1. I now use the PhaseOne IQ3 back (100 megapixel).
2. I am using a new stage by a company called Zaber (more below).
3. Tube lens is the Raynox 5320 AB set
The PhaseOne is interesting in part because I am using it without a shutter. The back supports both a global electronic shutter, and something called Aerial mode. Either way, I now have no shutter, and no shutter vibration.
Going forward, mirrorless cameras, and/or medium format backs have this as an advantage.
I use flash (Canon MT 24 in manual mode) for illumination.
I wanted a set up that would work with high mag (up to 50X), although most of my shooting is much lower. After looking at various stage companies I settled on Zaber. The best part is that they have very responsive with technical support. Their stages are not cheap but they work very well, and the software interface is pretty straightforward.
They have built in encoders (either motor or linear) which lets them guarantee placement. The stage never gets lost from gear backlash or the like.
I am using this with software that we wrote here to do the stacking control. On my transmitted light microscopes I still use the Zerene stacking tool for StackShot.
Here is a picture.
