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zzffnn
Posts: 1896
Joined: Thu May 22, 2014 1:25 pm
Location: Houston, Texas, USA
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Post by zzffnn »

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In short, this is a Nikon focus drive + 25 lb granite check stand. You can DIY adapt camera to it via Arca clamp and a spacer plate *. Or turn it into an inspection microscope, by adding scope head, optics and objective turret.

Selling for $149 shipped within USA, from Houston, Texas 77025 (per https://postcalc.usps.com/ shipping cost is $18.90). Parts weight, without packaging is around 28.1 lbs. The scope mount and pole mount has to be removed for shipping to save cost (reassembly is easy though, only metric socket screwdrivers are needed), unless the rig is picked up locally.

The Nikon focus block has 2 micron steps, at worst (I remember it is not a 1 micron model, but I am not positive). It works well; I have triple checked it 3 times, under a 40x NA 0.55 objective (there is no focus drift and the whole rig is stable enough for 40x on-sensor magnification). Its coarse focus produces a little noise when turned, and is very slightly less than perfectly smooth and well damped, but still works well for focus stacking (fine focus is near perfect). It has fine focus scale on one side.

This toolmaker's scope offer some unique lighting and viewing options not possible with a regular microscope. For example, one can place a small terrarium on its granite base and observe into terrarium directly, with low power (1x-3x) long working distance objectives.

The L shaped scope mount has aluminum sheet as shim inside, so that it can clamp very firmly onto granite base's pole.

I can include some parts of Nikon focus drive assembly and a printed repair manual, if you want to try to eliminate the noise. But I see no point of doing that; why fix something that is perfectly functional/not broken and risk damaging it?

It comes with a 25 lb granite check stand. Pole height over granite surface is 257 mm, pole diameter is 19.80 mm. Base granite plate size is 299mm x 200mm x 50 mm. The pole connects to granite base via a huge metric socket screw. I purchased this stand new from Shares Tool and it came with inspection certificate stating that it has a perfectly flat surface (but I cannot find the certificate now).

It also comes with a Nikon microscope head mount, which is the L shaped part shown in the photos. It does not come with microscope head, optics or objective turret. I can include some of those parts for extra cost, but my price won't be competitive over eBay (unlike this listing), because I would be giving up my own essential parts and need to purchase them from eBay again.

* Here is a detailed discussion on how to connect camera to this particular focus block. Many ideas are provided there. http://www.photomacrography.net/forum/v ... hp?t=36495 Of those, I like ChrisR’s simple idea (as shown in drawing on page 3 of the thread) best.

I am not willing to sell the focus block by itself, unless someone buys the granite check stand for $88.90 shipped first (the focus block can be sold for $73.65 shipped, only if the granite stand sells first for $88.9).
Selling my Canon FD 200mm F/2.8 lens

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