Advice on connecting Canon D5 camera to a Leica DMLB microscope

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JCHKSA
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Advice on connecting Canon D5 camera to a Leica DMLB microscope

#1 Post by JCHKSA » Thu May 12, 2022 11:07 am

An absolute beginner to microphotography here. Have just bought a second-hand Leica DMLB microscope, binocular version, so I believe I need to connect the camera through one of the eye pieces. Hoping someone can tell me how to connect the two, and any experience or key watch-outs once up and running. Last thing I want is a good camera and good microscope to deliver poor photos due to operator incompetence...

Particular interest in plankton photography.

Any advice gratefully received.

Cheers

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blekenbleu
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Re: Advice on connecting Canon D5 camera to a Leica DMLB microscope

#2 Post by blekenbleu » Thu May 12, 2022 5:05 pm

Is your camera actually a 5D, rather than D5?
If a 5D, those have been produced in several versions.
For microphotography, what Canon calls "Live View" is wanted.
  • focus directly on the sensor
  • avoid SLR mirror slap vibrations
  • HDMI for larger external display

"Live View" was unavailable on the original 5D, being introduced on the Mark II:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_EOS_5D_Mark_II
https://support.usa.canon.com/kb/index? ... =ART170202

The Leica DMLB seems to be a capable and fairly recent microscope,
consequently relatively rare for hobbyists, but already discussed here:
viewtopic.php?f=25&t=14148
Two ways of photographing with a binocular head:
  • afocal: positioning a camera with lens over the eyepiece,
often done with compact cameras and smartphones
  • projection directly from ocular to camera sensor, with its normal lens removed.
Ideally, the conventional ocular is replaced by a matching PHOTO ocular, as described on page 29:
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/2090/ ... a_dmlm.pdf

For older microscopes, where ocular dimensions were more standardized,
T-mount adapters were made to either slide into or fit around eyepiece tubes;
searching e.g. eBay for "T mount microscope" will show a variety of adapters.
For attaching a T (or T2) thread to a Canon EF body, search for "M42 focus confirm EOS"
M42 is not exactly the same as T (or T2) thread, but is often 'close enough'.
Many T2 adapters are advertised as T-thread; the difference being that T2
has provisions for rotating the camera body to a desired orientation when 42mm threads are fully tight.
Extension tubes and perhaps an M42 helicoid will get proper spacing between ocular and camera sensor.

To actually support a camera's weight in stable orientation over an binocular eyetube,
when a strong adapter with precisely matching dimensions is unavailable, improvisation is wanted.
Either a copy stand or old enlarger stand can be adapted for a tripod mount,
and a macro focus rail will help stably adjust the camera's positioning.
Measure the binocular eyetube's outer diameter; if less than 42mm,
then some combination of step-down rings can be ordered
to obtain a close fit between extension tubes, M42 and eyetube,
with an O-ring tight around that eyetube to block light leakage.

When a matching photo/projection ocular is unavailable,
photographic results can be improved by focus stacking.
For many Canon DSLRs where focus bracketing is not officially supported,
it can be added using Magic Lantern:
https://magiclantern.fm/
which only works when an autofocus lens is attached, so afocal.
Metaphot, Optiphot 1, 66; AO 10, 120, EPIStar, Cycloptic

PeteM
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Re: Advice on connecting Canon D5 camera to a Leica DMLB microscope

#3 Post by PeteM » Thu May 12, 2022 11:38 pm

The DMLB is an outstanding scope, but connecting it to a camera is a bit tricky.

To go direct to a (ideally full frame) sensor Leica's 35mm kit is useful, comprising an 8x photo relay lens and then a 0.32x lens in the camera adapter. The end results is around a 2.5x photo relay setup much like others provided to go directly to a full frame size. This setup is hard to find and Leica made two versions - one for "Delta" optics and one for their newer "HC" system. In addition some Ebay sellers may call older Leitz finite adapters (two versions here, 160mm and 170mm tube length) Leica. Leitz also had some infinity gear under that name. So the parts are not only somewhat rare, but require some care in searching for them.

All of which is to say your best immediate bet is to go afocal, taking pictures through a Delta or HC eyepiece depending upon which objectives and scope you have. You can get surprisingly good photos with a good cell phone camera with a holder clamped to a spare eyepiece and used with a remote release. Around $100 to get started, assuming you just need the eyepiece, holder, and remote release. Even your previous generation phone or one you buy for $60 and use just on WiFi should be fine. Your Canon camera can also be used, but it's a bit clunkier to use it with a binocular head (and Leica trinocular heads tend to be expensive). A cell phone camera / holder pops in and out in a couple seconds, just like swapping eyepieces. Not so easy when moving around a DSLR held on some sort of tripod.

It's possible to make up adapters for a DSLR using a tube lens robbed from a broken Leica head. This would be somewhat more ergonomic. You could simply pull off your binocular viewing head when you wanted to take photos and replace it with an upright adapter containing a tube lens, eyepiece, and camera mount. Indeed, you could do all your viewing, composing, and photo making using a Live View-equipped camera and a big screen.

You could also try going direct (tube lens, but no eyepiece, and a shorter stack). Leica requires eyepiece corrections for the best image, but you might find it acceptable without it.

As a remote possibility, one of the best ways to connect a Leitz microscope was to use one of the Leitz eyepieces with a threaded fitting that happened to screw into several Nikon Coolpix models. While these were only around 5 megapixels, they took far better pictures than something like a 5 megapixel USB camera. Someone else might know if Leica made eyepieces with the same thread size for their infinity scopes or if (unlikely) the Leitz finite and Leica infinite eyepiece corrections are fairly close.

JCHKSA
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Re: Advice on connecting Canon D5 camera to a Leica DMLB microscope

#4 Post by JCHKSA » Sat May 14, 2022 11:42 pm

Thank you so much for the guidance, really helpful pointers in the right direction. My camera is a 5D mark 2, so looks promising to get a working solution.

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