FAQ: How can I hook a microscope objective to my camera?

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EKelley
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Adapter help

Post by EKelley »

So I need to know what adapters are needed for this set up.
Full frame Nikon D700 camera
200mm Nikkor AIS F4 lens from my film days

Will be purchasing a Nikon CFI Plan Achromat 10X NA 0.25 MRL00102 from Seoenterprisers for $219

Do I have this right I will need 3 pieces to put this together?

1) A step down ring whatever the dia is on my 200mm lens down to 52mm
2) 52mm step down to M42
3) 25mm to RMS adaptor

Thank you also if you could tell me male to female or male to male rings. I ran into this when I was doing a reverse lens to camera on my D700 with a 50mm lens.

Pau
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Re: Adapter help

Post by Pau »

EKelley wrote:Do I have this right I will need 3 pieces to put this together?

1) A step down ring whatever the dia is on my 200mm lens down to 52mm
2) 52mm step down to M42
3) 25mm to RMS adaptor
3) 25mm female to M42x1 male, you don't need RMS stuff if this adapter is still available.

or you can also by pass 2) and 3) just with this adapter:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Nikon-CFI-M25-m ... 53e2cfcbbd
Pau

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

A couple of more useful adapters recently added to eBay:

RMS to M52, http://www.ebay.com/itm/200750438193

Nikon CF inf BD microscope M27 to M42, http://www.ebay.com/itm/140743987592

--Rik

Sylvain
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Bresser Microscoop Plano Objectief 4x/0.01 160/-

Post by Sylvain »

This is a Plan achromatic objectif for microcscopes witht the need of DIN oculair (Deutsche Intstitut für Normung).
Is DIN the same as RMS (Royal Microscopic Society) ?

Can it be used like the Nikon CF N Plan Achromat 10X NA 0.30 objective that is shown in page 1 of this interesting topic.

rjlittlefield
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Re: Bresser Microscoop Plano Objectief 4x/0.01 160/-

Post by rjlittlefield »

Sylvain wrote:Is DIN the same as RMS (Royal Microscopic Society) ?
DIN means
1. The physical threads are RMS.
2. The parfocal distance is 45 mm (from shoulder of threads to focused subject, at rated magnification).
3. The tube length is "160 mm" (150 mm from shoulder of threads to sensor, at rated magnification.)
Can it be used like the Nikon CF N Plan Achromat 10X NA 0.30 objective that is shown in page 1 of this interesting topic.
I cannot answer the question. Yes, any DIN objective can be used this way to form a focused image. But not all DIN objectives will form a good focused image. That depends on optical characteristics that are not part of the DIN specification. I do not know the characteristics of the Bresser objective mentioned in your reply title.

--Rik

Sylvain
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Re: Bresser Microscoop Plano Objectief 4x/0.01 160/-

Post by Sylvain »

Can it be used like the Nikon CF N Plan Achromat 10X NA 0.30 objective that is shown in page 1 of this interesting topic

I cannot answer the question. Yes, any DIN objective can be used this way to form a focused image. But not all DIN objectives will form a good focused image. That depends on optical characteristics that are not part of the DIN specification. I do not know the characteristics of the Bresser objective mentioned in your reply title. Rik.
Bresser Microscoop Plano Objectief 4x/0.01 160/-
1/ What characteristics to ask for ?
Or can it done only by trial / error ?
2/ Do you have any other proposal for a x4 objective that certainly gives good images in the set up from p.1 in this topic ?
My goal is photography of caterpillars > 5 mm.

I am only starting & just to see for fun: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62671623@N08/
It took me some time to get started. I am not yet happy with the halo around some eggs but it is improving. Any suggestion ? Probably I need better light sources.
This is with the setup for my Nikon D90 like in the first page.

rjlittlefield
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Re: Bresser Microscoop Plano Objectief 4x/0.01 160/-

Post by rjlittlefield »

Sylvain wrote:Bresser Microscoop Plano Objectief 4x/0.01 160/-
1/ What characteristics to ask for ?
Or can it done only by trial / error ?
It can only be done by trial / error.
2/ Do you have any other proposal for a x4 objective that certainly gives good images in the set up from p.1 in this topic ?
See http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... hp?t=15876. The Cnscope achromat is inexpensive and gives good images on bellows or extension tubes.

