Having seen a few comments here, I suppose I had better admit that, although I have lived in Cape Town since 1979, I used to be a Vaalie.
I have always been interested in Macro, having at one time owned a Hasselblad with Bellows etc. - until I got divorced. 6x6 slides are wonderful !
I have set a goal for 2015 to really explore the wonderful world of Macro/Micro, and I just drool over images of butterfly wings and suchlike that I see on this wonderful site.
At the moment I am flocking all my extension tubes and Vello Macrofier to remove internal reflections (Thanks for the help guys!), and with my Canon 40D, and 17-85mm lens reversed plus extension tubes I am getting down to about 8x to 10x, but image clarity is not wonderful, even with Canon Macro twinlite flash. I also have the old 100mm Canon Macro lens.
I am looking for similar minded people who live within say a 100km radius from Cape Town to get together and actually show me what I can get with Microscope Objective lenses, before I jump in and buy one.
Anyone out there ??
Joyful
Hello from Cape Town SA - looking for someone nearby
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Lothar-Gutjahr
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 4:13 pm
- Location: Greece Perachora/Loutaki
Hi Joyful,
sorry i am living little to far north from you. But before jumping into microscopic lenses, i would sugest, you take a look to all the variety of so called "Lupenobjektive" like there are the Zeiss Luminars or for you especially made the Canon MP-E 65, i am still dreaming from.
But your welcome to stop by in case you visite Germany. I am living between Munic and Salzburg AT.
Greetings fro southern Germany
Lothar
sorry i am living little to far north from you. But before jumping into microscopic lenses, i would sugest, you take a look to all the variety of so called "Lupenobjektive" like there are the Zeiss Luminars or for you especially made the Canon MP-E 65, i am still dreaming from.
But your welcome to stop by in case you visite Germany. I am living between Munic and Salzburg AT.
Greetings fro southern Germany
Lothar
Greetings Lothar ! A few generations ago I had relations living at Meinerdingen - so closer than you thought.
Thanks for the reply, but as you can see, you are the only reply I have received so far.
Yes - The MP-E is high on my wish list. I am trying to get a price comparison between the MP-E and a good 10 or 20x objective as the MP-E sells for about R11,000.00 (eleven Thousand rand!!!) I think that I have room to move with objectives coming in cheaper - even with the extra adapters needed.
Either solution will still need some auto-stepping device (more money). At present I am using the Canon EOS remote software which works very well with what I have done so far.
All this is severley straining my small pension, but there is no point in just keeping the body alive, when my spirit lives in Macro/Micro
Joyful
Thanks for the reply, but as you can see, you are the only reply I have received so far.
Yes - The MP-E is high on my wish list. I am trying to get a price comparison between the MP-E and a good 10 or 20x objective as the MP-E sells for about R11,000.00 (eleven Thousand rand!!!) I think that I have room to move with objectives coming in cheaper - even with the extra adapters needed.
Either solution will still need some auto-stepping device (more money). At present I am using the Canon EOS remote software which works very well with what I have done so far.
All this is severley straining my small pension, but there is no point in just keeping the body alive, when my spirit lives in Macro/Micro
Joyful
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Lothar-Gutjahr
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 4:13 pm
- Location: Greece Perachora/Loutaki
Hi Joyful,
i understand your problem and i started to make up the idea, how to asist you in getting in that field without starving completly. I had to start from scratch also and finally got the complete set of luminars swapping my well equiped Leitz Orthoplane for them. Before that i bought almoust everything opticaly, ebay offered. Also i am making adapters my self.
Probably will find sort of kombination to fit your needs? Do you know if the lensmount of your canon is the same than the one of 1000 D ? Or do you have a M42 adapter for yours ? Ijust catched a bad bronchitis possibly keeping me of the computer. So be patient if so.
greetings down south !
Lothar
i understand your problem and i started to make up the idea, how to asist you in getting in that field without starving completly. I had to start from scratch also and finally got the complete set of luminars swapping my well equiped Leitz Orthoplane for them. Before that i bought almoust everything opticaly, ebay offered. Also i am making adapters my self.
Probably will find sort of kombination to fit your needs? Do you know if the lensmount of your canon is the same than the one of 1000 D ? Or do you have a M42 adapter for yours ? Ijust catched a bad bronchitis possibly keeping me of the computer. So be patient if so.
greetings down south !
Lothar
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GraemeMellis
- Posts: 43
- Joined: Mon Dec 15, 2014 1:58 am
- Location: Johannesburg, South Africa
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Lothar-Gutjahr
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 4:13 pm
- Location: Greece Perachora/Loutaki
Hi Joyful,
one more question for my understanding.: Are you looking forward to a labstation with possibilities of stacking or more for a portable unit ?
To run a stack on a fly´s eye, one works with death objects and this is lab type work .
Your setup i planned more or less to 90 % would be a steppingmotordriven Mikroskopstand (Arduinobased)
Greetings Lothar
one more question for my understanding.: Are you looking forward to a labstation with possibilities of stacking or more for a portable unit ?
To run a stack on a fly´s eye, one works with death objects and this is lab type work .
