicro
Yes, Zeiss made an adapter for their Stemi microscopes.

This is one;

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/255571203533 ... SwNm1gHRVX

I have no connection whatsoever with the seller, just seemed a quick way of showing such an adapter.

John Ward wrote about this in an article entitled; "Inside the SM II. A CMO Stereo Microscope by Zeiss"

this was published in 'Balsam Post' the Journal of the Postal Microscopical Society, in 2019.

The article runs to some 7 pages.

Re: Alternatives to Nikon SMZ-10 for stereo-pair photomacrography?

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2022 11:31 am
by TiggerScope
Yes, I heard of an old Olympus SZ with a stereo switch but have never seen one either. As for the special Wild and Zeiss tubes, they are a cheap solution but a bit inconvenient, and I don't much rate the performance of those Zeiss Stemis, photographically at least. Perhaps 2x cheap eyepiece cams in the eyetubes of a good Wild or Leica would work.

Probably (to me anyway) the ideal would be an SMZ-10 trino head on top of an SMZ-U fitted with a planapo. It will have to take its place in the begging queue.

And there's always the tilting stage under a macroscope.

Re: Alternatives to Nikon SMZ-10 for stereo-pair photomacrography?

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2022 12:35 pm
by jfiresto
TiggerScope wrote:
Wed Jun 08, 2022 11:31 am
... Perhaps 2x cheap eyepiece cams in the eyetubes of a good Wild or Leica would work....
Or a 50:50 photo tube HV, a monocular, photo tube A and two mirrorless cameras, plus two sets of optic-less tube/thread adapters. Hang on, I have all the parts for that. I have way too many projects on my to-do list!

Re: Alternatives to Nikon SMZ-10 for stereo-pair photomacrography?

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2022 3:39 pm
by TiggerScope
jfiresto wrote:
Wed Jun 08, 2022 12:35 pm
TiggerScope wrote:
Wed Jun 08, 2022 11:31 am
... Perhaps 2x cheap eyepiece cams in the eyetubes of a good Wild or Leica would work....
Or a 50:50 photo tube HV, a monocular, photo tube A and two mirrorless cameras, plus two sets of optic-less tube/thread adapters. Hang on, I have all the parts for that. I have way too many projects on my to-do list!
Tell me about it! I too have so many projects I don't know what to do (like the old woman who lived in a shoe). But it's better than being bored. I find great pleasure in thinking about and planning things that never happen.

Re: Alternatives to Nikon SMZ-10 for stereo-pair photomacrography?

Posted: Wed Jun 08, 2022 4:24 pm
by blekenbleu
TiggerScope wrote:
Tue Jun 07, 2022 10:56 pm
switch the photo image source from the left optical train to the right optical train, for making stereo photo pairs.
For microscopes with eyetube outside diameters of 1.25 inches or a few mm less,
a sturdy afocal camera adapter can be improvised using a telescope adapter,
e.g. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082HC7DYY,
an APS-C camera with 40mm lens, a male T2 - M42 coupler,
and a step-down ring from the 40mm lens filter size to that M42 coupler:
Image

Gaps between microscope tube and telescope clamp of more than a couple of mm
can be accommodated by inserting e.g. brass shim between the tube and clamp:
Image

Re: Alternatives to Nikon SMZ-10 for stereo-pair photomacrography?

Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2022 7:17 am
by idealisticcormorant
John Ward wrote about this in an article entitled; "Inside the SM II. A CMO Stereo Microscope by Zeiss"

this was published in 'Balsam Post' the Journal of the Postal Microscopical Society, in 2019octordle

Re: Alternatives to Nikon SMZ-10 for stereo-pair photomacrography?

Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2022 8:02 am
by photomicro
idealisticcormorant wrote:
Mon Jun 13, 2022 7:17 am
John Ward wrote about this in an article entitled; "Inside the SM II. A CMO Stereo Microscope by Zeiss"

this was published in 'Balsam Post' the Journal of the Postal Microscopical Society, in 2019octordle
Not sure what you are saying/asking here...since this is what I wrote (June 8th)....

Forgive me for misunderstanding...

Re: Alternatives to Nikon SMZ-10 for stereo-pair photomacrography?

Posted: Mon Jun 13, 2022 2:45 pm
by Scarodactyl
It's a bot. It copied your post but added a hidden link.