How do you figure out magnification with a camera verses ocular lenses?

[Raistlin]

So I've have tried for days to try and figure out the equation for magnification of a camera verses the ocular lens on a microscope. 

 

The scope I am using is an AmScope SM-4TZZ-144A-18M3 3.5X to 180X magnification. The camera has a sensor size of 6.14x4.61mm and the calibration resolution is 4912 X 3684 (I have read this stuff matters but not how it works). The AmScope video on calibration is now almost 10 years old and doesn't explain the equation or anything.

 

Say this is my set up oculars (which do not affect the camera) are 20x, my objective is at 4.5 (45 right?), and a Barlow of 2X. That is the max my scope will do and should be the 180X advertised. So what is my camera seeing at the setting since the ocular do not enter into the equation?

 

This is all I am missing on getting the calibration done on my scope. I thought I had it done (and I might have had it done) until I realized the oculars are not involved with the camera. I'm asking all over because this is the new thing I have yet to understand. Please help me. 

[Raistlin]

Solved, finally. 

 

In case anyone else happens to come across this question with the camera (the scope it's self isn't as important) I will leave this up and explain what I found and understand.

 

 

The camera is an AmScope MU1803. It is 18mp with a sensor size of 6.14x4.61mm and it has it's own reduction of .5. Think of it like a .5 Barlow lens added to your objective only this reduction does not come into a noticeable play. When I say that I mean it's information but not something you need to worry about (at least from what I'm seeing).

To calibrate the camera the AmScope program that you install with the camera wants the zoom (in the program) to be 100% and your resolution to be at it's highest (this is the same for every AmScope camera).

 

 

Now for the important part of understanding and setting the calibration (this is important for labeling your scale you are creating). The calibration needs to be done at every objective and with the same with every Barlow you intend to use. Meaning if you have 3 different Barlow lenses you need to calibrate each lens at each objective. So let's say you want to use a .5 Barlow some of the time and none the rest of the time (attention for an important note that will be repeated later). The camera magnification is 10X. So with the camera and your objective at say 3X your scale should be labeled as 30X if you add the .5 Barlow it reduces your magnification by half so you will need to label that scale at 15X.

 

Through a lot of frustration and experimentation I managed to find the answer to the cameras magnification (the magnification of the AmScope MU1803 is 10X). Service reps told me the camera has it's own magnification and a .5 reduction but your image magnification depends on your screen you are looking at and your settings (I don't care about that, I want to calibrate for accurate measurement display and never got a satisfactory answer). Other sources said don't worry so much about it's magnification just set your scale (I want accurate measurement for personal science reasons) again not much satisfaction aside from some conversation that helped me start my path to figuring out that (the magnification of the AmScope MU1803 is 10X). Maybe a part of it is that sometimes I'm not the best at trying to put words in my head to words typed out, though after several ways of saying "I want to know the magnification of the camera" I'd think someone would have picked up on it. Regardless I managed to find a solution (like I said having a conversation about it helped me realize how to figure it out so yay for conversation at least).

 

So after over a week of trying stuff, search after search, and a lot of frustration all while doing a lot of overtime I found the answer to my question. I'm posting it in here a lot because I want it to show up if anyone else ever wants to know whether a member or just some one who bought the camera. The magnification of the AmScope MU1803 is 10X. 

 

Now after all of that I should be able to finalize my calibrations over the weekend. I have a .5, 1.5 and 2.0 Barlow so not all of my measurements are in yet and f course because I'm super picky about this I will be going back over all of those I've done (rechecking my rechecked rechecks).

 

The important thing learned during all of this would have been way simpler had AmScope not just published this (it's might not be exact but I'm confident it's close enough to call it). If I can remove Barlow lenses and compare it just as I would looking through a ocular lens (meaning my scale in the program on my screen matched 1mm from 15X to 30X by removing a .5 Barlow). To me this means the magnification of the AmScope MU1803 is 10X.

 

I hope this helps even if it's only one other person. 

 

 

 

Edited January 7, 2022 by Raistlin