Setting up and using the Leitz Heine condenser

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Cactusdave
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Setting up and using the Leitz Heine condenser

Post by Cactusdave »

The title says it really. I've just finally given in and bought a Heine condenser. I know there are some Heine users on the forum and I'd be glad of any tips for working with and getting the best from this condenser. I'll be using it on a Leitz Ortholux 1 with LED conversion. I have three Pv objectives, X25, X40 and X70 oil.

I had also wondered about the possibility of adapting this condenser to a Zeiss WL. I believe it is possible. I saw an eBay adapter from a Spanish seller which involves removing the condenser body from the Leitz dovetail mount. I know this has been discussed recently and can be problematic. I believe there was an adaption on a German microscopy site that retained the dovetail and modified a WL removable condenser holder. I don't speak German and the links to the photographs illustrating the adaption seem to be broken. Ideas and suggestion would be gratefully received.

David
Leitz Ortholux 1, Zeiss standard, Nikon Diaphot inverted, Canon photographic gear

Ichthyophthirius
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Post by Ichthyophthirius »

Hi David,

To read the German forum, simply put the URL into "Google Translate" https://translate.google.co.uk/translat ... t=&act=url

... you can understand most of it. This is a fragment of another forum thread, so it is all a bit out of context. Can you see the images?

This is (was) the adapter: http://www.ebay.de/itm/301062590594 It is not necessary to modify the Heine condenser at all when using this adapter. Just remember to use nylon screws to avoid scratches on your Heine!

The WL has more space below the stage and quick mounts for stage and condenser carrier. Mounting it on a WL should be easier than on an RA. All the objectives you mentioned (Pv 25, 40, 70) will work. You have to be able to raise the stage sufficiently to use Leitz 37 mm objectives or alternatively use PLEZY adapters.

You might not be able to use the Zeiss field aperture with this setup unless you introduce a suitable auxilliary lens between field aperture and Heine. However, the Heine was designed for the Leitz Ortholux and I think the Ortholux didn't have a field aperture either.

Regards, Ichty

Eddie
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Post by Eddie »

I've seen the Heine condenser adapted to other makers of scopes such as Zeiss, Wild and even on an old AO Spencer model 5. The nice thing with the Heine condenser is that you can use phase objectives from other makers...like Zeiss, AO, Wild etc. It should work well with your Ortholux and most any Leitz with a dovetail mount. It is not hard to remove the dovetail mount on the Heine, it just unscrews off with a spanner wrench. There were three variations of the Ortholux with the first two not having the field iris but the newest generation of the 'Black' Ortholux do have the field iris.

zzffnn
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Post by zzffnn »

Image

This Heine was sold to me by a very kind forum member here.

Adaptation by adapter and modifing adapter is better than my approach (which did affect a layer of paint on the Heine). But my adaptation (using Nikon dovetail adapter, Legos and super glue) is perfectly flat and can be centered perfectly for any magnification.

Perfect centration in very important for getting full potential out of the Heine.

The Heine is great for high NA/high magnification and thin diatom dotting, but produces too much shadow effect for many ciliates/rotifers. I think its diatom dotting ability comes from its ability to produce shadows for COL and its very narrow illumination ring for COL or darkfield.

With Heine, even NA 1.1 (65x LOMO WI) can produce good darkfield without modification and resolve dots of Frustulia. With a perfectly positioned Frustulia laying flat against covet slip, even a dry NA 0.95 (40x LOMO apo) can resolve Frustulia to dots. I don't have Amphipleura, so I don't know about that test diatom.

The Heine plays well with my LOMO apos, but seems to exaggerate CA of my LOMO achromats.
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Cactusdave
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Post by Cactusdave »

Thanks very much, some really useful information there. Another friend also sent me a pdf of the original Leitz brochure for the Heine, which is very helpful.

Fan, I love the creative use of Lego. :) I have several of the Lomo objectives mentioned, and will try them with the Heine. Any chance of some diatom images you have taken with your Heine setup? It would be good to have some idea what I am aiming for.

Thanks especially for the link from Icthy to the Google translated version of the German posts. The embedded pictures work fine in this link and make the way the adapter works much clearer. Its still available on eBay from Spanish vendor micro_crystal_2013 who even includes a dimensioned drawing. A friend who also has a Heine has ordered one and we will jointly try it out on various microscopes.

My version of the Ortholux 1 is a black one with the field iris.

Advice on using the Heine makes a big point about perfect centration of the condenser. Any special tips beyond the obvious for achieving this? I have a phase telescope; is this particularly helpful in setting up?

