Canon EOS 1200D mounted on phototube

[mrsonchus]

Hi, here's a few pics of how my Canon EOS1200D mounts onto the phototube of the P200 'scope..
This rig works very well indeed.

The component-parts (photo eyepiece is inside adapter & can't be seen)

websize_canon_1200d_tethered (3).jpg (311.63 KiB) Viewed 9049 times

Side-on - the card-strip enables a perfect alignment (i.e. get it on straight!)..

websize_canon_1200d_tethered (5).jpg (204.48 KiB) Viewed 9049 times

websize_canon_1200d_tethered (6).jpg (346.29 KiB) Viewed 9049 times

Here's a similar arrangement with a 2mp (Toupcam) eyepiece camera attached using a
different adapter containing it's own optics..

The Brunel 2mp 'Digicam'.....

websize_cam_on_scope.jpg (264.06 KiB) Viewed 9049 times

I hope these help a bit.

[Crater Eddie]

Thanks for the photos! Does the camera port live video to the computer, or do you have to use the preview screen for focusing?
CE

[mrsonchus]

Thanks for the photos! Does the camera port live video to the computer, or do you have to use the preview screen for focusing?
CE

The Canon feeds it's 'liveview' straight into the superb 'EOS Utility' software via the USB(2) link to your PC. From there you focus by moving the microscope focus wheels until you get your focus on the computer screen (no need to touch the camera other than turn it on once the USB lead is connected - this fires-up the Canon software on the computer) - all from the comfort of your seat!

It's a sheer joy to use - I love it, and as a bonus the Canon software is very slick and a pleasure to use. The Canons have clearly had tethering to things such as microscopes designed into them deliberately - you will not feel as though you are using a hotch-potch of separate bits and pieces with this setup, it is definitely well-designed and implemented in my experience.

Go with the Canon is my advice - it works very well and now I can concentrate on my microscopy rather than spend endless hours trying to get hardware and software to work!

The whole rig (assuming you've already got a spare eyepiece for the adapter) comes in at about £60 I think. A extra photo-eyepiece is about £30-£80 - I'm about to buy a Meiji x2.5 photo eyepiece for mine as 'the last piece in the jigsaw' - I'm using the old (35yrs+) x10 eyepiece from my Swift monocular at the moment and need it back in the Swift so I can sell it!

p.s. here's a link to the guide (in my shared G-drive folder) to connecting this actual rig all together that also shows you the photo eyepiece in-situ...

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-LIc ... authuser=0
Enjoy yourself!

[Crater Eddie]

Excellent! I thought that was the case, thanks for confirming it.
I'll have to adapt my XTi to an eyepiece port, as I don't have a trinocular head. At least not yet...
CE

[JimT]

I have a binocular head and mount my Canon on a tripod with extension tubes and eyepiece projection connected to my laptop.
I can't take a picture of the setup because I gave all my other Canons to my kids
You don't need a trinocular but it is easier.
Good luck, you won't be disappointed.

[mrsonchus]

Excellent! I thought that was the case, thanks for confirming it.
I'll have to adapt my XTi to an eyepiece port, as I don't have a trinocular head. At least not yet...
CE

I bet there's an adapter that will fit inside the eyepiece tube in the same way the Toupcam does. My setup
ultimately fits around the outside of my tube adapter (which gives my trinoc port it's own tube that will take
the old Swift eyepiece (or any other) as an extra conventional monocular port) - so I'd say that this rig would
fit over one of your eyepieces the same way it fits over my trinoc eyepiece tube adapter.

websize_canon_1200d_tethered (3).jpg (311.63 KiB) Viewed 9038 times

The joint that has the cardboard in it for stability is where the rest of the rig & camera fits over the outside of
what is (thanks to the 'eyepiece tube adapter') a conventional eyepiece tube. If your 'scope is a monocular it should
fit no problems - if it's a binocular you may have a different size (dia) of eyepiece tube?

[Crater Eddie]

Interesting, this is great.
CE

[Crater Eddie]

I need to study this a while.
So is the "photo eyepiece" different than a normal eyepiece, other than the lower power? (I understand the desirability of the lower power for this)
I have found that there are indeed DSLR adapters with built-in relay lens that will fit right into the ocular tube, bypassing the need for a "photo eyepiece", this would seem to be a nice slick solution. However, I read some pretty poor reviews for some of those adapters, mostly concerning unacceptable chromatic aberration.
I have also found similar adapters but containing no optics of their own, that seem to fit over the eyepiece. I could just shoot through the eyepiece like others do, but I don't think the camera I am getting will come with a lens, it's just the bare body I think.
By the way, my microscope has a binocular head, so I would still be able to use one eyepiece with the camera mounted at the other. This is the way I operate with my current USB camera. It is a bit awkward, but do-able.
CE

[JimT]

You may not be able to look through the other eyepiece with the camera attached due to the camera body. I can't with mine.

[mrsonchus]

I found some very good info about what a 'photo-eyepiece' is,
here's the link - http://www.modernmicroscopy.com/main.asp?article=33

I hope this helps - seems to me that the difference between a 'normal' eyepiece and a
'photo' eyepiece is merely that the photo eyepiece sits slightly higher in the eyepiece tube
by virtue of having a built-in 'shoulder' - maybe this is easily recreated on an ordinary eyepiece
simply by using a spacer, piece of tape etc to hold the eyepiece in the position that a photo
eyepiece would sit in?

I'm also going to try a 1-second shutter as this is said to virtually eliminate shutter vibration
blurring...

Hmmm, makes you think doesn't it. Trouble is I've just paid £70 for a Meiji x2.5 photo-eyepiece
that should arrive tomorrow or Saturday - oops!

regards

[The QCC]

I use a Canon 5D MkII and a Canon XS (1000D) on my microscopes.
There is a posting on this forum that describes and answers many questions regarding connecting a DSLR to a microscope
viewtopic.php?f=9&t=89

[mrsonchus]

Hi all, I've just received my new Meiji x2.5 'photo' eyepiece to replace the conventional x10 that I'm using from my old Swift Collegiate monocular 'scope...
The results have been amazingly good with the Meiji - far larger FOV for the camera and far higher quality image too. I'm going to post some actual specimen images for comparison as soon as I get a minute..
Meanwhile here are the 2 eyepieces side-by-side on my desk...

Meiji vs x10 - not a fair fight!

websize_eyepieces_1.jpg (46.44 KiB) Viewed 8989 times

Fitted into the adapter.

websize_eyepieces_2.jpg (49.61 KiB) Viewed 8989 times

Camera tube goes on top.

websize_eyepieces_3.jpg (46.44 KiB) Viewed 8989 times

Fixed to 'scope.

websize_eyepieces_4.jpg (39.91 KiB) Viewed 8989 times

[Crater Eddie]

Looks good John, I look forward to the new images. Thanks for the shots of how your setup goes together, it makes more sense to me now.

Thanks also to The QCC for the link. I had forgotten that thread was there.

[mrsonchus]

Looks good John, I look forward to the new images. Thanks for the shots of how your setup goes together, it makes more sense to me now.

Thanks also to The QCC for the link. I had forgotten that thread was there.

Hi, I've just posted some comparison images under a new subject - the results are thought-provoking....