DIY Fluorescence with Zeiss fluoro condenser - help needed

[viktor j nilsson]

I meant barrier filter, sorry. I'll check out the 410AELP.

[viktor j nilsson]

The inexpensive 410AELP from Omega (eBay) is very good for this task. I also have no brand 420 absorption ones that work perfectly in this place.

I have looked around quite a bit and I can't find 410AELP anymore, or any other sharp 410nm LP filter.

Here's what I can currently find:


Purple: 365nm LED
Black: UG1 excitation filter
Yellow: Dichroic mirror Chroma T400LP

Orange: 400ALP
Pink: 420ALP
Brown: 430ALP

Out of these, I think that the 420ALP would work great, don't you think?

I was just going to play a bit with the cheap set of filters I picked up. Here I am, spending way too much time and money to try to get as close as possible to Nikon's professional offerings...

I actually also have one of those JB420 absorption filters. Their transmission graphs don't look nearly as good as the 420ALP, but are you saying that it would also do the job in a pinch?

[Pau]

The 420 AELP will work very well for sure. My Nikon/Chroma UV set originally had a LP 425 filter.
Your 420 one likely also will do. Having a 400 you might also try it.

[viktor j nilsson]

Well, then I think I'll save my money for now and try to get the mechanical aspects sorted out. The 420 will have to do for a while.

[Lou Jost]

Many photographers use a longer LP filter. Nikon's UV-2B cube uses a 435nm LP filter and they claim it gives better contrast and darker backgrounds than the UV-2A which uses a 420nm BP filter (note that their verbal description of the UV-2B contradicts their chart and table though).

https://www.microscopyu.com/techniques/ ... s-emission

Forum member Rogelio Moreno, who set the gold standards for artistic fluorescence photography, uses the UV-2B.

[viktor j nilsson]

Many photographers use a longer LP filter. Nikon's UV-2B cube uses a 435nm LP filter and they claim it gives better contrast and darker backgrounds than the UV-2A which uses a 420nm BP filter (note that their verbal description of the UV-2B contradicts their chart and table though).

https://www.microscopyu.com/techniques/ ... s-emission

Forum member Rogelio Moreno, who set the gold standards for artistic fluorescence photography, uses the UV-2B.

Yes, I have noticed that discrepancy between the chart and verbal description - it's very confusing. They also say it's the DM that's been shifted, not the emission filter. But it does make more sense that a 435nm emission filter would give cleaner backgrounds. I have also read about Rogelio's preference for the UV-2B.. Well, that's a vote in favor of 430ALP!

[Ichthyophthirius]

I had only thought of telan lenses as a necessary evil to maintain the correct tube length. I now appreciate them more!

This is what the peripheral delamination looks like:


I'll keep it as it is for now and maybe try to deal with it if or when I start to produce some acceptable fluorescence images. [/img]

BTW this particular Telan lens, the one with two screws holding it, has factory alignment. It's one of those components that isn't supposed to be changed by the user as alignment is lost (the screws are the hint).

[viktor j nilsson]

Ouch, I did not realize that. What kind of adjustments did that alignment involve? Height, rotation of the lens? I took it off and put it back but didn't think to put it back the exact same way. I did notice that there was a shim under it, which I interpreted as an adjustment to get the height just right. Did I mess up?

Btw, it wasn't me that damaged the screw heads, so I'm probably not the first to remove it. The screws came off very easily.

In what way are the screws a hint?

[viktor j nilsson]

I just realized my photo is from before I tampered with it, so I should be able to get the orientation of the lens back as it was.

[Pau]

Look at the bolts heads. There are few chances of the original alignement being preserved.

[Ichthyophthirius]

I agree with Pau; someone had tempered with this long ago. I was sure it wasn't you who butchered those screws.

I don't know how to re-align this as I was warned against tempering with these long ago and never looked onto it. I can't imagine that it is highly sensitive to misalignment so for you, just having it centered should be enough (just my personal opinion).

This was more meant as a note of caution to other readers that Zeiss didn't mean this lens to be removed by the user.

[viktor j nilsson]

The seller agreed to a €50 refund, so I ended up paying €50 for it. Definately worth it.

As described elsewhere, I have since bought an Olympus Vanox AH. It seems like it'll be harder to adapt the Zeiss fluoro condenser to the Vanox, so I am thinking that I might keep one of my M20 stands and dedicate it to EPI fluorescence.

[viktor j nilsson]

Heck, I picked up the 420ALP.

I am a little stuck on this project as I haven't been able to access the 3D printer at work during Corona times. I had a look at some of the commercial options (shapeways, sculpteo, etc) but they turned out to be really expensive once shipping was added. And even though Sweden are opening up some of the restrictions and recommendations, it won't help very much in this case as pretty much everyone will be on vacation for the next couple of months.

[viktor j nilsson]

In a previous thread in the 'Photography Through the Microscope' subforum, we discussed the transmission spectrum of ordinary orange acrylic.
See post #14 and onwards here:
viewtopic.php?p=262729#p262729

I picked up a 33x33 cm (3 mm thick) piece of orange acrylic from a hobby store for €10. My plan was to use it as UV protection shield on my Epi fluorescence microscope.

It comes from a company called oroglas (https://www.oroglas.com/)

I just ran it through a spectrophotometer at work, and here is the transmission spectrum:

The strongest UV source I would use is the Nichia 365nm UV led.
Enrico has measured the emission spectrum of the Nichia Convoy S2+, which can be seen here:

http://savazzi.net/photography/cheap365nm.html

The orange acrylic has a bit of bleed around 350nm, but the Nichia has fairly low emission in that range, so I think it will work fine. I would of course have polycarbonate goggles as well.

Would be interesting to see transmission data for commercial UV protection screens, but I haven't found any.

[jmc]

Would be interesting to see transmission data for commercial UV protection screens, but I haven't found any.

I have an orange protection screen, which I believe is a Zeiss one. I'll run it through my spectrometer and see what it looks like.