Pacific Sturgeon Intestine
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Pacific Sturgeon Intestine
Hi All--
After messing around for what could in fact be several years now, I have finally gotten my Vario-orthomat and my Nikon D300 to successfully "mate". It required machining a custom nikon adapter to hold the 0.32X converging lens at the appropriate distance from the DSLR focal plane, and basically replaces the 35 mm film back with the D300. It's parfocal between the oculars and the D300 to within approximately 1 micron at the objective (fast) end now. I will tweak the adapter very slightly to bring it completely in. I apologize in advance for the badly done white balance etc., but I was sufficiently excited that I just snapped a few shots of a pacific sturgeon that I had microtomed and stained but couldn't get a decent picture of using my older camera (pixels were too large for the 40X / 1.3 NA). These shots were taken using the D300 in bulb mode with the Vario-orthomat as the shutter (the PMT in my unit is not too well calibrated, had to dial the exposure in by hand with a few iterations). You can also hold the Vario's shutter open permanently and use the DSLR (with or without flash), but the Vario's shutter is effectively vibration free.
Optical conditions: Orthoplan with BF (Kohler) illumination, 40X/1.3 NPL Fluotar or 60X/1.4 SPlan Apo objective, Vario-orthomat Zoom, 0.32X adapter to D300.
Specimen is a piece of sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanum) intestine fixed in 10% AFIP buffered formalin, embedded in Polyester wax, sectioned at 5 microns, post-mordanted in Bouin's fixative and stained with Ehrlich's Hematoxylin and Gomori's trichrome stain. Nuclei (purple), muscle and collagen (green) and erythrocytes (red) and granulocyte granules (VERY red) all are visible.
I will post something in the techniques section with drawings for the adapter and more details in a few days.
--David
After messing around for what could in fact be several years now, I have finally gotten my Vario-orthomat and my Nikon D300 to successfully "mate". It required machining a custom nikon adapter to hold the 0.32X converging lens at the appropriate distance from the DSLR focal plane, and basically replaces the 35 mm film back with the D300. It's parfocal between the oculars and the D300 to within approximately 1 micron at the objective (fast) end now. I will tweak the adapter very slightly to bring it completely in. I apologize in advance for the badly done white balance etc., but I was sufficiently excited that I just snapped a few shots of a pacific sturgeon that I had microtomed and stained but couldn't get a decent picture of using my older camera (pixels were too large for the 40X / 1.3 NA). These shots were taken using the D300 in bulb mode with the Vario-orthomat as the shutter (the PMT in my unit is not too well calibrated, had to dial the exposure in by hand with a few iterations). You can also hold the Vario's shutter open permanently and use the DSLR (with or without flash), but the Vario's shutter is effectively vibration free.
Optical conditions: Orthoplan with BF (Kohler) illumination, 40X/1.3 NPL Fluotar or 60X/1.4 SPlan Apo objective, Vario-orthomat Zoom, 0.32X adapter to D300.
Specimen is a piece of sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanum) intestine fixed in 10% AFIP buffered formalin, embedded in Polyester wax, sectioned at 5 microns, post-mordanted in Bouin's fixative and stained with Ehrlich's Hematoxylin and Gomori's trichrome stain. Nuclei (purple), muscle and collagen (green) and erythrocytes (red) and granulocyte granules (VERY red) all are visible.
I will post something in the techniques section with drawings for the adapter and more details in a few days.
--David
- Charles Krebs
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Hi David,
These look great. (Sounds like a lot of work though... I'll stick to my eyedropper )
ExcellentAfter messing around for what could in fact be several years now, I have finally gotten my Vario-orthomat and my Nikon D300 to successfully "mate"
Looking forward to seeing that, as well as more photomicrographs here!I will post something in the techniques section with drawings for the adapter and more details in a few days.
These look great. (Sounds like a lot of work though... I'll stick to my eyedropper )
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- Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2006 7:26 pm
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Thanks Charlie--
I only wish these sections could look as good as what your "eyedropper" shots achieve. I will post a few more sturgeon shots, they have the best cytoplasmic granules that I've seen so far (with light microscopy). The sectioning is a bit of work, but once you get a whole row of staining jars or beakers set up the processing isn't all that much different than an old Ektacolor film process...and you don't have to control the temp all that well...
I have one last thing to make for the adapter, for those who don't have the whole Vario-orthomat unit, just the zoom lens, I am making another adapter part that mounts directly to the zoom "eyepiece" which is much easier to obtain than the full Vario-orthomat unit. I am specifying a commercially available lens so you won't have to find the 0.32X converging lens. I'll post it to the techniques forum.
--David
I only wish these sections could look as good as what your "eyedropper" shots achieve. I will post a few more sturgeon shots, they have the best cytoplasmic granules that I've seen so far (with light microscopy). The sectioning is a bit of work, but once you get a whole row of staining jars or beakers set up the processing isn't all that much different than an old Ektacolor film process...and you don't have to control the temp all that well...
I have one last thing to make for the adapter, for those who don't have the whole Vario-orthomat unit, just the zoom lens, I am making another adapter part that mounts directly to the zoom "eyepiece" which is much easier to obtain than the full Vario-orthomat unit. I am specifying a commercially available lens so you won't have to find the 0.32X converging lens. I'll post it to the techniques forum.
--David
Hi David,
Very nice photos!
I am very much looking forward to seeing the details of your adapter, and particularly your 'eyepiece only' design. I am using a Vario Orthomat eyepiece (camera coupled directly on top of it with a custom machined threaded ring+T2), but the results are very, very disappointing
Cheers,
Raymond
Very nice photos!
