replacing Nikon FX-35A camera

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Ecooper
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replacing Nikon FX-35A camera

Post by Ecooper »

I finally purchased a good microscope for photomicroscopy. I bought a Nikon Eclipse 400 in excellent shape. It came equiped with a Nikon FX-35A camera and mount. See pics. I would like to replace the camera with a digital body. I know little about Nikon cameras. I use an Olympus EM5 m4/3 camera for my photography, which would not be suitable because of the smaller sensor. I assume that any Nikon full-frame body could be used to replace the Nikon FX-35A. Please correct me if I'm wrong. If I am correct, is there any particular body I should look for (or avoid).
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Nikon Eclipse sm.jpg
Nikon microscope camera sm.jpg

Scarodactyl
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Re: replacing Nikon FX-35A camera

Post by Scarodactyl »

It is straightforward.
Loosen the top set screw on the tan tube, under the viewfinder eyepiece. Lift the camera assembly out. Thr bottom of thr camera assembly has an OD of 42mm. It is possible to remove the camera from the top, hollow out the middle bit which has an obsolete shutter mechanism and beamsplitter for the viewfinder and attach your camera to the top. Easier imo to unscrew the 42mm OD to t mount adapter at the bottom, get t mount or m42 spacer plus a helicoid to get spacing exact.

Ecooper
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Re: replacing Nikon FX-35A camera

Post by Ecooper »

Thank you. Will I need to replace the existing body with a full-frame digital body?

genera
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Re: replacing Nikon FX-35A camera

Post by genera »

Ecooper wrote:
Fri Jul 31, 2020 11:33 am
Thank you. Will I need to replace the existing body with a full-frame digital body?
There's a procedure for adapting the AFX apparatus for use with a Nikon DSLR here: viewtopic.php?f=25&t=15806&hilit=nikon+shutter&start=15
-Gene

Ichthyophthirius
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Re: replacing Nikon FX-35A camera

Post by Ichthyophthirius »

Ecooper wrote:
Fri Jul 31, 2020 9:42 am
I assume that any Nikon full-frame body could be used to replace the Nikon FX-35A. Please correct me if I'm wrong. If I am correct, is there any particular body I should look for (or avoid).
Hi,

Nikon DSLRs were unsuitable until recently because the shutters induced vibrations. Some of the newest bodies have a fully electronic first curtain shutter (EFCS), only those can be considered for direct mounting to the microscope.
Last edited by Ichthyophthirius on Fri Jul 31, 2020 3:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Ichthyophthirius
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Re: replacing Nikon FX-35A camera

Post by Ichthyophthirius »

Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

It looks to me like all you need to do is to remove the entire camera part and Nikon V-T tube. https://www.lmscope.com/en/Nikon_eclips ... er_en.html

Then mount a Nikon YT-TV adapter, a Nikon 1x C-mount TV adapter A and attach a C-mount to M4/3 adapter ring. This should allow the Olympus M4/3 camera to be used (direct projection). See systems diagram http://www.krebsmicro.com/pdf/Eclipse_E600_brochure.pdf

The opening in the C-mount adapter needs to be big enough to cover the entire M4/3 sensor; that is often the case but I can't tell if it's the case here. There are even cheap replacement C-mounts available (not so risky because the 1x contains no optics, just an empty tube). https://www.cnscope.com/index.php?route ... uct_id=347

Regards, Ichty

Ecooper
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Re: replacing Nikon FX-35A camera

Post by Ecooper »

Ichthyophthirius wrote:
Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:40 pm
Ecooper wrote:
Fri Jul 31, 2020 9:42 am
I assume that any Nikon full-frame body could be used to replace the Nikon FX-35A. Please correct me if I'm wrong. If I am correct, is there any particular body I should look for (or avoid).
Hi,

Nikon DSLRs were unsuitable until recently because the shutters induced vibrations. Some of the newest bodies have a fully electronic first curtain shutter (EFCS), only those can be considered for direct mounting to the microscope.
Wow! That is important! Thanks!

Ecooper
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Re: replacing Nikon FX-35A camera

Post by Ecooper »

Ichthyophthirius wrote:
Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:59 pm
Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

It looks to me like all you need to do is to remove the entire camera part and Nikon V-T tube. https://www.lmscope.com/en/Nikon_eclips ... er_en.html

Then mount a Nikon YT-TV adapter, a Nikon 1x C-mount TV adapter A and attach a C-mount to M4/3 adapter ring. This should allow the Olympus M4/3 camera to be used (direct projection). See systems diagram http://www.krebsmicro.com/pdf/Eclipse_E600_brochure.pdf

The opening in the C-mount adapter needs to be big enough to cover the entire M4/3 sensor; that is often the case but I can't tell if it's the case here. There are even cheap replacement C-mounts available (not so risky because the 1x contains no optics, just an empty tube). https://www.cnscope.com/index.php?route ... uct_id=347

Regards, Ichty
Thanks again! This was exactly the precise kind of information I was looking for!

Ecooper
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Re: replacing Nikon FX-35A camera

Post by Ecooper »

Ichthyophthirius wrote:
Fri Jul 31, 2020 2:59 pm

The opening in the C-mount adapter needs to be big enough to cover the entire M4/3 sensor; that is often the case but I can't tell if it's the case here. There are even cheap replacement C-mounts available (not so risky because the 1x contains no optics, just an empty tube). https://www.cnscope.com/index.php?route ... uct_id=347

Regards, Ichty
I have a vintage OM-mount photo adapter here. I wonder if I could use it instead of the C-mount adapter you recommended? I have an om to m4/3 adapter. I would just need to figure out how to attach it to the microscrope mount.

Ichthyophthirius
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Re: replacing Nikon FX-35A camera

Post by Ichthyophthirius »

Hi,

1) The idea I described above is the following: The camera sensor is place exactly at the location of the intermediate image in/above the phototube = "direct projection".

With the Nikon YT-TV adapter and Nikon 1x C-mount TV adapter A, the intermediate image should be located 17.526 mm above the C-mount https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flange_focal_distance The M4/3 camera has a flange focal distance of 19.25 mm; using a M4/3 to C-mount adapter it is often possible to place the camera back the required 1.724 mm. [unfortunately it doesn't always work; sometimes the geometry of the C-mount prevents the C-mount to M4/3 adapter from being mounted but the Nikon 1x C-mount TV adapter A looks like it could work; I don't have any of these so unfortunately I can't test it; a lot of unknowns]

The OM mount has a flange focal distance of 46 mm. This would require a completely different setup. Do you have an image?


2) Shutter vibrations

I had a quick look to see if your camera has EFSC. It seems like is doesn't viewtopic.php?p=189833 but some of the newer M4/3 cameras have it, even fully electronic shutters, or some have EFSC + flash synchronisation which would be useful on a microscope. viewtopic.php?t=41016 If "direct projection" works on your microscope, you may want to open another forum thread to find the best M4/3 camera for microscope use. The sensor diagonale of 22.5 mm (FN22) is ideal for direct projection and it'll probably be less expensive to buy a M4/3 than a full frame camera.

Regards, Ichty

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