Rotifer - Lepadella

micro_pix · Post by **micro_pix** » Thu Oct 19, 2017 12:18 pm

I think this is a Lepadella. 40X Olympus S Plan, DIC. Hand stacked in Photoshop and a bit of a background cleanup.

Here's a composite of what I found in a drop pf water squeezed from Sphagnum Moss.

hkv · Post by **hkv** » Thu Oct 19, 2017 3:27 pm

Very nice! I like the first one the best.

micro_pix · Post by **micro_pix** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 9:47 am

Thanks hkv.

I’m struggling for enough light when using DIC as I’m still working with the original halogen bulb so I was pleased when this rotifer paused for long enough to get a few shots.

David

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:07 am

Excellent!

micro_pix wrote:I’m struggling for enough light when using DIC as I’m still working with the original halogen bulb so I was pleased when this rotifer paused for long enough to get a few shots.

Maybe you would like to implement electronic flash
Some ideas here:
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... hp?t=26185

micro_pix · Post by **micro_pix** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 11:42 am

Thanks Pau. Yes, that is exactly what I’m thinking - I’ve been reading those threads and Charles’ recent post.

I'm still trying to understand some of the potential issues. I know I can’t use silent 2 mode on my Canon if I want to trigger a flash. I overcome this on my macro set up by using a long exposure and 2nd curtain flash, to avoid the vibration from the mirror, but that’s not practical with a swimming rotifer.

I’ll post a question in the equipment section.

David

carlos.uruguay · Post by **carlos.uruguay** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 5:01 pm

Super!!!

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Fri Oct 20, 2017 7:23 pm

Nice shots and great variety from your "moss squeeze".

micro_pix wrote:I know I can’t use silent 2 mode on my Canon if I want to trigger a flash. I overcome this on my macro set up by using a long exposure and 2nd curtain flash, to avoid the vibration from the mirror, but that’s not practical with a swimming rotifer. I’ll post a question in the equipment section.David

You can use "Silent Mode 2" if the camera has a Canon (or Canon dedicated) flash attached. What happens is that the camera senses the flash, and at the time of the exposure it quickly reverts to using the mechanical first shutter curtain. It will then return to live view mode. With Canon cameras that have settings for "Silent Mode 1 (or2)" this happens quickly, there is no mirror movement, and sometimes people are not even aware of what is going on. With the "Rebel" series ("xxxD") there's quite noticeable noise and mechanical movement (mirror flapping).

For me the preferred solution is to take the camera out of "live view" and have the "mirror up" function set on the camera. Then as I am working with a subject I hit the release to raise the mirror. I then have about 30 seconds or so to focus carefully, compose, and release the shutter a second time to actually take the picture. This is only practical if you are set up to view through the eyepieces while taking pictures. I have been very careful to make my viewing eyepieces accurately parfocal with the camera. Obviously this is not a method that cam be used for a tethered set-up or one where you are observing and focusing on a monitor (or the rear LCD).

micro_pix · Post by **micro_pix** » Sat Oct 21, 2017 12:38 am

Thanks for the comments.

I’m still a bit confused Charles. I know I can still select quiet mode on my 5D MK III and 40D with the flash attached but I thought that, if in live mode with the flash attached, the mirror will re-cock. I know that it makes more noise and vibration with the flash attached.

From your explanation it sounds like this is caused by reversion to mechanical first shutter, is that correct?

In your method of raising the mirror before releasing the shutter - what’s the effective difference between that and live view? On the second press I’m assuming the first curtain shutter operates because the flash is connected.

Is the short duration flash fast enough to negate any vibration anyway?

I’ll go and have a play with the flash attached.

David

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Sat Oct 21, 2017 1:17 am

With these cameras in LV the mirror needs to cycle if you set the EX compatible flash in ETTL mode to measure the preflash but not if you set the flash in manual mode. The shutter needs to cycle in any case to provide the sync signal. Definitively the mirror produces much more vibration. With my not very solid usual setup it can affect the picture sharpness if the flash power is not very short (for BF I can fire it at 1/128 power and even I often need to put a ND filter but for DIC I need to fire it at 1/32 - 1/4 )

Charles uses an old manual unit and it will not fire in LV. With a EX compatible unit the camera detects the flash. LV is nice but it heats the sensor so his method still has some advantage.

micro_pix · Post by **micro_pix** » Sat Oct 21, 2017 4:05 am

I’ve just tried it in manual mode with mirror lock, as Charles suggested (I haven’t used that before) and that makes sense. It is certainly quieter on the second press than when using live mode.

At the moment my set up isn’t par focal so I will have to address that as well. I can’t reduce the length of the photo tube but I could pack the right hand non-foccusing eyepiece out about 5mm and that should do it.

Now I just have to build the LED/Flash device.

David

WalterD · Post by **WalterD** » Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:06 am

Hi David,

That's a very nice result! As you noticed I'm also switching over to electronic flash , primary to capture planktonic animals but expect that pictures will generally improve. Hakan and Charles recently posted very good examples of similar objects made by flash and without stacking. Good luck with experimenting.

micro_pix · Post by **micro_pix** » Sat Oct 21, 2017 6:52 am

WalterD wrote:Hi David,

That's a very nice result! As you noticed I'm also switching over to electronic flash , primary to capture planktonic animals but expect that pictures will generally improve. Hakan and Charles recently posted very good examples of similar objects made by flash and without stacking. Good luck with experimenting.

Thanks Walter. I'm looking forward to seeing how you get on.

David

micro_pix · Post by **micro_pix** » Sat Oct 21, 2017 7:11 am

Pau wrote:With these cameras in LV the mirror needs to cycle if you set the EX compatible flash in ETTL mode to measure the preflash but not if you set the flash in manual mode. The shutter needs to cycle in any case to provide the sync signal. Definitively the mirror produces much more vibration. With my not very solid usual setup it can affect the picture sharpness if the flash power is not very short (for BF I can fire it at 1/128 power and even I often need to put a ND filter but for DIC I need to fire it at 1/32 - 1/4 )

Charles uses an old manual unit and it will not fire in LV. With a EX compatible unit the camera detects the flash. LV is nice but it heats the sensor so his method still has some advantage.

Thanks Pau and Charles,

I had another play and I do see now that the mirror doesn't cycle when the camera and Flash are in manual mode, so it is just the mechanical shutter that activates when the flash is connected in quiet mode.
At the moment I look through the eyepieces of the microscope and switch to looking at the camera back, in LV, to focus and frame a shot, It's not ideal as it's a small screen and doesn't articulate. I didn't know about the sensor heating but I did notice on my 40D that the LCD display flashed and exposure metering went awry if the light intensity was increased above 2/3 on the BHS.

I have used an iPad via a Cam Ranger connection with live view but I think I will prefer to make the camera par focal and look though the eyepiece - using the mirror lock-up method for the exposure. I suppose you have to remember to close your eyes before you fire the flash!

David