Rik, have you tried infrared photography? Chitin is very translucent to transparent in IR light so you may be able to see internal structure. I have not done anything with IR, except for whatever accidental role it plays. Periodically I think about getting a full-spectrum camera, but then I think a...

Then I question how to add a spring and make that work? If possible, is a spring usefull or just an extra bother? I doubt that meow will have any reason to need one. For low mag work with basic screw rail I don't find that any of these issues need more than noticing. The point of noticing is so tha...

There is a long thread about JML 20X objectives at https://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=16171 . Key technical data for the one I received is in my post at https://www.photomacrography.net/forum/viewtopic.php?p=104871#p104871 . Quick summary: It is NA 0.30. It has significant l...

I hope this isn't against the rules either... Nope, not against the rules. We've even had backgrounds deliberately replaced by totally fake ones. Totally fake background clearly falls in the category of stuff that alters the "naturalness" of the image and is supposed to be noted, as described in th...

However, the benefits of a system like this Zeiss we have are in the lighting systems and ease of use. Also pretty endless expansion/variation possibilities as it is a modular system. Being a microscope only guy, I have no experience on various rigs with bellows, primes etc. that seem to be the nor...

use an old fastioned stainless tea strainer/holder the ones that open up when you squeese them, then place 10mm of whatever is your most flamable liquid is in the base of a large lid opening plastic drink bottle and suspend the tea strainer with the bug inside just above the lquid with the lid scre...

I wonder if the color is a byproduct of the RAW conversion tools used? Ive have noticed in the most recent ACR version 6, the colors are much more saturated than previous versions. I have some old CR.2 RAW files that are ACR 3.3 and the colors are less rich than when I update to the current ACR ver...

Sym P. le wrote: ↑

Fri Jul 18, 2025 6:45 am

"Camera-resolution interactive stereo HERE." [link fixed]

The link is broken.

Thanks -- fixed now in my posts.

--Rik

Rik, please explain the logic of extra spring mechanisms while the same effect is possible by just letting gravity do its job. If gravity will do the job, then use gravity. If gravity is fighting with the spring, then turn the rail around so they work in the same direction. The advantage of having ...

The underlying optics formula is very simple: added magnification = added extension divided by lens focal length So, if you start at infinity focus (magnification zero), then adding one focal length gets you to 1X, adding one more focal length gets you to 2X, and so on. This principle is simple to a...

TIP: always move the slider opposing gravity for the best accuracy. Or use the slider in whatever orientation facilitates the shot, and add some spring or elastic pre-load if necessary to make sure that the screw always stays engaged in the same direction. This is standard practice when using repur...

This is a follow-up that addresses a couple of issues mentioned earlier. First, regarding the possibly internal structures, here's a new stack with different positioning and lighting. https://janrik.net/MiscSubj/2025/ThiefAnts_20250715/stereo-039714-039932-_000_crossedSmall.jpg https://janrik.net/Mi...

If I understood it right, there is no need for other 180-200mm lens. All I need is Raynox + microscopic objective. Raynox should be in reversed position (as in the article you linked previously). Correct. Orientation of the Raynox is not critical. Various tests find that it's sometimes better rever...

I am curious about how this image was made. The out-of-focus background has a texture that looks like some stylized Photoshop filter, with crisply defined edges in one direction but a sort of dreamy flow at 90 degrees to that. Then in the crop, just above the head, I see a band of leaf surface that ...

  Thanks for all the comments, guys! Just one question: is the color of the ant the original, or has it faded or changed due to the alcohol used to preserve it? None of the colors that appear here match what I see by eye. I encounter this problem so often that for me it's just part of daily life. It...