An old, new member from Manitoba

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Free2Fish
Posts: 31
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2012 8:47 am
Location: Manitoba, Canada
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An old, new member from Manitoba

Post by Free2Fish »

Hi Folks,
After a lifetime of different hobbies, including microscopy as a young man, I find myself drawn again to the creatures inhabiting a drop of water. Good timing may also be involved; after 13 years of retirement and an active lifestyle my body is starting to question some of my antics. Sitting at a microscope may be healthier for me than skipping over stream-side rocks looking for rising fish.
A few weeks ago I dug out my old Kyowa student microscope, model KF-1, assembled November 5th, 1963. Memories being what they are, I don’t remember purchasing the microscope but do recall many enjoyable days spent comparing specimen details with those shown in my copy of a book called “Animals without Backbones”. My culture aquarium was a fishbowl sitting in our veranda where a teeming population of invertebrates somehow flourished.
My first experience this time around was with tardigrades, after a friend and I discussed the possibilities of life in space. My research led to tardigrades having survived a vacuum and further checking suggested where to find them. A few hours later I was viewing my first water bear and it seems those little claws have “hooked” me into a new hobby. I quickly put together a camera stand and shot my first microscope video. Oh no, another hook! Although I love this little student microscope, I soon figured out it was just not enough to meet my needs.
What to acquire next? Should be a simple task...define some needs, assemble some sort of reasonable budget and go see what’s available out there. Boy was I in for a surprise. I felt like a caveman encountering a modern city and the more I read the more options presented themselves. Binocular, trinocular, phase contrast, DIC, CCD cameras, DSLR cameras, Nikon, Olympus; the list seems endless.
I was fortunate enough to receive some guidance from one of the forum members and I’ve pared down my choices to 2 general options. Number 1, get a basic good used microscope with a decent light source, condenser and optics and develop a thorough understanding of the basics. Seems reasonable...learn enough to ask the right questions and find out if I really like this hobby as much as I think I do. Number 2, spend a little more and get a used microscope that can act as a base for all the appropriate accessories that you might eventually want. A couple of brands seem to stand out for this option; Nikon and Olympus. Option 1 or option 2? What do I do?
I think I’ll just put on my rubber boots and collect a few specimens to view through my trusty Kyowa.

Regards,
Harry
Last edited by Free2Fish on Sat Oct 06, 2012 12:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

NikonUser
Posts: 2693
Joined: Thu Sep 04, 2008 2:03 am
Location: southern New Brunswick, Canada

Post by NikonUser »

Welcome.
The fact that you are here makes me think that you may indeed want to upgrade your scope. Building a system is a lot like hunting, or fishing.
Every day you scour ebay looking for that special piece at a bargain price, hoping no one else is looking for the same piece. For the first year of building a system it is fun but then it gets tedious.

There are still a few more pieces I need but I rarely even look at ebay now.
The alternative, much less of a challenge and perhaps less fun, is to spend big money and buy a new system. And yes it is a system, no such thing as buying just a microscope.
NU.
student of entomology
Quote – Holmes on ‘Entomology’
” I suppose you are an entomologist ? “
” Not quite so ambitious as that, sir. I should like to put my eyes on the individual entitled to that name.
No man can be truly called an entomologist,
sir; the subject is too vast for any single human intelligence to grasp.”
Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr
The Poet at the Breakfast Table.

Nikon camera, lenses and objectives
Olympus microscope and objectives

Pau
Site Admin
Posts: 6053
Joined: Wed Jan 20, 2010 8:57 am
Location: Valencia, Spain

Post by Pau »

NikonUser wrote: Building a system is a lot like hunting, or fishing.
Every day you scour ebay looking for that special piece at a bargain price, hoping no one else is looking for the same piece. For the first year of building a system it is fun but then it gets tedious.
Can't be better described! How many of us have experienced that situation?
Last edited by Pau on Mon Oct 22, 2012 11:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
Pau

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