Your setup i planned more or less to 90 % would be a steppingmotordriven Mikroskopstand (Arduinobased)
Greetings Lothar
Hi Lothar -
The setup that you describe is the one in my dreams. To put it in perspective, the stackshot unit will cost me more than the gross pension for a month - then you have to add aout $200 x 12 to get it to South African Rands - plus import duty when it gets here. Yes - it is in my dreams, and sometimes they come true.
My Camera is on a small tripod that was intended for a small telesccope. On that I have a Manfrotto Macro slider, then my Canon 40D, and lenses. I built a macro focussing light out of a gutter connector lined with 2 meters of high-intensity LED strips. My main light source is a Canon Macro twinlite.
For stacking, I connect my camera to my PC in another room on which I run Canon EOS remote to focus, move and shoot - all done manually.
Laborious, but in my budget. To get a microscope lens is a dream that I hope to realise soon - if the price is right. Just need the local agents to get back to me - I have been waiting since Friday for a price !!
Joyful
The setup that you describe is the one in my dreams. To put it in perspective, the stackshot unit will cost me more than the gross pension for a month - then you have to add aout $200 x 12 to get it to South African Rands - plus import duty when it gets here. Yes - it is in my dreams, and sometimes they come true.
My Camera is on a small tripod that was intended for a small telesccope. On that I have a Manfrotto Macro slider, then my Canon 40D, and lenses. I built a macro focussing light out of a gutter connector lined with 2 meters of high-intensity LED strips. My main light source is a Canon Macro twinlite.
For stacking, I connect my camera to my PC in another room on which I run Canon EOS remote to focus, move and shoot - all done manually.
Laborious, but in my budget. To get a microscope lens is a dream that I hope to realise soon - if the price is right. Just need the local agents to get back to me - I have been waiting since Friday for a price !!
Joyful
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Lothar-Gutjahr
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 4:13 pm
- Location: Greece Perachora/Loutaki
O.K. i start planning more intens ! The setup will make use of a bellow in M24 and there is normaly no problem to find adapterrings one can make up for M 25 or 28 to adapt exotic objectivs. The standard is RMS =20 mm. And dont worry, one finds out soon, a mikroscope is nothing else than a long drawn black hole, grin.
You also dont need okulars, but means to look at your cams video or hdmi output. I use our former LCD-TV and believe me 37" across makes good overlooks for fotos. But even 12 or 15 inches is much better than using the little screen of the cam. So dont try to buy parts for such a station. I will make you a super special offer which fullfills all your needs. All your "allowed" to look for, are lenses. And we will use both defined length as for indefnet corrected ones.
greetings
Lothar
You also dont need okulars, but means to look at your cams video or hdmi output. I use our former LCD-TV and believe me 37" across makes good overlooks for fotos. But even 12 or 15 inches is much better than using the little screen of the cam. So dont try to buy parts for such a station. I will make you a super special offer which fullfills all your needs. All your "allowed" to look for, are lenses. And we will use both defined length as for indefnet corrected ones.
greetings
Lothar
Hi Lothar - Thanks for all your interest !!
I have just managed to get a South African price for the Nikon CFI 10x plan Achromat, and the good news is that it is just in my affordable price range.
I believe all I need now is an adapter to fit this lens to the front of my Canon 100mm Macro lens, which is 58mm
With this mounted in front of my 100mm lens, I can stack from my PC.
Lothar - my Camera cannot do video.
Joyful
I have just managed to get a South African price for the Nikon CFI 10x plan Achromat, and the good news is that it is just in my affordable price range.
I believe all I need now is an adapter to fit this lens to the front of my Canon 100mm Macro lens, which is 58mm
With this mounted in front of my 100mm lens, I can stack from my PC.
Lothar - my Camera cannot do video.
Joyful
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Lothar-Gutjahr
- Posts: 237
- Joined: Tue Dec 27, 2011 4:13 pm
- Location: Greece Perachora/Loutaki
Hi Joyful,
i am sorry to be late to answer your reply. Was suffering a havy bronchitis among some other difficulties. I did not think on recording video. My idea was showing the cameras picture on a flat screen TV. And that output is present on the 40D. You probably need the correct cable ? Your 4oD also has the neccesary LiveView mode. Your startingposistion for stacking looks good.
Here i looked among my collectoritems and decided to use a old Steindorf Berlin Mikroskop to modify as a stand for microstacking This stand has a continous working fine adjust drive, giving the ideal stepping motor resolution down to mikrons. Also the further things like arduino based controlcomputer, steppermotor, M42 Bellow is standby for you.
greetings from Bavarya
Lothar
i am sorry to be late to answer your reply. Was suffering a havy bronchitis among some other difficulties. I did not think on recording video. My idea was showing the cameras picture on a flat screen TV. And that output is present on the 40D. You probably need the correct cable ? Your 4oD also has the neccesary LiveView mode. Your startingposistion for stacking looks good.
Here i looked among my collectoritems and decided to use a old Steindorf Berlin Mikroskop to modify as a stand for microstacking This stand has a continous working fine adjust drive, giving the ideal stepping motor resolution down to mikrons. Also the further things like arduino based controlcomputer, steppermotor, M42 Bellow is standby for you.
greetings from Bavarya
Lothar