Lens flare / glare or hotspot?

Mogie · Post by **Mogie** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 3:29 am

Hello all! I'm relatively new to microscopic photography but familiar with photography. I've been shooting on a microscope for a while now and am getting increasingly annoyed with a central hotspot in my images. I've tried changing my lighting from underneath to above but that seems to have made little difference. I'm starting to think it has something to do with light bouncing around in the microscope optics. I've attached an example image. I'm sure this must be quite a widespread problem and easily overcome. Any help would be much appreciated.

Craig Gerard · Post by **Craig Gerard** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:43 am

Mogie,

Which method are you using for attaching the camera to the scope?

That is a pronounced hotspot. I can understand your annoyance.

Craig

Mogie · Post by **Mogie** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 5:50 am

Hi Craig,

Thanks for the reply. I'm using a Nikon D300 attached to a Apex Practitioner. I've attached the camera to the microscope using what's called the Apex Snapper. It clicks onto the front of my camera as a lens would and once the Microscopes eyepiece is removed screws into place. Here is a link to the product.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Apex-Snappe ... 774&sr=8-1

Cheers
James

Craig Gerard · Post by **Craig Gerard** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:00 am

Mogie,

Does the 'snapper' have a lense of some description inside? It appears to use the scope viewing eyepiece inside the 'snapper'?

If you remove the camera and look down into the 'snapper' can you see any internal reflections.

Is this your scope?
http://www.apexmicroscopes.co.uk/apexpractitioner.html
http://www.apexmicroscopes.co.uk/apexsnapper.html

Craig

Mogie · Post by **Mogie** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:08 am

The snapper has no lens. It's completely hollow and slides over where the microscope eyepiece usually sits. The microscope I'm using isn't the one pictured it has only one eyepiece (the pic was for the snapper). I will (when I get home) have a look at the inside of the snapper and see if there's anything that could be reflecting though. Not sure if it helps but the hot spot's not Always present or so well defined. Also when I look through the microscope normally (without camera attachment) it looks Ok.
I'm really scratching my head at this as being a photographer by trade I'm usually quite good at sorting practical problems out.

Mogie · Post by **Mogie** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:10 am

Also yes sorry it's the practitioner.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Apex-Practi ... 025&sr=8-2

Craig Gerard · Post by **Craig Gerard** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:18 am

Mogie,

I edited my previous post while you were responding

OK, we have the information required. Other members will also offer suggestions.

Craig

Mogie · Post by **Mogie** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:21 am

You my friend are a star. Thanks very much.

James

Charles Krebs · Post by **Charles Krebs** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 10:17 am

James,

It's completely hollow and slides over where the microscope eyepiece usually sits.

This sounds as though you are not using any optics in the trinocular tube. You need optics to project the image into the camera body. This can be a "raised" conventional eyepiece or a projection-style eyepiece made specifically for this purpose.

Look this over pdf over, and then let us know what optics you are placing in the trinocular tube to "project" the intermediate image into the camera.

http://www.krebsmicro.com/pdf/trinoc_a.pdf

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 11:05 am

Charles is exactly right. I have a photography background, and I bought a cheap adapter with no glass in it. And, I got the hotspot, although mine was more a ring form. As soon as I bought something better, with a 2x lens inside the adapter tube, everything started working much better.

Mogie · Post by **Mogie** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 2:36 pm

Ok good stuff.
Mitch640 can you recommend the attachment you purchased and would it fit a Nikon?

Many thanks
James

Mitch640 · Post by **Mitch640** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 2:56 pm

James, the one I bought will not fit your Nikon. But the same company builds one for your D300. Check this one out. It's the same price I paid, looks almost the same.

http://www.microscopenet.com/microscope ... -8930.html

Craig Gerard · Post by **Craig Gerard** » Fri Sep 17, 2010 6:20 pm

Mogie,

Keep us updated.

To my understanding, in regard to your setup, the eyepiece needs to be used in conjuction with the 'snapper', it's not a case of one or the other, both parts work in unison...hopefully.

Craig

Mogie · Post by **Mogie** » Sat Sep 18, 2010 2:01 am

Craig,

I tried last night to fit the "snapper" over the eyepiece but no joy. Just not enough room in the tube. Looking at the design of the thing it does seem a bit strange there's no lens or light difusion material between the light source and the camera mirror. The hotspot is (I'm coming round to think) simply the light from the bottom of the eyepiece illuminating the subject. Just bad product design maybe?

Mitch

Great I'll have a look at that.

Thanks again guys ill keep you posted.

Craig Gerard · Post by **Craig Gerard** » Sat Sep 18, 2010 2:21 am

Mogie,

Some of these adapters require that the regular eyepiece be inserted into the adapter from the camera end (before the camera is attached). The thin end of the eyepiece should protrude from the 'snapper' to some extent. The adapter (with eyepiece onboard) is then secured or clamped to the eyepiece tube. The final step is to attach the camera.

What is the outer diameter of the thin end of the actual eyepiece, the portion that sits inside the microscope tube?

Craig