Leitz aristoplan

Jean-marc · Post by **Jean-marc** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 1:31 am

Hello,

After few requests from microscopists on the forum, I will try to present you the aristoplan from Leitz.
I am a very lucky man to have found the scope at a very good price

Exactly my scope is the orthoplan 2, the first name of the aristoplan.
the only difference is there is not the arms holders on each side of the scope.

The scope is an universal scope, that allow you all sort of lighting, diascopic and épiscopic and fluorescenz.

Flash system
I have incorporated a electronic flash inside the base of the scope (arrows) in the path of the light. the flash is driven by the vivitar 283 thiristor and connected at the coolpix 995.
The setup is the same as Charles Krebs shown on his website some years ago.

The DIC system (ICT on the leitz scope)
Some years ago I found for some $ the good revolver for UKA condenser, with the 3 ICT prism inside. The person who sold it, didn't know the price of such item.

The ICT condenser system fit perfectly my old Dialux 20 scope, but I had not the ICT objectives.
Then I found the 25 and 40 ICT fluotar objective. That was good, but the problem of this objective is that you cannot use it as a classic brightfield objective because of the prism inside.
I have in my stock, some nikon and olympus wollaston or Nomarski prism
that I tried with others objectives. I succeed in finding good combinaison.

When I found the aristoplan on Ebay, I sold my Dialux20 and the ICT objectives at a good friend. I just kept my UKA condenser and my better objectives with their homemade analyser prism.
Unfortunately the scope was not equiped with the ICT objectiv turret. So I built a sort of slide holder where I put my homemade wollaston DIC slider.

I need 3 wollaston slides to use all my objective from 6,3 to 100x.
It was great but I was looking for the ict turret.
I found one 1 year ago, without the prism, but it was not so important. What I wanted, was to change quickly of prism without the risk of crash one on the floor.

Unfortunately, the ICT turret was made to fit the Aristomet nosepiece and not for the aristoplan. So with my good old Dremel I spent two days to modify the nosepiece and the ict turret. My poor english do not allow me to explain what I do, but I sweated all the time, modification was not reversible.

Then I adapted the prisms inside the turret

Thanks to the button, you can adjust the position of the prisms to change the background.

I have the polariser fixed, and I turn the 1/4 lambda plate to adjust background to.
And below the UKA condenser I made a slide holder where I can put an homemade Lambda plate to have the colorfull background.
The analyzer is on the slide between ICT turret and trinocular head.

It is a great scope (and heavy), but it is perfectible, and it is very hard (and expensive) to find all the accessories, but I do not regret at all my purchase.

Jean-Marc

RogelioMoreno · Post by **RogelioMoreno** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 3:30 am

Jean-marc,

Amazing the modifications you have done to the microscope!

You said "Thanks to the button, you can adjust the position of the prisms to change the background. ". What button is that on the pictures?

About the objectives's prisms, are you sure that each objective's back focus plate is on the same plane as the corresponding prism's focal plane? Do the objective's prism are mounted so the orientation of the shear match the condenser prism?

Rogelio

Jean-marc · Post by **Jean-marc** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 5:12 am

Hi Rogelio,

Thank you,

You said "Thanks to the button, you can adjust the position of the prisms to change the background. ". What button is that on the pictures?

On the fifth picture there is a button on the ICT turret in front of the objectives.

About the objectives's prisms, are you sure that each objective's back focus plate is on the same plane as the corresponding prism's focal plane?

Yes, when I look at the field with the Bertrand lens, the wollaston prism matches well with their objective (the black shadows in the center of the field have the good dimension and is clean) .
I have done many tries, and when I try to take away the prism from the objective, the shadow get worst. I compare my DIC system with which I have before with the true ICT fluotar objectives, and the quality was the same.
I can also say , that the quality of the DIC depends of the type of objective : Excellent with NPL and PL fluotar, just good with Leitz pl apo and Olympus and Nikon planapo.

Do the objective's prism are mounted so the orientation of the shear match the condenser prism?

Yes, if not you cannot succeed to have contrast on the subject you are looking.
All what I know to settle DIC system is thanks at olympusmicro and nikon micro website.

Now, I am waiting to find the matching ICT prism for the turret

Best

Jean-Marc

RogelioMoreno · Post by **RogelioMoreno** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 5:31 am

Jean-marc wrote:
On the fifth picture there is a button on the ICT turret in front of the objectives.

How it moves the prims (vetically, front-back, left-right, diagonal)?

Jean-marc wrote:
Yes, when I look at the field with the Bertrand lens, the wollaston prism matches well with their objective (the black shadows in the center of the field have the good dimension and is clean) .

The black shadow is clean and clear (with the condenser prism out of the light path) at the same time that you see the condenser diaphragm clean and clear?

Rogelio

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 5:42 am

Jean-Marc,
congratulations, this is a very interesting project.

