Pediastrum boryanum

flyer2o12 · Post by **flyer2o12** » Fri Apr 26, 2013 2:31 am

How you guys are getting those amazingly sharp crisp and simply incredible images just baffles me.. Anyway here is my best try at imaging this astoundingly beautiful green alga; Pediastrum boryanum. Please can you help me to improve this image and offer feedback, especially negative but positive is good too

Nikon Eclipse 80i with Nikon 20x/.75 Plan Apo objective using 1x photo eyepiece. Polarised light with DIC.

curt0909 · Post by **curt0909** » Fri Apr 26, 2013 10:35 am

Great shot. Is this image post processed? What camera do you use? What shutter speed are you using?

A long shutter speed is more susceptible to vibration which will soften an image. A lot of guys couple a flash to their scope to get low shutter speed. This also allows the camera to 'freeze' fast moving subjects. I personally haven't got around to setting up a flash system yet. Its on my list. What I would recommend, if you're not doing it already, is to turn your light intensity to max for photography.

Now once you have your shot you'll want to apply some sharpening, contrast, color correction, etc. There are many options here. The basic tools in photoshop are more than adequate for this. If you'd like to avoid paying top dollar for a program like photoshop gimp is a great free alternative and can be downloaded here: http://www.gimp.org/

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Sat Apr 27, 2013 2:00 pm

Nice subject and image.

Please can you help me to improve this image and offer feedback

I would like to see it a little larger in the frame (40X or crop). With a 20/0.75 Apo there should be plenty of resolution to crop it tighter to a 1024 pixel width. It is a personal "taste" matter, but I find the intense blue rendition a bit too much. A quick crop an color change to show what I mean:

Polarised light with DIC

Just what do you mean here? DIC always requires polarized light. Are you doing something additional? If you feel that you are not getting the resolution you expect, it might be helpful to have some idea of the camera and camera attachment arrangement.

flyer2o12 · Post by **flyer2o12** » Sun Apr 28, 2013 12:07 pm

Hi Charles and Curt, thank you for the feedback.

Polarised light with DIC

Just what do you mean here? DIC always requires polarized light. Are you doing something additional? If you feel that you are not getting the resolution you expect, it might be helpful to have some idea of the camera and camera attachment arrangement.[/quote]

Sorry Charles, it's DIC with a lambda plate inserted between the analyzer and the Nomarski prism.

The camera used was a Nikon DS-Qi1 and this is the setup: http://www.nikoninstruments.com/Product ... clipse-80i
I am however waiting on a mount to arrive in the post to mount my DSLR on.

I would like also to begin using a flash with it but I'm not quite sure how to go about this. Any ideas?

curt0909 · Post by **curt0909** » Sun Apr 28, 2013 2:46 pm

There are a few methods for this. A naked flashbulb in front of the halogen source(requires a bit too much work for me). When I get around to it I'll use the prism method. You put a 50/50 prism in front of your light source and direct a flash into the other input of the prism.

There's a few threads on adapting a flash to a microscope with photos. Art, one of our members, has a great article on this on his website.

http://www.microscopeitaly.it/2012/03/1 ... crografia/

RogelioMoreno · Post by **RogelioMoreno** » Sun Apr 28, 2013 6:16 pm

Nice image, try without the lambda plate. If you want to change the standard Nikon DIC background then move the objective DIC prism a little out (of the normal inserted position) until you get the background color. We need to see pictures of the lamphouse to check how easy you can adapt a flash, normally Nikon lamphouse has a cover that you can remove and put a flash behind the halogen lamp.

Rogelio

Litonotus · Post by **Litonotus** » Sun Apr 28, 2013 9:10 pm

you have one of the best microscopes, so you can't blame it (; Many great images (especially of still objects) may be taken without flash. 100W halogen light is enough but for fast moving specimens it's usually not.

flyer2o12 · Post by **flyer2o12** » Mon Apr 29, 2013 5:48 am

Yes so I think the best way forward is to use "flash" illumination. Attached are some images of the lamp housing.

I wonder if then, the lamp housing could be extended out and the flash/50:50 mirror, or 100 mirror (which can be inserted/removed when lamp required) inserted at 90 degree to path between the lamp and the fly eye lens? Any suggestions?

Tom Jones · Post by **Tom Jones** » Mon Apr 29, 2013 9:41 am

flyer2012,

It looks like you have plenty or room in the lamp house to install a strobe tube without resorting to the mirror or beamsplitter.

For my BX-50 I made a simple U-shaped bracket and mounted a Vivitar 283 flash tube immediately behind, and at a 90 degree angle to, the halogen bulb, and even with the filament. It follows what Charlie has done with his LED/flash BHS setup http://www.krebsmicro.com/microsetup2/index.html with the exception I fire mine through the halogen bulb.

Tom

RogelioMoreno · Post by **RogelioMoreno** » Mon Apr 29, 2013 10:40 am

Congratulations, you have a amazing scope!

You can use a flash without any adapter, look at the following link to see pictures of my TE300 with flash:

http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... ight=te300

Rogelio

curt0909 · Post by **curt0909** » Tue Apr 30, 2013 9:44 am

That is one sweet machine

I want one

flyer2o12 · Post by **flyer2o12** » Tue Apr 30, 2013 12:20 pm

curt0909 wrote:That is one sweet machine I want one

It's pretty awesome alright! It's got a confocal scanning unit on it, fluorescence, transmission with DIC, Phase Contrast, Dark field and polarised light.

Today my SLR camera mount arrived in the post. Tomorrow I shall rig up the Flash gun and mount my Canon atop and try this sweet ##### baby out!