Please: adapters for Nikon E objectives to 70-180mm lens??

ckatosmith · Post by **ckatosmith** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 8:36 am

Hello, new to the forums here, and I've read through many really helpful posts. I love macro photography, have a medical background, and am excited to branch out.

I will be using (have) the Nikon 800E and D7000 bodies and have a much loved Micro Nikkor 70-180mm zoom which is wickedly sharp, although only f/4.5-5.6. It has a 62mm screw in filter size.

I also have a Nikon Eclipse 200 microscope with stock lens objectives (I bought as a 'kit' from Optics Planet). The objectives, by research (I'm out of town for two days, so can't see them ATM but am 99.99% confident) are Nikon CFI E Plan Achromats: 4x N.A. 0.10, W.D 30mm; 10x N.A. 0.25, W.D. 7mm; and 40x, W.D. 0.65 spring loaded.

I plan to use Zerene Stacker, and still need to obtain StackShot's focus rail and controller.

I'm confused about the M42 adapter often mention, since I deem that I will be using an infinity objective with a lens that already communicates fine with my camera bodies. So what exact pieces do I need between the 25mm threads of the E Plan Achromats and the 62mm filter size of my 70-180mm lens?

Also, I do also have the Nikkor 105mm VR lens (has anyone used that with a microscope objective?) that is f/2.8. I know the magnification factor would be roughly halved, but thought it would be fun to experiment with, since it has the same filter size (62mm) as the 70-180mm lens, but should let in twice as much light at f/2.8. Any thoughts here?

Lastly (for now) I thought I read somewhere that StackShot could help in microscopy. Can it be used to take photomicrographs of existing 'slides'?
I wonder if a slide could be set up in a holder in front of the objective-lens-dslr body combo and using the precise electronic guiding of StackShot, be able to bypass the traditional microscope altogether? Any one tried that?

I have lots of slides, but it has been tedious trial and effort to try and hand guide micromovements of the focus dial to get shots from my Nikon Eclipse 200 microscope to stack.

But I would love to order the necessary and hopefully available adapter parts right away, so would gratefully appreciate any help as to what I need.

I looked at the eBay seller I have seen mentioned before (jinfinace or similar), but I don't really know what to order.

Thanks for any information,

Carolina

http://CarolinaSmith.com

Ozelot · Post by **Ozelot** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 8:45 am

Hello Carolina,

welcome here in the Forum.
There is still the adapter manufacturer of Thorlabs. There you will find everything what you need. They are in the United States and also in Munich Germany.
All tables and graphs. Very clear.
I hope it helps.

Greeting

Michael

ckatosmith · Post by **ckatosmith** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 9:27 am

Thank you for the Thorlabs suggestion.

I wish I were more versed in figuring mechanical things out. I don't really understand how to translate what I see (example, I'm not sure what M series adapters are...) on their website to figure out what I need.

Sorry, I know camera equipment terms fairly well, microscope language less well, and the lingo of the adaptor world (here, microscope objective to camera lens bridge) not at all.
So I am unable to navigate with any intelligence. But I would really like to put together this system and go out and take pictures!

Any help greatly appreciated. I got stuck here:

http://www.thorlabs.com/NewGroupPage9.c ... up_id=1524

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 10:49 am

You need a M25 to 52 flat adapter (jinfinance sells it) and a 52 to 62 mm step up ring (widely available). Both are inexpensive.

About its use, there is a huge lot of info in the forum, you may want to investigate

- vibration and flash to avoid it (Nikon cameras produce enough vibration at high magnification to blur the image)
- objective coverage. The 105 may work with APSC but will vignette a lot on fill frame. I don't know how well the macro zoom may work, but I guess it will be fine at least with APSC.

About the use of Stackshot or similar device with a microscope, you can couple the motor without rail to the microscope fine focusing knob to get an very high precision actuator:
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... microscope

NikonUser · Post by **NikonUser** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 11:15 am

Pau wrote: - vibration and flash to avoid it (Nikon cameras produce enough vibration at high magnification to blur the image)

1st part is good advice, part in brackets is debatable. My Nikon D90 and D600 @1/200 sec and with mirror lock-up before rear shutter curtain flash does not produce and blur on the image even at the highest magnification (100x + 1.25x + 2.5x). As some ads. say "Results may vary".

