How To Connect CCTV To Computer Monitor?

[Mitch640]

For the price of a used 60D you can probably find a New T4i, or at least a New T3i. They are both second curtain, silent mode, and no vibration, and they do good video.

That adapter is totally un-needed. As I said, get the T-ring and two sets of $10 each kenko style extension tubes and build a better one than that adapter.

Yes, go on Ebay and buy the adapter for the T3i or whatever, about $9 or $10 from china. I have had my T1i plugged in for a couple years now, no worries, it always works and the cord is long enough to use it as a camera near the desk. Just turn the camera off when not using it.

Get a long USB cable to go from scope to USB on the computer, so you can work with live view. Mine is 16 feet, but that's overkill. The one with the camera is 6 feet and might be short. Depends on your setup.

Forget the Amscope. You already got a better one. Compare the Amscope to your Labophot then compare a tin whistle to a bass tuba.

[lvmnhien]

I think I will get a used Canon 60D.

Be aware that the 60D has a slight vibration at start of EFSC exposures (non-flash exposure in Live View). The vibration may soften your images when connecting directly to the trinocular port.

All other Canon cameras are completely free of vibration with EFSC exposures. You would probably be better off with a different model.

--Rik

Thanks Rik,
I have no idea about such minute detail of the Canon 60D. The very reason I asked about the 60D is simply because it is the mid-range DSLR from Canon, so I thought it should be well-built and less prone to errors or the like. Also, the swivel screen may be useful for viewing from different angles, if I don’t want to turn on the computer’s monitor.

So, what would you suggest (not any of the expensive full-frame DSLRs though)? I don’t mind Nikon cameras if you know any good models from this brand.

[curt0909]

I've had good experience with the easy cap usb. I prefer it to the bnc to vga converter. It includes easy to use recording software. For the price you can't beat it.

[rjlittlefield]

So, what would you suggest (not any of the expensive full-frame DSLRs though)? I don’t mind Nikon cameras if you know any good models from this brand.

I like Mitch's suggestions about the T4i and T3i. All my hands-on experience is with a T1i. It works well and is still going strong after 3+ years now. I would expect the new ones to be even better. Unfortunately none of the Nikon DSLRs provide vibration-free exposures, so I have to prefer Canon in this case. Mirrorless would be great from an optical standpoint, but I haven't heard that any of them tether very well yet.

--Rik

[lvmnhien]

I've had good experience with the easy cap usb. I prefer it to the bnc to vga converter. It includes easy to use recording software. For the price you can't beat it.

I know the USB camera is obviously quite economical and convenient, but I just don't like something sticking out of the CPU. I like keep it inside to make the system look tidier.

[lvmnhien]

For the price of a used 60D you can probably find a New T4i, or at least a New T3i. They are both second curtain, silent mode, and no vibration, and they do good video.

That adapter is totally un-needed. As I said, get the T-ring and two sets of $10 each kenko style extension tubes and build a better one than that adapter.

Yes, go on Ebay and buy the adapter for the T3i or whatever, about $9 or $10 from china. I have had my T1i plugged in for a couple years now, no worries, it always works and the cord is long enough to use it as a camera near the desk. Just turn the camera off when not using it.

Get a long USB cable to go from scope to USB on the computer, so you can work with live view. Mine is 16 feet, but that's overkill. The one with the camera is 6 feet and might be short. Depends on your setup.

Forget the Amscope. You already got a better one. Compare the Amscope to your Labophot then compare a tin whistle to a bass tuba.

Would something like the following one work?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/M42-Screw-Lens-t ... 5aef7a2954

I am a little puzzled as the 60D is considered to be a higher level camera, compared to the Rebel ones like T3i and T4i. I have also thought that the any DSLR camera has vibration due to the movement of the mirror and this can be avoided simply by raising the mirror up which the 60D does have this function.

