A marriage of technologies

Gary W Brown · Post by **Gary W Brown** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 10:02 pm

This photo is a marriage of technologies. The bed bug is mounted in a cell on an ivory slide which is part of a "martin style" microscope set (c.1800) that I acquired a few years ago...but not 1800. I took the photo through the microscopes using my Nikon 950 held "free hand" above the eyepiece with the microscope set up so that I could reflect the light from a nice white cumulus cloud. This picture is a testament to someone's skills as a microscope maker and slide maker.

Gary W Brown

Ken Ramos · Post by **Ken Ramos** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:36 am

You know I have always had an affinity for the older microscopes, the big heavy black monocular types with the finely machined brass and stainless steel dovetailed fittings and controls. Of course the optics in the more modern scopes have come a long way but I would love to have an old AO Spencer in mint conditon.

Pretty good shot here Gary. I used to do the same by hand holding the camera and shooting through the eyepiece but of course I still do. Only now I use an Orion SteadyPix digital camera bracket to hold the camera over the eyepiece in the photo tube. Digiscoping they call it, I think

Well Gary glad to see you posting and again welcome aboard!

rjlittlefield · Post by **rjlittlefield** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:05 am

Gary, welcome aboard! I see you even got the image upload stuff working.

I have not heard this term "ivory slide" before. Do I understand correctly that the specimen is mounted on piece of thin ivory that the light diffuses through?

--Rik

Gary W Brown · Post by **Gary W Brown** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:49 am

Rik and Ken,
Thanks for the replys guys. Is that poetry? I think the next thing I will do is take photos of the microscope and slides so you can see what it is. The beauty of the posted photo is that it came out so well considering the microscope technology of the era. GW

Cyclops · Post by **Cyclops** » Wed Mar 05, 2008 2:28 am

Nice one Gary! Tho i have to say In glad we don't have those bedbugs these days-my other half would freak,its bad enough when the dog has fleas!(Ooh keep meaning to capture one but she's flea free at the moment)

Would love to see that old scope BTW