For "infinity" use with a tube lens, the Nikon CFI BE objectives are very good -- sharp and good color. The CFI BE 10X can be pushed down to 5X on an APS-sized sensor by using it with a 100 mm tube lens. When used that way it makes a very sharp 5X lens -- see http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... hp?t=16348 for an example.
My goal is photography of caterpillars > 5 mm.
If your caterpillars are only a little bigger than 5 mm, then you need less than 4X with your D90 (sensor width 23.6 mm). Most 4X objectives go bad in the corners if you use them at less than 4X. Consider using a reversed enlarger lens such as the EL Nikkor 50 mm f/2.8 in this range.
I am only starting & just to see for fun: http://www.flickr.com/photos/62671623@N08/
It took me some time to get started. I am not yet happy with the halo around some eggs but it is improving. Any suggestion ? Probably I need better light sources.
Your images look good. The halo looks typical of Zerene Stacker's PMax method. You can get rid of that by using DMap, or better, a combination of PMax and DMap as discussed in the Advanced Retouching tutorial HERE. In general, such halos are worse when the egg is bright against a dark background. Using a lighter colored background will help.

--Rik

semaca
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Joined: Sat Jul 13, 2013 11:07 am

Post by semaca »

Hello,

If a want to attach a Zeiss Planachromat 25x/∞ objective (M19 thread or something...) to a 105mm lens a need a M62x0.75mm adapter?
Too bad I have already bought a RMS thread to M42.

robirdman
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Joined: Wed Dec 04, 2013 4:53 pm

Post by robirdman »

I'm glad I found this post. My first readings on the forum led me to believe that I needed a trinocular dissecting scope for my objective of shooting insects smaller than about 1/2 inch. I didn't even understand what other equipment posts were talking about till I came across this one, and see that it is a totally different approach and produces phenomenal results.
I have been doing field insect macro work for years. Currently I use a Nikon D4 with a 200mm macro, sometimes with closeup lenses on. I use the R1 macro flash. I started taking some pictures of specimens in an old collection and realize I need to do cleaning. I switched to using the 60mm macro lens. Could I get some advice about working from what I have and what I should add? Thanks for any help.

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

robirdman wrote:Currently I use a Nikon D4 with a 200mm macro, sometimes with closeup lenses on. Could I get some advice about working from what I have and what I should add?
Best approach is to use infinity design objectives. They act just like high power closeup lenses when fitted on front of your 200mm macro focused at infinity.

The D4 is a full frame camera (23.9mm x 36mm sensor size,) so you'll be wanting to use objectives that have a wide field, at least 43 mm diagonal back at the sensor.

If your budget is large enough to support them, the obvious candidates are Mitutoyo M Plan Apo objectives. They provide unmatched working distance with excellent resolution and lack of color aberration. Example: 33.5 mm WD for the 10X NA 0.28. See HERE for specifications. Be prepared for sticker shock. You can typically save about half by getting them used instead of new.

One and two notches down from those are the Nikon CFI and CFI BE objectives. At 10X the gold-barreled CFI gives 10.5 mm working distance while the CFI BE gives only 6.7 mm. See HERE and HERE for some discussion and illustration of those.

--Rik

robirdman
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Post by robirdman »

Thanks for the additional info.
What does CFI and BE stand for?
Would 10x with the 200mm macro be too much to fit a 1/2 inch insect in the frame. I'm am wondering if 4x would be a good start. with the macro, I am only used to a little over 1x with the closeups.
The Mitutoyu 5x seems not too unreasonable. Would there be any problems with thread differences in an adaptor?

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Post by rjlittlefield »

robirdman wrote:What does CFI and BE stand for?
In Nikon objectives, "CFI" stands for "chrome free infinity". It describes an objective that does not require additional correction for chromatic aberration and is corrected for use in an "infinity" system with a long second lens (called a "tube lens", "converging lens", or "rear lens") to complete the image formation. I've never seen what "BE" stands for, but what it describes is a less expensive lens with a smaller mount, shorter working distance, and slightly smaller field of view, designed for use in some of Nikon's lower end scopes.

More complete designations for the two lenses I mentioned in previous post are:

1. Nikon CFI Plan Achromat 10x NA 0.25 WD 10.5mm (part number MRL00102).

2. Nikon CFI BE Plan Achromat 10X NA 0.25 WD 6.7 (part number MRN70100).

The nomenclature gets confused because the MRL00102 is also described as being part of Nikon's "CFI60" line (CFI with 60 mm parfocal distance [from shoulder of mounting threads to focused subject], and with 25mm threads), while the CFI BE series is 45 mm parfocal distance and RMS threads (Royal Microscopical Society, spec HERE). Nikon also made earlier CF finite objectives and CF infinity-corrected objectives that have other characteristics.

