Hi! I'm new here (and to photomicrography)....

[wantok]

I have thoroughly enjoyed reading through these forums and want to introduce myself. My search to figure out how to hook up a micro-4/3 camera to my stereo microscope led me here last week, and I've been glued to the computer ever since...much to the chagrin of my wife.

Microscopy as a hobby is entirely new to me. As a amateur/backyard naturalist, I use an old Nikon SMZ-1 to poke around on a finer scale but haven't used a compound microscope since graduate school. After seeing some of the breathtaking photography here (not to mention the ingenuity in the rigs), I think I'm going to pick up another microscope and try my hand at it.

Any advice is more than welcome (though I expect I'll learn much of what I need to know as I work my way through the other threads). I'm a bit handy (but not a machinist by any stretch) and enjoy tinkering, so I've been thinking about getting an older research microscope and trying to set it up for photography. The parts are probably nearly impossible to find, but it might be a good winter project. Maybe something like the old Olympus Vanox AH that a local lab is selling off?

Of course, on a more practical basis, I might look for a slightly more recent Olympus or Nikon with broader sales so I can find spare parts. Trial and error is half the fun, I expect....

Enough about me. Just wanted to say how much I've appreciated everyone's generosity in the threads I've read so far. This is an amazing place.

Thanks,

Frank

[Charles Krebs]

Frank,

Welcome.

This is a very friendly and helpful community, so I think you'll enjoy your time here. When you get to the point where you have specific questions just fire away!

[wantok]

Thanks, Charles! I'll post my first questions about the Olympus AH/BH/BH2 in the equipment section.

By the way, I love your work. While I'm just fooling around with this as something fun to do during the long Maine winters, it's really neat to see what is possible in the medium....