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 11:37 am

NikonUser wrote:1st part is good advice, part in brackets is debatable. My Nikon D90 and D600 @1/200 sec and with mirror lock-up before rear shutter curtain flash does not produce and blur on the image even at the highest magnification (100x + 1.25x + 2.5x). As some ads. say "Results may vary".

Of course, this is the very reason why I suggest flash (maybe not clearly written). I'ts the same with old Canon EOS and other cameras without EFSC like my 20D: good with flash or very long exposure needed with continous light to avoid shutter induced vibration blur.

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 11:46 am

Carolina,

Thorlabs makes great stuff, but it's probably not where you want to go for this adapter.

The adapter suggested by Pau can be purchased at http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-CFI-M25-m ... 0287554493.

If you have not already read it, please study our FAQ: How can I hook a microscope objective to my camera?.

There is also a lot of information accumulated in http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... php?t=9664, though at 12 pages over 3 years the latter sections are a bit chaotic and repetitive.

I'm the primary author of both those threads, so feel free to ask if anything is unclear.

As Pau has noted, vignetting is a big problem on full frame sensors, using ordinary lenses as "tube lenses". However, your D800E also has a DX capture mode, and its pixels are small enough that in DX mode you should be getting images very much like all the results that I show using a 15 megapixel APS-C sensor.

If you want to cover a full frame sensor at 10X NA 0.25, you'll probably need to use a different type of tube lens, mounted on a bellows. Ask for recommendations if you're interested in that approach.

Answering a couple of your specific questions...

I'm confused about the M42 adapter often mention

M42 is a handy interface that allows to assemble a wide variety of setups by screwing things together in various sequences. For example if you want to stick an iris behind the objective to allow controlling blur in far background, then one simple way to do that is M25-to-M42 adapter, M42-to-M42 iris, M42-to-M52 adapter, and M52-to-lens_size step ring. Or, if you're using a bellows-mounted tube lens but no iris, then perhaps it's M25-to-M42 adapter, M42-to-M42 extension tube to get some separation between objective and tube lens, M42-to-M52 adapter, and M52-to-lens_size step ring.

In your case, an alternate adapter chain would be M25-to-M42 adapter, M42-to-M52 adapter, and M52-to-lens_size step ring. However, vignetting gets more likely with longer adapter chains, so for you it's best to go with the short chain.

I wonder if a slide could be set up in a holder in front of the objective-lens-dslr body combo and using the precise electronic guiding of StackShot, be able to bypass the traditional microscope altogether? Any one tried that?

Sure, that can be done. The StackShot by itself works fine for me up to 50X NA 0.55. Viewing a slide (or more likely some other subject) outside the frame of the microscope does allow some more flexibility in illumination. See for example the "diffuse darkfield" illumination used for image #3 HERE. The tradeoff is that working outside the microscope frame is often more fiddly, especially for specimen positioning and getting the slide perpendicular to the optical axis.

--Rik

ckatosmith · Post by **ckatosmith** » Sat Mar 09, 2013 1:41 pm

Pau, thank you for your reply, I have now ordered a step-down ring (62mm thread size on lens to enable 52mm filters) adapter, and the M25 to 52 via Rik's link. This set up now makes sense to me.

I know shooting technique is really important to mitigate blurring from vibrations, and I work hard to apply those techniques, thanks for the reminder.

I've bookmarked your suggested link re using the StackShot motor without the rail... that's really encouraging, thanks.

NikonUser, thanks for your input...

Rik, Thank you, I have now ordered the adaptor directly from the link (a reassuring step for me), the step down ring, and a StackShot setup from Cognisys. I installed Zerene Stacker (I had purchased a Professional license in 2010) on my laptop.
I had already read the FAQ and 12 page link before posting

I often use the DX mode on my 800E when business traveling and I don't want to fly with a lot of camera equipment. I simply use an 18-200mm DX lens). So I'll have to remember to use DX mode for my 'full frame' 70-180mm lens, thanks, I'll try both modes and compare.

Thanks for answering my questions in helpful detail, much appreciated.

Thanks everyone for quick replies. I'm excited to get started.

Carolina

http://CarolinaSmith.com