I apologize for the braindump and nested brackets. The problem is that objective specifications really are pretty complicated and I don't know how to make them simpler. That's why I list part numbers and show pictures of the objectives whenever possible. There is a list of terms and abbreviations used by Nikon at http://www.microscopyu.com/articles/opt ... specs.html. Other manufacturers are similar but not identical. I don't know any place other than our own FAQ: Screw Threads we use that documents which objectives use which threads.
Would 10x with the 200mm macro be too much to fit a 1/2 inch insect in the frame.
Yes, far too much. 1/2 inch = 12.7mm; 36mm/10X = 3.6mm; 3.6 is much less than 12.7 .
I'm am wondering if 4x would be a good start. with the macro, I am only used to a little over 1x with the closeups.
4X on a 36mm sensor would give you 9 mm across the frame, so that's still a bit too tight if your subject is the full 1/2 inch.
The Mitutoyu 5x seems not too unreasonable. Would there be any problems with thread differences in an adaptor?
Each of the different series of objectives that I've mentioned has its own thread. You just need the proper adapter for each one.

--Rik

robirdman
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Post by robirdman »

I had started to reply and then pressed backspace to correct a mistake and my post disappeared. My cursor is always jumping up unnoticed to where it doesn't belong. I hate rewriting!
But thanks again for the wealth of info that I am just beginning to digest.
I think I understand the arithmetic now.
So a 5x with my D4 would result in a field of view of 36/5=7.2mm=.288 inch or almost a third. This is about the size where the macro setup image seems too small.
I think I realized another problem though. With the current setup, the lens has quite a clearance above the subject. these specimens are all pinned so would there be a danger that the pin sticking up about 1/4" above the specimen would be too close to the lens?

robirdman
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Post by robirdman »

After more searching I found that the Nikon CFI 4x was listed as a working distance of 33mm, so this would be more than enough to clear the pin, as with the Mitutoyo 5x.

I see a lot of objectives listed on eBay and wondered about a couple of things. I was warned not to get a CFI BE, so I entered that into the search box to see if anyone listed that, considering that it might be being ignored in listings, so how would I know. It seems adding the BE made no difference in the search, just as many objectives and even microscopes coming up. So if descriptions are incomplete would it be indicated on a picture?
The other question is that many offerings are from China. I assume that both Japanese products are manufactured there, but is there any known issues about copies or forgeries as with many other products?

thanks for any further insight.
This is still far more involved than I first imagined when I wanted to improve my shots of these specimens, but opening up a new world of possibilities in the normally unseen world.

rjlittlefield
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Post by rjlittlefield »

robirdman wrote:After more searching I found that the Nikon CFI 4x was listed as a working distance of 33mm
Which Nikon CFI 4X is that? The specs at Nikon show CFI Plan Achromat 4x part number MRL00042 as being 30 mm. Removing its barrel cover would give more WD, but I don't know how much.

This question is not just a matter of quibbling over 3 mm discrepancy in working distance. Whenever one of the numbers does not match exactly, that's a strong hint that what's being discussed is actually a different objective, which may have very different characteristics. Coverage -- the size of the high quality image circle -- is a huge issue when you're working with a full frame camera, so I'm concerned that you get an objective that will actually do what you want.
I was warned not to get a CFI BE
I'm curious where that warning came from. My own tests have shown that the CFI BE 10X and 4X are excellent inexpensive objectives. With its hood removed, the 4X will nicely cover full frame and has almost 33 mm working distance -- see HERE and HERE for discussion.
It seems adding the BE made no difference in the search, just as many objectives and even microscopes coming up. So if descriptions are incomplete would it be indicated on a picture?
Generally the pictures are more reliable than the descriptions. I'm not surprised that adding "BE" to the search string didn't change anything. Search engines generally ignore case and also ignore common words that usually don't reflect content. The English word "be" certainly qualifies for that.
The other question is that many offerings are from China. I assume that both Japanese products are manufactured there, but is there any known issues about copies or forgeries as with many other products?
I'm not aware of any detected instances of forgeries. Look-alikes are very common however. I have no idea how many 4X objectives there are with short black barrels and similar though not identical markings.

--Rik

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