As you pehaps know, I have done another hybrid DIC setup, so I'm very interested in this kind of adaptations, matching DIC components of different systems. (in mine from Zeiss, Leitz and Olympus)

So I have some questions to ask,
- I assume you use the original ICT condensers prisms, but what kind of objective prisms are you using in your modified nosepiece?
- Do you have even DIC background? (in some of your pictures it seems to be some field uneveness).
- What specific combinations of Condenser prism- objective- upper prism work well in your setup?
- Do you need to change the condensor heigth to match DIC when you change objectives as I need to do?

RogelioMoreno · Post by **RogelioMoreno** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 5:48 am

Pau wrote:- Do you need to change the condensor heigth to match DIC when you change objectives as I need to do?

I undertand that you need to change the objective's prism heigth; but the condenser heigth normally need to be changed a little to put the field diaphragm in focus when you change objetives, could you please explain more about this.

Rogelio

Pau · Post by **Pau** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 6:08 am

Rogelio, as you perhaps remember my Olympus common objective DIC slider focal plane does not match perfectly the objective rear focal plane. If I focuse the condenser to image the field iris (Köelher) the DIC effect isn't optimal, so at risk of lose Köelher illumination I need to focus the condenser a bit higher (and varible between objectives and slide thickness) in order to get the best DIC (and the best I'm obtaining is decent but not perfect)

Jean-marc · Post by **Jean-marc** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 8:29 am

Hi Pau Rogelio,

As you pehaps know, I have done another hybrid DIC setup, so I'm very interested in this kind of adaptations, matching DIC components of different systems. (in mine from Zeiss, Leitz and Olympus)

Yes I remember well.

what kind of objective prisms are you using in your modified nosepiece

I am using 2 sort of objectives: I think one sort is the olympus prism for épiscopic
The seconds are Nikon prism that fit on a nikon nosepiece, perhaps for the optiphot1. The better will be I retrieve the pics of original items.

Do you have even DIC background? (in some of your pictures it seems to be some field uneveness)

I am not sure to understand well the question because my english, but with some objective (none leitz) even if they are planapo, I have not a perfect plan field.

What specific combinations of Condenser prism- objective- upper prism work well in your setup?

I have 3 condensers prisms, but generally I am using 2 :
The 25/40 with the npl fluotar 6,3 and 10x with the head switch off
The 25/40 with npl fluotar 16x 25 and 40
the 100 prism with the pl apo 63/1,40 and the splanapo 100/1,40

I have 3 prisms objective as you can see on the pic a the top.
I don't remember which they are.
One is used for the 6,3 until 16x
the second for 25 to 100
the third for episcopic 6,3 to 40x

Do you need to change the condensor heigth to match DIC when you change objectives as I need to do?

just a little as Rogelio.

Best

JM

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 12:51 pm

Jean-Marc,

So with my good old Dremel I spent two days to modify the nosepiece and the ict turret. My poor english do not allow me to explain what I do, but I sweated all the time, modification was not reversible.

I got a really good laugh at this comment. No need to worry about your English to describe the feeling... such "sweating" transcends all language barriers!

Beautiful equipment. Hope you have many good hours of new discoveries!

phytoplankton · Post by **phytoplankton** » Sat Feb 18, 2012 7:26 pm

Jean-marc,
That's quite a nice Aristoplan/Orthoplan2 you have. How well does that magnification changer work on it? Does it allow the full field of view?

I see that you are using the GW eyepieces for viewing. Is that a red dot eyepiece on the photo port? How does the view compare with the view through the GW eyepieces? Is it parfocal?

I'm slowly repairing a badly neglected Aristoplan. So far I have taken apart, cleaned/lubricated, and reassembled several parts but am far from done. I would gladly discuss any information that might be useful.

Jean-marc · Post by **Jean-marc** » Sun Feb 19, 2012 2:54 am

Hello,

Thank you Charles

Phytoplankton, I would be happy to discuss with you too about the Aristoplan. I think we will build a club of Aristoplan owner, they are few in the world

I have 2 périplan GW 10/26 on the binocular and 1 périplan 12,5/20 (non red dot) on the photoport.
The magnification changer works well and give near full field of view at X1. Only a very little vignetage is visible in brightfield. Invisible in DIC ou CP ou darkfield. Often I work with 1,25x or x1,6.
I do not think that this magnification changer is fully adapted at the aristoplan, and the GW 26 or 28mm field of view. The true magnification changer is the big variophot continious magnification changer with photoport.

As I said, the périplan on photoport is 20mm field of view, I have no problem. It is parfocal, but the harder (as on others microscopes) is to have perfect parfocality with the 2x to 10x objectives. No problem with objective 16 to 100x. I suppose it depends of your camera too. I have no reflex yet.
2 parts are in mind very difficult to repair: the first one is all the electronic supply, but you could have an external electric supply.
The second is the more critical, it is all the light path that turn inside the black part of the frame of the scope and where you switch in/out the bertrand lens.
If this 2 parts are ok on your scope, I am sure you will succeed. After you will have one of the more beautiful scope of the 80' 90' as the photomic III and the vanox 2.

please ask me any question if you need. You could contact me by private message if you want too.

Best regards

Jean-Marc