[lvmnhien]

Unfortunately none of the Nikon DSLRs provide vibration-free exposures, so I have to prefer Canon in this case. Mirrorless would be great from an optical standpoint, but I haven't heard that any of them tether very well yet.

--Rik

This is a big surprise to me as I have always assumed that Nikon is on par with Canon, if not better as they can even make microscopes whereas Canon can only make cameras and does not have the technology to go further to microscope manufacturing.

I have read a few reviews and generally, more people highly regard Nikon's lenses over Canon ones.

[Craig Gerard]

Are we not discussing camera bodies appropriate to your requirements???

Current Canon DSLRs have a Live View Function that reduces (eliminates) shutter/mirror vibrations at the beginning of an exposure thus enabling the use of continuous light without the need for physical separation of the camera from the microscope or excessively long 'settling' times between and during exposures. The 60D does not do so well in that department (scratch that one off the list); 600D, 50D, 7D are appropriate; there are a number of other Canon models which have this feature.

Simple Mirror Lockup is not sufficient. The mirror only contributes to half of the problem.

You may wish to read this article


Craig

[Chris S.]

This is a big surprise to me as I have always assumed that Nikon is on par with Canon, if not better as they can even make microscopes whereas Canon can only make cameras and does not have the technology to go further to microscope manufacturing.

(snip)

I have read a few reviews and generally, more people highly regard Nikon's lenses over Canon ones.

Watch out, lvmnhein! Nikon vs. Canon is a more violent question than whether toilet seats should be left up or down. It's worse than whether boiled eggs should be cracked from the wide end or narrow end. Wars have been started over less. Oh, the humanity.

Nikon does make microscopes, but Canon makes printers, scanners, and high-end video cameras. Nikon may have a historic edge in optics; Canon may have a historic edge in electronics. But in modern cameras, optics and electronics meet. And today's engineers may not be confined to the expertise of their predecessors. Does either company offer a general photographic advantage? Probably not.

Canon has no lens to compare with the Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 zoom. Nikon has no lens to compare with the Canon MP-E 65mm macro. Each of these companies has particular details in its system that surpass the other company's particular system details. In aggregate, Canon and Nikon seem to be about equal. But if a particular detail of either company's offerings makes a difference in your work, things might not be equal to you.

Canon offers EFSC in some models; Nikon offers it in none. I'm invested in Nikon, and haven't considered EFSC worth jumping ship for--the longer exposure times needed to obviate EFSC are no problem in my workflow. But if Nikon included EFSC in a camera body, I'd be inclined to purchase it if other aspects of the camera seemed favorable. And if I were advising a new macro photographer who didn't already have an investment in either system, I would definitely point out EFSC as a consideration.

Cheers,

--Chris

[lvmnhien]

Are we not discussing camera bodies appropriate to your requirements???

Current Canon DSLRs have a Live View Function that reduces (eliminates) shutter/mirror vibrations at the beginning of an exposure thus enabling the use of continuous light without the need for physical separation of the camera from the microscope or excessively long 'settling' times between and during exposures. The 60D does not do so well in that department (scratch that one off the list); 600D, 50D, 7D are appropriate; there are a number of other Canon models which have this feature.

Simple Mirror Lockup is not sufficient. The mirror only contributes to half of the problem.

You may wish to read this article


Craig

Thanks for the education and the link. I am surprised that the 50D, the predecessor of the 60D, is better in term of reducing vibration. I think I will buy either the 50D or 7D. Do you think the following adaptor is sufficient or do I need to buy some extra extensions to suit my objectives of 160/-?

http://www.ebay.ca/itm/M42-Screw-Lens-t ... 5aef7a2954

[lvmnhien]

Thanks for the info Chris. I certainly did not mean to stir up any debate regarding brands. Those are just general opinions (maybe biased depending on the user's preference) from website and forums that I have read.

Obviously, it is not easy or impossible to compare the 2 brands that are so closely equivalent like Canon and Nikon.

