Tegenaria Domestica

Julian Brooks · Post by **Julian Brooks** » Tue Jul 06, 2010 1:35 am

This is the common house spider, tegenaria domestica. It's also the first test of my new microscope stage and Nikon U5. I have seen some discussion about this objective, but I thought I'd give it a go. It has a diaphragm, which makes it useful for field work, but for microscopy I have used it wide open. Seems to resolve OK, about on a par with the Luminar 25mm, though the contrast is slightly better

and here are the jaws of the same animal taken with a nikon 10xDIC 160-
The resolution of this objective is great, with huge contrast. Both objectives attached to my now unrecognisable Lomo using direct transmission rather than a photo relay.

Both stacked using ZS, about 90 images each. Scary for smaller things, I should imagine....

Jules

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Wed Jul 07, 2010 12:52 am

Jules,

Scary for smaller things, I should imagine....

Indeed. Imagine if we ever encountered something like this scaled up to our size! Great angle of view.

Care to elaborate a little on your lighting arrangement?

Julian Brooks · Post by **Julian Brooks** » Thu Jul 08, 2010 1:09 am

Hi Charles

The lighting for any form of microscopy is a subject of some interest to me. I don't have the skill or capability to shoot with DIC, darkfield, or PC, but I started with an assumption that even a small subject can be lit the same as a large one. Being a film-maker I tend to use what's sometimes called "hollywood three point lighting." That is, a key light, a fill light, and a backlight.

With a circular plastic lens back-cap attached to the objective I use the key and fill to give a little moulding from left and right (one flash two stops brighter than the other). I made a new aluminium stage for the Lomo with a long slot in it and an open metal slide so I could get some genuine photographic backlight under the subject using a third flash set below the level of the stage pointing upwards, but diffused. This also lights the mirror, which is covered with trace to act as a simple white background. Then I use a blue 80B filter that sits on the condenser ring to colour the B/G. Other coloured gels can also be used of course, but I prefer blue. Seems to be more natural somehow.

I'll post some pictures of the setup when I get a chance.

Jules