Thousands of green things

Mo Vaughan · Post by **Mo Vaughan** » Fri Jan 18, 2008 11:10 am

Sorry about the quality of the photo but I just can't get to grips with this digital camera for microscopes.
Ant way I collected a sample of pond water and I was amazed at the numbers of these small green 'things' swimming in the water. Unfortunately they did not last long before they just came to a standstill.

Could someone please let me know what they are?
Mo.

Gary W Brown · Post by **Gary W Brown** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:09 pm

Hi Mo,

What kind of digital camera are you using? What kind of microscpe?

Gary W Brown

Hairyduck · Post by **Hairyduck** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 12:22 am

The look like cryptomonad falgellates to my very untrained eye

Mo Vaughan · Post by **Mo Vaughan** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:56 am

Hi Guys,
Gary, I used a Digital camera for microscopes 5mp (USB2) DC500.
I am not at all photographic minded. I must admit I have not taken in what this camera is fully capable of, as the menu top bar has a lot of information which frankly I do not understand.
I normally use my DiMAGE A1 camera and just look through the eye piece of my microscope and click.
My microscope is Series 100 which has a magnification from X40 to X1600.
I know I need practice and must try to understand the capabilities of the DC500 but at times the screen goes all shades of colours and then there is nothing. I wonder if there is a manuel of some description?

Hairyduck (boy oh boy)
Thanks for the information and I looked up cryptomonad falgellates and can confirm that (the hairyduck) is quackers. Spot on really.

Thanks once again

Mo

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:32 am

Hah! I love these new internet indexing facilities.

I was about to joke that you'd get a lot more hits by fixing the typo, but when I tried literally copy-and-paste from the posting, Google fixed it right up for me:

cryptomonad falgellates [Search]
Did you mean: cryptomonad flagellates

Very clever, these Google people!

Thanks for the ID, hairyduck.

Mo, what brand is that DC500? If it's a major brand, emailing to the vendor should get you a manual.

--Rik

Mo Vaughan · Post by **Mo Vaughan** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:38 am

Thanks Rik,
I will do so now.

Thanks
Mo

Gary W Brown · Post by **Gary W Brown** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 11:49 am

Hi Mo,

What manufacturer is the Series 100 microscope? I had problems similar to your photo a while back and am curious whether my solution would apply to your situation. Gary

Mo Vaughan · Post by **Mo Vaughan** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 3:51 pm

Hi Gary,
In all honesty I don't think its a microscopy problem.
My microscope is; Model XSP - 10 Series
Mechanical Tube Length 160MM
Conjugate distance 195MM
Magnification X40 through to X1600
Nosepiece with Four hole.
Machnical stage Size - 140MM x 140MM Longitudinal movement 50MM
Transveral movement 70MM
Condenser Abbe condenser.
Obs tube - Trinocular
Illumination system - Built in Kochler
Objectives Achromatic X4 - X10 - X40 - X100
Eye pieces X10 - X16
Course and fine focusing system

That's it all copied from my 'Users manual'.
I hope this is of some help because I would dearly love to create good photo's that show as much detail as possible.

Hope you can help Gary.
All the best

Mo.

Gary W Brown · Post by **Gary W Brown** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 6:44 pm

Good evening Mo,

I sounds like you have a very capable microscope. I am trying to figure out where the bright spot in the photo came from. In my experience it has usually been a problem with the illumination/control/or lack thereof. A long time ago I had a Balplan and no matter what I tried I was unable to solve the problem of the bright spot in the field of the photo. How did you get the green background in the photo? GW

Mo Vaughan · Post by **Mo Vaughan** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 7:17 pm

Hi Gary
I think I used a photo programme called 'Helecon Filter' and I think I changed the colour of the background to suit the objects.
I also have two other photo programmes Helicon Focus and RegiStax, both of these can stack shots to give a final single shot of perhaps six or more single shots of the same object.
I dare say that you are more up to date than I am concerning the use and more especially the ability to get the best out of any such programme.

The bright spot I think is from the light under the seat of the microscope, I use filters to try to defuse the brightness. I can not reduce it enough to give an overall covering of light and to do away with the bright spot.

Over to you Gary,

Wishing you all the best,
Mo.

ps I have just realised I can adjust the ammount of light from the illumination by closing the 'thingy' can't think of the name, iris is it?

Gary W Brown · Post by **Gary W Brown** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:56 pm

Mo,

You might try lowering the condenser a bit. This might even out the light across the field. You might also check the position of the bulb, as the halogen bulbs often do not have a very substantial mounting base and are sometimes out of position. Does this irregular illumination still appear on the higher powers? Unfortunately, some microscopes do not have very well designed illumination systems and the bright spot becomes a fact of life, moreso on the lower power lenses. GW