Incident DIC?

[ChrisR]

I have a possibility to add incident DIC parts to an finite Nikon (Labophot) scope I have, but I'm not convinced that the cost is worth it, because nearly all the images I've seen have been of silicon chips and the like. The technique would therefore probably be more interesting to me than the subject it would be good for.

Am I missing anything?!
Is it useful for interesting biological subjects?

[Pau]

Is it useful for interesting biological subjects?

In short: no

Reflected DIC as you suspect in only useful for metallic reflecting materials. All biological subjets I know are useless because they destroy the polarized character of their reflected light so DIC don't work: you'll get about the same than with simple cross pol.
Even metallic looking insects an feathers are not adequate because they produce structured colors by interference, not true metallic reflection.

I've got some reflected DIC prisms and objectives for my Zeiss microscope (not expensive in some cases) and I find them almost useless just because I most see biological and geological specimes.

I've asked this question before:
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... highlight=

An actual test:
http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... biological

[ChrisR]

Thanks Pau, I'd forgotten those.
The method may show surface detail in some plastics, perhaps.

It's an interesting variation on "standard" transmitted DIC to read about, but means a couple of different components because of the De Sénarmont implementation
Apart from the quarter wave plate by the polariser, the analyser has to be capable of rotation (I think). There's one of the latter currently on eBay at $999, though I daresay a home-made device could be arranged.

The previously quoted article at microscopyu
http://www.microscopyu.com/articles/dic ... eddic.html
particularly illustrations 5 and 6, shows the parts.