Bread!

Cyclops · Post by **Cyclops** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 6:41 am

Testing out my daughter's Canon compact as suitability for the microscope.
The subject is a piece of bread, at about 40x with some optical zoom to get a full image.

Then a piece of toast, no butter:

and a piece with butter

Canon A470
10x eyepiece, 4x Meije flat field objective
Illumnination my Blackberry in video mode, flash on permanent.

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 7:40 am

Larry,

Using a compact point-and-shoot mounted to look through an eyepiece is the method of choice for many in the Yahoo Microscope group. Given the right camera, it's generally considered that this is the easiest way to get good pictures -- much simpler than coupling a DSLR. "Right camera" means a) can be adjusted to not vignette, b) is not prone to suddenly extending its lens and banging into the eyepiece, c) does not produce mysterious concentric circular rings all over the image, and d) has little or no visible CA. All these things can be evaluated pretty quickly. It sounds & looks like your daughter's camera is working quite well.

--Rik

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 8:26 am

I'm curious how you are mounting or shooting the camera through the eyepiece? Adapters are the bane of micro photography, as I've said before. I have just ordered yet another camera to try and get decent images through mine. a Canon SX130 IS. If I have to, I will build an adapter out of 2 part epoxy to fit the extended lens to eyepiece barrel, but it would be nice to use something easier to make or buy.

Cyclops · Post by **Cyclops** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 9:20 am

Mitch640 wrote:I'm curious how you are mounting or shooting the camera through the eyepiece? Adapters are the bane of micro photography, as I've said before. I have just ordered yet another camera to try and get decent images through mine. a Canon SX130 IS. If I have to, I will build an adapter out of 2 part epoxy to fit the extended lens to eyepiece barrel, but it would be nice to use something easier to make or buy.

I just hold the camera over the eyepiece and wait till the image looks central while holding the phone with my other hand and then click gently. Very hit and miss.

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 11:35 am

Cyclops wrote:I just hold the camera over the eyepiece and wait till the image looks central while holding the phone with my other hand and then click gently. Very hit and miss.

Yes, I have tried that too. It does work, but not so good for video where you have to hold it for awhile.

Cyclops · Post by **Cyclops** » Wed Oct 13, 2010 11:42 am

rjlittlefield wrote:Larry,

"Right camera" means a) can be adjusted to not vignette, b) is not prone to suddenly extending its lens and banging into the eyepiece, c) does not produce mysterious concentric circular rings all over the image, and d) has little or no visible CA. All these things can be evaluated pretty quickly. It sounds & looks like your daughter's camera is working quite well.

--Rik

Theres some serious CA with this setup but I just use Colour>Adjust>Hue/Saturation, select Blue and destaturate (no blue in this subject so its ok to do that), also I nearly always reduce the Cyan as I find that adds to noise.