[Charles Krebs]

. I am thinking of getting a decent DSLR camera. With the small budget, I think I will get a used Canon 60D. Will the following adaptor be sufficient to connect the camera to the trinocular port? My objectives are all 160/-.

http://www.amazon.com/AmScope-Canon-Cam ... +canon+slr

That is one possible option.

Would something like the following one work?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/M42-Screw-Lens-t ... 5aef7a2954

A simple adapter with no optics may or may not be possible with your trinocular head. You would need to check a few things first. You would need to remove the tube at the red arrow pictured below:



Then you would need to determine if there is enough room to position the camera (body only, no lens) above the port and get the image in focus simultaneously with having the microscope eyepieces in focus. Read through this post for some pertinent information:
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... hp?t=19901

Also have a look here:
http://www.krebsmicro.com/pdf/trinoc_a3.pdf

Typically there is not enough room to position a DSLR properly with a "160mm finite" trinocular head. The Canon body depth is 44mm and the Nikon body depth is 46.5mm. Certain non-SLR digital camera that have removable lenses have much shorter body depths and might be able to be used in this manner in certain cases where a DSLR is too deep or "thick".

It's not a Canon/Nikon "thing" at all. If you are going to attach a camera directly to a microscope trinocular tube vibration is a vital consideration. Shutter vibration (not mirror) is rarely even discussed in general photography. It is a big deal with a microscope mounted camera. Currently the only removable lens cameras Nikon makes that can avoid shutter vibration is the "Nikon 1 V-series". Canon and Sony both offer removable lens cameras that incorporate an electronic first shutter curtain (here we refer to it as EFSC). Between these two only Canon (so far) offers a comprehensive computer control and "tethering" capability. So if that is a primary desire/goal it needs to be considered.

It is not that you can't use a camera body with a mechanical first shutter curtain in situations that are extremely vibration sensitive. You just need to be aware of the fact and work out techniques to avoid bad effects. This is usually accomplished in one of three ways. With a microscope mounted camera you use either long exposures (typically over 1 second) or you used very short duration electronic flash. A third option is to mount the camera body on a separate stand above the trinocular tube with no physical contact between camera and microscope.

[rjlittlefield]

Would something like the following one work?
http://www.ebay.ca/itm/M42-Screw-Lens-t ... 5aef7a2954

That unit provides only a mechanical interface. If you need to go M42-to-EOS, then it's better to get a "chipped" adapter that talks electronically with the camera, same as a modern lens. Chipped adapters are only a little more expensive, and they provide better support for automatic metering modes. On eBay, the magic keywords are "af confirm" (even though for your application the auto-focus confirmation provides little or no benefit).

There are several grades of chipped adapters. The most flexible of them will let you program the chip to provide a nominal f-number and focal length that will get recorded in each image's EXIF data. An example is HERE.

--Rik

[Craig Gerard]

...snip...Currently the only removable lens cameras Nikon makes that can avoid shutter vibration is the "Nikon 1 V-series".

Has anyone found the 4K (3,872 x 2,592) RAW Burst Mode of the V1 or V2 to provide any advantages when capturing moving microscopic creatures? The resulting 1 sec. (30fps) or 0.5 sec. (60fps) video sequence is comprised of individual .NEF RAW files courtesy of the Aptina sensor.

The burst mode on the Nikon V1 shoots not with a mechanical shutter, but with a fully electronic one which shifts the entire 4K sensor output to the buffer at up to 60fps.

The camera needs to 'rest' for 1.5mins after each burst.

Craig

[ChrisR]

T3i =600D, I haven't noticed any difference for metering modes with/without the chip - though there's no aperture to control of course. "M" and "A" both work. I haven't used any of the "Scene" modes. AF confirm and Exif aren't important to me.
If ( I haven't fully tested it) TTL flash works better, that would matter but I think it works OK without the chip.
For the price difference, you might as well have an adapter with a chip though.

--
I've also wondered about doing stacks quickly with a V1. Lots of critters freeze for half-second periods.