David
Leitz Ortholux 1, Zeiss standard, Nikon Diaphot inverted, Canon photographic gear

Pau
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Post by Pau »

I love the Lego microscope adaptations :lol:
Pau

zzffnn
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Post by zzffnn »

David,

I probably did not keep my darkfield Frustulia image, but should be able to find a COL Frustulia image taken with LOMO 65/1.1 WI in a few hours. Heine was oiled to slide for those images.

LOMO apo 90/1.3 OI, or any high NA oil apo objectives, should theoretically resolve quite a bit better than water immersion objectives.

I did not find phase telescope necessary for my eyes and Heine COL or darkfield. But for Heine phase, I prefer to use PT, as I want to be sure of perfect alignment. When Heine COL is not perfectly centered, dotting ability is reduced; and I can kinda of tell the effect at eyepiece.

For Nikon scope owners wanting a Heine, they can probably use the eBay seller's Olympus adapter. Dovetails are said to be very similar for those two scopes (Olympus condenser fits on Nikon scope but not vise versa, if I remember correctly).

I got the Lego idea from Pau, at least partially :twisted:
Last edited by zzffnn on Wed Feb 14, 2018 5:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Selling my Canon FD 200mm F/2.8 lens

Alan Wood
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Post by Alan Wood »

zzffnn wrote:
For Nikon scope owners wanting a Heine, they can probably use the eBay seller's Olympus adapter. Dovetails are said to be very similar for those two scopes (Olympus condenser fits on Nikon scope but not vise versa, if I remember correctly).
The Nikon condenser dovetail is slightly smaller than the Olympus one. I use 2 Nikon condensers on my Olympus BH-2, and there is enough adjustment to centre them.

I have not tried to use an Olympus condenser on a Nikon.

Alan Wood

zzffnn
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Post by zzffnn »

Took the following photos today, with Heine oiled to slide and LOMO apos (which were used at 160TL/33mm parfocal height, without any extension). The crops are very close to 100% crop. Jpg photos directly out of camera (without processing), only resized for forum.

98% crop NA 1.1 65x WI COL:
Image

Original NA 1.1 65x WI COL:
Image

98% crop NA 1.1 65x WI DF:
Image

Original NA 1.1 65x WI DF:
Image

98% crop NA 0.95 40x dry DF:
Image

NA 0.95 40x LOMO apo COL did not resolve Frustulia to dots, while its darkfield almost did.

This particular Frustulia is likely not perfectly flat against cover slip (as I have crashed the cover slip a few times and disturbed most diatoms on it). The same 40x dry apo has resolved another (better) Frustulia before with Heine COL.

30w DIY LED used at 40% to 100% power (though the LED size is bigger than original bulb filament size, so some light output is not utilized).

Olympus E-M10 II (micro four thirds) camera, afocal imaging with Sigma 30mm F/2.8 lens over LOMO K10x/18 visual eyepiece, monocular head, full electronic shutter, lens used at F/4.0, 1/20 shutter speed, iso 250.

Strew diatom slide made by my friend Kurt.
Last edited by zzffnn on Wed Feb 14, 2018 7:12 pm, edited 4 times in total.
Selling my Canon FD 200mm F/2.8 lens

zzffnn
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Post by zzffnn »

Alan Wood wrote:zzffnn wrote:
For Nikon scope owners wanting a Heine, they can probably use the eBay seller's Olympus adapter. Dovetails are said to be very similar for those two scopes (Olympus condenser fits on Nikon scope but not vise versa, if I remember correctly).
The Nikon condenser dovetail is slightly smaller than the Olympus one. I use 2 Nikon condensers on my Olympus BH-2, and there is enough adjustment to centre them.

I have not tried to use an Olympus condenser on a Nikon.

Alan Wood
Thanks Alan for your kind correction. Sorry, I must have incorrectly remember it reversely then.
Selling my Canon FD 200mm F/2.8 lens

dolmadis
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Post by dolmadis »

Alan Wood wrote: The Nikon condenser dovetail is slightly smaller than the Olympus one. I use 2 Nikon condensers on my Olympus BH-2, and there is enough adjustment to centre them.Alan Wood
Alan, which Nikon models are these condensers from please?

Thanks

John

Alan Wood
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Post by Alan Wood »

John

These are the 2 Nikon condensers that I use on my Olympus BH-2.

Sorry, I have no idea which Nikon microscope they came from.

Note that the Achromat 0.85 is taller than Olympus condensers and can push slides up so that they touch the objective.

Image

Alan Wood

dolmadis
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Post by dolmadis »

Thank you, Alan.

BR


John

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