I am very much looking forward to seeing the details of your adapter, and particularly your 'eyepiece only' design. I am using a Vario Orthomat eyepiece (camera coupled directly on top of it with a custom machined threaded ring+T2), but the results are very, very disappointing
Cheers,
Raymond
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- Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2006 7:26 pm
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Thanks Raymond,
One thing to remember, this is not an "eyepiece only" adapter though. If you look at the close up shot of the adapter, you'll see there's a lens inside, which actually focusses the afocal Vario zoom lens onto the Nikon CCD. If you are not using a converging lens between your DSLR and the Vario zoom your results will not be very good. On the other hand, if you have a coolpix, or any of the fixed lens digital cameras, set the focus to "infinity", hold the camera above the vario zoom at a height sufficient to capture the field, and you should be just fine (provided you don't get funny reflections etc...). I will get the tech forum posting done asap, just have to label some drawings and pictures (don't move this thread over there Rik, I promise I'll get the details into the tech forum... ).
--David
One thing to remember, this is not an "eyepiece only" adapter though. If you look at the close up shot of the adapter, you'll see there's a lens inside, which actually focusses the afocal Vario zoom lens onto the Nikon CCD. If you are not using a converging lens between your DSLR and the Vario zoom your results will not be very good. On the other hand, if you have a coolpix, or any of the fixed lens digital cameras, set the focus to "infinity", hold the camera above the vario zoom at a height sufficient to capture the field, and you should be just fine (provided you don't get funny reflections etc...). I will get the tech forum posting done asap, just have to label some drawings and pictures (don't move this thread over there Rik, I promise I'll get the details into the tech forum... ).
--David
Did you get round to publishing the details/schematics of your vario orthomat camera adaptation.discomorphella wrote:Thanks Raymond,
One thing to remember, this is not an "eyepiece only" adapter though. If you look at the close up shot of the adapter, you'll see there's a lens inside, which actually focusses the afocal Vario zoom lens onto the Nikon CCD. If you are not using a converging lens between your DSLR and the Vario zoom your results will not be very good. On the other hand, if you have a coolpix, or any of the fixed lens digital cameras, set the focus to "infinity", hold the camera above the vario zoom at a height sufficient to capture the field, and you should be just fine (provided you don't get funny reflections etc...). I will get the tech forum posting done asap, just have to label some drawings and pictures (don't move this thread over there Rik, I promise I'll get the details into the tech forum... ). --David
What is the approx dimensions of the vario orthomat lens to 0.3x lens, and the 0.3x lens to camera sensor.
I am starting on such a project.
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- Joined: Sun Oct 01, 2006 7:26 pm
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Hey I am still here, and even post every so often when I can take the time from my day job looking at stuff under various electron microscopes to take some time looking at stuff under the optical scopes at home...
I am most sorry that I didn't post drawings for this particular adapter. However, as time passed and cameras improved, so did my adapters, so now I have one which dispenses with the film back and uses the Variozoom occular and 0.32X lens in a different holder. Since my D200 has become a D810 with a nice electronic shutter I had no need for the mechanical shutter in the Vario film camera.
I promise to post drawings in the Equipment Details forum for both styles of adapters. What camera and scope combination are you thinking of adapting to each other? The 0.32X lens should be placed so as to deliver an image to your particular camera's CCD parfocally with your eyepiece view.
Happy New Year and good imaging in 2019 to all, this is still my favorite place on the net...
Best,
David
I am most sorry that I didn't post drawings for this particular adapter. However, as time passed and cameras improved, so did my adapters, so now I have one which dispenses with the film back and uses the Variozoom occular and 0.32X lens in a different holder. Since my D200 has become a D810 with a nice electronic shutter I had no need for the mechanical shutter in the Vario film camera.
I promise to post drawings in the Equipment Details forum for both styles of adapters. What camera and scope combination are you thinking of adapting to each other? The 0.32X lens should be placed so as to deliver an image to your particular camera's CCD parfocally with your eyepiece view.
Happy New Year and good imaging in 2019 to all, this is still my favorite place on the net...
Best,
David
discomorphella wrote:Hey I am still here, and even post every so often when I can take the time from my day job looking at stuff under various electron microscopes to take some time looking at stuff under the optical scopes at home...
I am most sorry that I didn't post drawings for this particular adapter. However, as time passed and cameras improved, so did my adapters, so now I have one which dispenses with the film back and uses the Variozoom occular and 0.32X lens in a different holder. Since my D200 has become a D810 with a nice electronic shutter I had no need for the mechanical shutter in the Vario film camera.
I promise to post drawings in the Equipment Details forum for both styles of adapters. What camera and scope combination are you thinking of adapting to each other? The 0.32X lens should be placed so as to deliver an image to your particular camera's CCD parfocally with your eyepiece view.
Happy New Year and good imaging in 2019 to all, this is still my favorite place on the net...
Best,
I will be using a Canon 5d
rgards
David
Hi Daviddiscomorphella wrote:I promise to post drawings in the Equipment Details forum for both styles of adapters. What camera and scope combination are you thinking of adapting to each other?
I have been unable to pick these up in a search which might mean a reflection on my competence !!
On the other hand if not I am hoping that you will not mind a prompt?
I am looking at deploying the "Orthomat" version where I am waiting for a fairly scruffy, parts only, unit to arrive. I paid a very nominal amount just about remembering your posts.
Would be dropping on to Ortholux (1) trino and can use APS-C or MFT camera bodies.
David, I hope you do not mind the request for guidance and the reminder.
Thanks
BR
John