Olympus E-p2 + OM lens best settings

[75RR]

Just got my Olympus E-p2 (bought second hand – body only) up and running. OM adapter finally arrived.
Need tips on settings, do not think I got it right yet. (Lots of noise)
Image taken Afocal with 50mm 1.4 OM lens, 40x achromatic objective, offset dark stop using swing out filter holder. Desmid approximately 100µm

[Pau]

It's a good beguining!
How do you hold the camera for afocal?, if it's stable you could use lower ISO and slower shutter speed. Long exposure times also are convenient (if your subjet does not move!) to avoid vibration blur produced by the camera shutter.

A picture of your setup would be nice to see.

[75RR]

Hi Pau,
Can not show my setup, set up; as I only have one camera.
Microscope is a Zeiss Standard Junior KF*
Afocal on tripod* through one of the binocular eyepieces (this is even more awkward than with my deceased point and shoot as camera is much larger).
Still awaiting missing tube on trinocular*, seller a little slow on this.

Working on using two Magnetic Bases* to hold camera, this is work in progress. First step is to increase vertical pole height, have already got them and also found someone to add a thread. Next stage is to find a way to fix a focusing rail on the horizontal bar.

* see photo

[Pau]

Maybe this could give you some ideas to hold the camera:
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... 096#122096

a tripod on the table is cumbersome, I dont understand your magnetic support.

[75RR]

a tripod on the table is cumbersome...

Very true

... I dont understand your magnetic support.

Will post photos when it is done. Basically it is a variation of an Enlarger Stand.

In the meantime have downloaded a plug–in to be able to work with RAW images.
Have also found a noise filter and noise reduction in the manual so will have a look at that.
Think problem might indeed be too high an ISO, will try to hold it down and increase exposure times.
Photos taken in bright sunlight are much sharper.

[75RR]

Came across this on the olympus website.
OM lens recommended f stops on digital cameras.

http://www.olympus.co.jp/en/support/ims ... 42e_om.cfm

I had the lens wide open, will test to see if this helps.

Here is a screenshot of the page:

[Pau]

This doesn't apply to a camera lens used as relay lens on microscope, in fact what is stopping down the lens is not its diaphragm but the microscope optics. If you close the lens too much you just get vignette not less light nor more DOF, take a look at my post, second image:
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... 9265#99265

Closing the lens diaphragm at the point you still don't get vignette is convenient to minimize the ambient light entering from outside the microscope eyepiece.

I guess the Olympus recommendations are just because with some lenses wide open you get too much aberrations and with the aperture too small you get diffraction blur

[75RR]

This doesn't apply to a camera lens used as relay lens on microscope, in fact what is stopping down the lens is not its diaphragm but the microscope optics.

Thanks for getting back on that, will remove f-stop from list of suspects.

Have decided that there is not one problem, but several, which makes it difficult to solve.
Will be taking these steps in hopes of finding a solution:

First step is to use a more stable table, present one is not solid enough.
Second step is to find a more precise infinity focus point, it seems that the dial numbers are not accurate.
Third step is to increase illumination, and therefore reduce exposure times.

It is very frustrating not to be able to capture what I see through the eyepiece.

[Olympusman]

I use the OM 50mm f1.4 on two microscope setups with an Olympus E-420 and the E-P1. I use it at full aperure f1.4. To keep out ambient light, I make sleeves out of the necks of socks to go around the lens and the eyepiece.

[75RR]

I use the OM 50mm f1.4 on two microscope setups with an Olympus E-420 and the E-P1. I use it at full aperure f1.4. To keep out ambient light, I make sleeves out of the necks of socks to go around the lens and the eyepiece.

Great tip. Have already sacrificed a sock!
I was using a strip of cloth to wrap around them. This is way better.