Parametium bursaria

Ecki · Post by **Ecki** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:10 am

When spring arrives, Paramecium bursaria is among the first ciliates that I find in nearly every sample from my favorite "hunting ground".

man - macronucleus, min - micronucleus, oa - oral apparatus, cv - contractile vacuole, amp - ampullae, cca - collecting canals, fv - food vacuole, cry - crystals, zc - zoochlorella

The cilia inside the peristom point to the inside. The contractile vacuole has two pores.

All images are crops from pictures taken with a 40x objective.

Best regards,
Ecki

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 10:47 am

Excellent images, Ecki, with nice details both in the interior and surface.

What NA has your 40X objective?

Ecki · Post by **Ecki** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 11:02 am

What NA has your 40X objective?

For these pictures I used an EC Plan Neofluar 40x/1,3 DIC OIL.

discomorphella · Post by **discomorphella** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 11:24 am

Hi Ecki

Wow, those are superb shots of P. bursaria. You found a really furry one too, the cilia look fantastic. I really like the 40X / 1.3 NA combination. If you have sufficient pixels in your sensor its my favorite combination. What flash are you using?

David

Ecki · Post by **Ecki** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 11:29 am

David,

I like this one very much, too. It has a big field of view and is not such a diva as the 63x Planapo. I don't use flash, just a 100W halogen lamp.

Regards,
Eckhard

discomorphella · Post by **discomorphella** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 12:10 pm

Hi Ecki,

The 100W halogen lamp is intriguing. How are you stopping the motion of the cilia? What camera/exposure are you using? Its working very well.

David

Ecki · Post by **Ecki** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 12:16 pm

David,

for Critters etc. I am using a Canon 5D MK2. Tethered shooting works so much better than with my Nikons. This picture was ISO 100, 1/160 sec.

regards
Eckhard

discomorphella · Post by **discomorphella** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 12:18 pm

Hi Ecki,

So this was using mirror-up mode? I am curious to know how you eliminate the mirror and shutter shaking. Your results look as good, if not better than flash.

David

Jacek · Post by **Jacek** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 12:23 pm

amazing !

Ecki · Post by **Ecki** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 12:36 pm

David,

the Canon DSLRs have a silent mode where very little shaking occurs. This article by Charly explains some details: http://krebsmicro.com/Canon_EFSC/index.html

I still think that Flash gives more "dramatic" pictures but I am pretty satisfied with my setup.

Regards,
Ecki

Chris_M · Post by **Chris_M** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 12:40 pm

Wow, incredible detail!

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 1:24 pm

Ecki,

Really beautiful images!

(Are you using a "dry" condenser?)

Ecki · Post by **Ecki** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 2:26 pm

Charly,

thanks!
"Are you using a "dry" condenser?"
Yes, I am.

Regards,
Ecki

RogelioMoreno · Post by **RogelioMoreno** » Mon Mar 26, 2012 5:33 pm

Ecki,

Beautiful and amazing set.

Rogelio