Hi, I have an Optika b-600T microscope and I have made several pictures with a Nikon D300 camera.
I use a T-ring for Nikon, connected with a NDPL-1(2x) lens (Optika code M-173) and a photo tube adapter (Optika code: M-699).
I usually take pictures with ISO 200 or 400, but I'd like to set my camera for Focal lenght and Maximum aperture too, anyway I don't know this information: could you please help me?
How do you use your Nikon D300 camera with a microscope? Do you SET A DIFFERENT CONFIGURATION?
Best regards,
Stefano
Setting Nikon D300
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Charles Krebs
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Greetings,
It looks like a nice microscope and it would appear that you are set up properly. Can you give a little more detail about what you want to do, or any problems you might be having?
I am not sure what you are asking here. When a DSLR is attached as you have described, there is no focal length or maximum aperture to be concerned about. You can set white balance, appropriate shutter speeds for proper exposure, different ISO speeds (if desired)... but the camera essentially becomes a sensor with a shutter.I usually take pictures with ISO 200 or 400, but I'd like to set my camera for Focal lenght and Maximum aperture too,
It looks like a nice microscope and it would appear that you are set up properly. Can you give a little more detail about what you want to do, or any problems you might be having?
I take pictures of small aquatic creatures (rotifers, ciliates and so on), but I'd like to produce more DETAILED photos, anyway I don't like the phase contrast, I usually use Methylene blue. See picture for exmaple (it is NOT treated with Photoshop, to see how the microscope works) : it seems not so clear, I see more beautiful pictures in the web, even if I have a pure, led light. For the next pictures I will use my planapo objectives, I hope to do better. Anyway what parameters do you suggest for me (ISO, exposure, white balance)?Charles Krebs wrote:Greetings,
I am not sure what you are asking here. When a DSLR is attached as you have described, there is no focal length or maximum aperture to be concerned about. You can set white balance, appropriate shutter speeds for proper exposure, different ISO speeds (if desired)... but the camera essentially becomes a sensor with a shutter.I usually take pictures with ISO 200 or 400, but I'd like to set my camera for Focal lenght and Maximum aperture too,
It looks like a nice microscope and it would appear that you are set up properly. Can you give a little more detail about what you want to do, or any problems you might be having?
Thanks for your help, Stefano
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Rylee Isitt
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I can't get very good results from my microscope either, at least not beyond 20x magnification.
Most of the excellent images I've seen have either been stained specimens, dark field, polarized light microscopy, DIC, oblique lighting, etc... very few have been traditional brightfield with unstained specimens. So lighting technique certainly plays a role here. Even if the optics have the necessary resolution, a low contrast specimen will still appear "bla", so lighting and staining technique must come into play. That's my current weakness, mostly because my microscope is dirt cheap and the light source is horribly dim.
Also, if your light source isn't bright, you might get long exposures which can be blurred by any movement that occurs in your specimens. If they are alive, then that's a big concern - you need a flash attached to your microscope, I think. I can't do that with mine (easily), since it has an internal bulb. Scopes with a hole in the side for attaching lighting to would work better for that.
I also have to wonder if people are using higher than necessary magnification, and then stitching together micro-panoramas, then downsizing the result in order to get more detail. And stacking might help too.
Additionally, people may use UV light to get better resolution, or monochromatic filters to prevent chromatic aberration.
I have a book called "Microscopy and photomicrography, a working manual, 2nd ed." by Robert F. Smith, CRC press which goes over how to align and calibrate a microscope, as well as select the proper condensers, focus the condense, set the aperture, etc... all with the goal of getting as much detail as possible. It seems a common book on the used market, you might try looking for it. It's a bit old, but it seems to be to still be very applicable.
Most of the excellent images I've seen have either been stained specimens, dark field, polarized light microscopy, DIC, oblique lighting, etc... very few have been traditional brightfield with unstained specimens. So lighting technique certainly plays a role here. Even if the optics have the necessary resolution, a low contrast specimen will still appear "bla", so lighting and staining technique must come into play. That's my current weakness, mostly because my microscope is dirt cheap and the light source is horribly dim.
Also, if your light source isn't bright, you might get long exposures which can be blurred by any movement that occurs in your specimens. If they are alive, then that's a big concern - you need a flash attached to your microscope, I think. I can't do that with mine (easily), since it has an internal bulb. Scopes with a hole in the side for attaching lighting to would work better for that.
I also have to wonder if people are using higher than necessary magnification, and then stitching together micro-panoramas, then downsizing the result in order to get more detail. And stacking might help too.
Additionally, people may use UV light to get better resolution, or monochromatic filters to prevent chromatic aberration.
I have a book called "Microscopy and photomicrography, a working manual, 2nd ed." by Robert F. Smith, CRC press which goes over how to align and calibrate a microscope, as well as select the proper condensers, focus the condense, set the aperture, etc... all with the goal of getting as much detail as possible. It seems a common book on the used market, you might try looking for it. It's a bit old, but it seems to be to still be very applicable.
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rjlittlefield
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The sample image appears to have been shot with the condenser stopped way down. This results in severe softening due to diffraction. The usual advice is to open the condenser full width, then close it just enough to make the image start to darken a little. This gives a balance between contrast (higher when stopped down) and sharpness (higher when open farther).
The absence of any sharp detail is what makes me suspect the condenser setting. I assume you are focusing through the camera, and not relying on the camera to be parfocal with the normal eyepieces.
White balance appears to be fine, the image is not noisy so ISO is OK, exposure is OK.
Planapo objectives will give better quality across a wider field, but at image center even a basic achromat should give a sharp image.
--Rik
The absence of any sharp detail is what makes me suspect the condenser setting. I assume you are focusing through the camera, and not relying on the camera to be parfocal with the normal eyepieces.
White balance appears to be fine, the image is not noisy so ISO is OK, exposure is OK.
Planapo objectives will give better quality across a wider field, but at image center even a basic achromat should give a sharp image.
--Rik
About how to properly set up a microscope you can download the very useful Zeiss booklet: http://www.zeiss.de/C1256B5E0051569F/Em ... inning.pdf
Be aware that to avoid vibration blur you need to use electronic flash, or to perform long esposure time (several seconds at high magnification) in a quiet environnement.
Some levels adjustement and sharpenig would improve the image.
Be aware that to avoid vibration blur you need to use electronic flash, or to perform long esposure time (several seconds at high magnification) in a quiet environnement.
Some levels adjustement and sharpenig would improve the image.
Pau