Sorry for the newbie question !

A forum to ask questions, post setups, and generally discuss anything having to do with photomacrography and photomicroscopy.

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Perfekto
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 6:57 am

Sorry for the newbie question !

Post by Perfekto »

Bonjour, from France,

I am trying to put together the list of equipment I need to make a (self-funded) film with only microscopic actors.
I am already making a film with only insects that I shot in the Philippines jungle. So I am familiar with cameras and the challenges of macro videography.
But I am a complete newbie in mater of microvideography. This is why I need your help choosing the proper equipment. I am also aware equipment is only a fraction of the situation, but I really can't afford accidentally buying stuff that will produce bad results or that I won't even use !

My number one goal is to achieve 4K video shots that are visually aesthetically pleasing. I was very admirative of the work of these artists: Craig Smith, Mike Roscope, or also Marek Mis. These are the kinds of results I am aiming for, if I manage to learn enough to reach these levels of talent. I am just giving this information as pointers so you can better advise me equipment-wise.

My camera is a Lumix GH-4, so it is Micro 4/3 and films in 4K. I have a Metabones Canon EF Lens to Micro Four Thirds Adapter for it as well (no optics), since I usually film with a Canon 100mm and some tubes. It's beautiful. I don't own a telephoto.

I have talked to several micro videographers already, including some mentioned above, and gathered some precious information, such as M Plan Apo objectives being my best bet for magnifications above X5. The brand Mitutoyo came back often as well. What do you think ?

What I am looking for, is :
- a list of ingredients (parts) I need in order to film through a microscope, I am still a bit confused about how the exact setup works
- suggestions of a setup with exact model/brands for each part, that will be compatible with my existing camera, and my goal

While I am aware that I am a complete beginner in this field and have a lot to learn/experiment with, I don't wish to purchase equipment that will give me mediocre results, and then have to start all over again. I am looking for the best configuration I should get to get beautiful footage at around X10 (but it needs to be evolutive to go a bit higher later on !), best depth of field as humanly possible, for a +/-1000$ budget or possibly less. Also please note that I am in France, so eBay options are not as fertile as in the US !

Thank you very much for your wisdom. 🙏🏻
Last edited by Perfekto on Fri May 14, 2021 5:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
The film I'm currently working on : Mikro, the Aliens from Earth (snippets at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC71Ry ... XEVIzw-llA )

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Adalbert
Posts: 2427
Joined: Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:09 pm

Re: Sorry for the newbie question !

Post by Adalbert »

Hi Michael,
Do you prefer reflected or transmitted light ?
You can mount the microscope-lens corrected to infinity to your Canon 100mm as follows:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=120 ... 0269581589
Best, ADi

Perfekto
Posts: 13
Joined: Sat Mar 14, 2015 6:57 am

Re: Sorry for the newbie question !

Post by Perfekto »

Adalbert wrote:
Fri May 14, 2021 5:37 am
Hi Michael,
Do you prefer reflected or transmitted light ?
You can mount the microscope-lens corrected to infinity to your Canon 100mm as follows:
https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=120 ... 0269581589
Best, ADi
Hello Albert,
Thank you for jumping in !
I am not advanced enough to know if I prefer reflected or transmitted light. I know from my video work that I usually go for reflected light, but in the case of micro videography, I cannot tell. Maybe the inspirational links I included in my initial post can help answer what I need to slowly make my way towards these kinds of results.
The link you sent spiked my curiosity, do you have any video footage of what you could obtain with this kind of setup ?

Again my research is quite specific, I need to know what specific gear to equip myself with, to start my path on learning how to film at X5, X10... X20 with the camera I have (Lumix GH-4 M4/3 + Canon EF mount). Image sharpness and aesthetic beauty will be very important, as in the examples I sent in the first post ( Craig Smith, Mike Roscope, or also Marek Mis ). I don't need to buy everything at the beginning, but I at least need to know that what I'm getting is correct to walk in that direction.
Thank you so much !
The film I'm currently working on : Mikro, the Aliens from Earth (snippets at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC71Ry ... XEVIzw-llA )

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