Question: Olympus AH (Vanox) / BH / BH2 interchangeability

[wantok]

Hi, I'm new to the forums and have a question about parts compatibility/interchangeability. Does anyone know if the original Olympus Vanox AH (which predated the BH/CH/BH2 lines) has any parts compatibility with the BH or BH2 microscopes? I'm not sure which components or fittings might have carried forward to the newer models.

The reason for asking is that I'm getting ready to purchase a Vanox AH for a winter project. I'm relatively new to microscopy but do enjoy tinkering, and the microscope appears complete. While I can't inspect it personally (due to the distance), the seller did have the head of a local microscopy group take a look at it, and he found everything in working order, though in need of a little cleaning. It would be great if I could add to this system or customize it over time. Particularly, I'm curious if condensers, turrets, stages, eyepieces and the like from BH and BH2 models (which are much more widely available than AH) are likely to fit....

Thanks for any help! I've tried to research this on my own, but haven't found much documentation (and fairly little on the Vanox microscopes in general).

And sorry if this is a dumb question.

Frank

[wantok]

PS: My ultimate goal is to rig my Panasonic micro 4/3 camera to the trinocular head of the microscope, just for fun. I'm not a professional or even -serious- amateur photographer (rather, I'm a writer and backyard naturalist)...mostly I'd like to share photos of what I'm exploring with my wife and friends. That said, if I'm going to do it, I might as well do it as well as possible.

Also, eventually I will probably get a Canon with the silent mode (or whatever the mode is called that averts many of the vibration issues), as the larger sensor will probably be easier to work with than the micro-4/3. But for the near/foreseeable future, I'll be working with the micro-4/3.

Thanks again!

[Charles Krebs]

Frank,

If you have not already done so, check out the Vanox brochures here:
http://www.alanwood.net/photography/oly ... loads.html

Not a great deal of interchangeability between Vanox and BH, BH2 and CH models. Beautifully made, but sort of a microscope unto itself. (Although the dovetail for the viewing head is the same dimension. So some of the important "upper" accessories will fit between models).

[Alan Wood]

I'm curious if condensers, turrets, stages, eyepieces and the like from BH and BH2 models (which are much more widely available than AH) are likely to fit....

Condensers and turrets - no
Stages - BH-2 stages won't fit, don't know about BH
Objectives - yes
Eyepieces - yes (but superwide eyepieces only fit superwide heads)

Alan Wood

[wantok]

Thank you for your help, Charles and Alan. And thanks, Alan, for keeping all of those brochures online. I referenced them when I was first looking at this microscope, and, based on the photos and the brochure, it appears to be the standard biological version with the PM-10 photographic system...probably a feature not very practical these days.

I'm probably over-paying for the Vanox (relative to the utilitarian value I could get spending the money on other microscopes), but I have a personal attraction to it. When I was in school, there was a Vanox in the lab that I admired but couldn't use because it was above my pay grade.

One other question, if you don't mind. I asked the woman selling me the scope to copy the information down from the objectives and send it to me. They read as follows:

Leitz objective: 170/0.7 NPL 40-0.65
" ": 170/0.17 NPL 25-0.50
" ": 170/- NPL 16/0.40
" ": 170/- NPL 6.3-0.20
Olympus Objective 1.3 - 0.03

The only Leitz NPL objectives I've come across are fluotars. Did Leitz make non-fluotar NPL objectives? The microscope doesn't otherwise appear to be set up for differential interference or fluorescence microscopy (at least from what I can see in the photos).

Thanks again for your help!

Frank

[Alan Wood]

Frank

You should be able to remove the PM10 by loosening a thumb screw, and then you will see a circular dovetail, probably with an FK photo eyeiece inside the dovetail.

You can use a Photomicro Adapter L to replace the PM10, with a cheap Chinese adapter on top that allows Olympus OM lenses to fit micro four-thirds cameras. If you buy a Canon, just buy a different adapter.

With a four-thirds sensor, the camera's field of view will be much smaller than what you see through the viewing eyepieces.

I know nothing about Leitz objectives, or how well they work with FK photo eyepieces.

Alan Wood

[Pau]

The only Leitz NPL objectives I've come across are fluotars. Did Leitz make non-fluotar NPL objectives?

Yes, they are just plan achromats with flat field up to 20mm FN, so not bad neither top quality and not recommended for super wide field eyepieces, and because they are for the Leitz old 170mm standard again they aren't the best suited optics for the OLY: They are optimized to form the image 2mm higher than the 160mm corrected ones (this isn't very important) and optimized for use with corrective Leitz Periplan eyepieces, whose correction seems to be similar but not identical than the Olympus.
So they will work reasonably well but not for the optimal quality IMO

I sympathize with your emotional reasons but I wouldn't buy such monster except if the price was really low or it was bundled with top optical equipement.

Is this one?
http://www.ebay.com/itm/OLYMPUS-VANOX-A ... 56456b0ed5

[wantok]

Pau, that is the microscope, although I contacted the seller with a lower price and she agreed. The seller doesn't know anything about microscopes but was very helpful. She had the president of the local (SoCal) microscope club inspect it and answer any questions. It appears that everything works, the scope produces a good image, and the controls work smoothly.

Even at the discounted price, I'm sure I overpaid. But I try to rationalize it like that giant Kitchen Aid mixer that sits on the kitchen counter even though my wife never bakes....

On the plus side, for a few bucks I picked up a much smaller scope with nice SPlan objectives, so I will try swapping those out.

Thanks for the info!

Frank

PS: I'm always open to recommendations for objectives or other equipment that might work well for this set up.

[Alan Wood]

Frank

For best results with your SPlan objectives, you need WK or WHK viewing eyepieces and an NFK photo eyepiece.

The WF eyepieces on your Vanox are designed for use with the older short-barrel objectives.

Alan Wood

[wantok]

Thanks, Alan. It looks like there will be plenty to do when the scope arrives. Among other things, I will play with different eyepieces and find out what works with the AH.

A quick question. With the standard WF eyepieces, are there any objectives I should keep an eye out for? I'm not that familiar with the short-barrel lines.

Thanks again,

Frank

[Alan Wood]

With the standard WF eyepieces, are there any objectives I should keep an eye out for? I'm not that familiar with the short-barrel lines.

Frank

The plan achromat and plan apochromat objectives in the Olympus High Quality Optics catalogue should work well with the WF eyepieces.

http://www.alanwood.net/photography/oly ... ds.html#bh

Alan Wood