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Experiments In Afocal Microphotography


mikecable

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I just received the above point and shoot digital camera adapter. I made my first attempts at using it this weekend. The photos below were taken using a cheap ($60) Fujifilm pocket camera and a Boreal 20X dissecting scope--again about $60. The adapter was $36.

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The field of view is about 8 mm, to give you an idea of scale. The teeth in this and the following pics came from the Atco member of the Austin Chalk--matrix from near Prosper, TX.

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The next two pics are of a standard 60 cell microfossil slide. The material is Lester Limestone from OK.

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I'd say you've found a winner! I imagine that LOTS of light, and a delayed shutter release, are required for optimum image?

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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I'd say you've found a winner! I imagine that LOTS of light, and a delayed shutter release, are required for optimum image?

The camera has a 2 or 10 second delayed shutter release--I'm using the two second. The stage was illuminated with a 60 watt incandescent desk lamp in these photos.
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After seeing your pictures, I just ordered one from Germany. $38 Canadian including shipping. Can't wait to get it...

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Malcomt

Mine arrived in 11 days. It comes with no documentation whatsoever, but isn't that hard to put together based on the online pictures. The knob to the far left on the camera bar doesn't have any apparent use. I've seen some pics that don't include this knob. I'm assuming it is mounted there as a spare.

I'm going to make a black felt sleeve to block incident light from getting in between the camera lens and the eyepiece. I think this will improve contrast.

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You should get a comission... I just ordered one myself. :) Should be useful for my microscope.

-Dave

__________________________________________________

Geologists on the whole are inconsistent drivers. When a roadcut presents itself, they tend to lurch and weave. To them, the roadcut is a portal, a fragment of a regional story, a proscenium arch that leads their imaginations into the earth and through the surrounding terrain. - John McPhee

If I'm going to drive safely, I can't do geology. - John McPhee

Check out my Blog for more fossils I've found: http://viewsofthemahantango.blogspot.com/

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This is great! I didn't even know these exsisted. I've ordered one as well!

"They ... savoured the strange warm glow of being much more ignorant than ordinary people, who were only ignorant of ordinary things."

-- Terry Pratchett

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Excellent information, Mike. Thanks for posting it. :)

The human mind has the ability to believe anything is true.  -  JJ

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cleardot.gif
I'm still playing with my new toy. I'm transferring two sets of twelve
pics taken at progressive focuses to try to see how it works with stack
software.
I think the real test will be a continuous zoom scope. I've got a Bausch and Lomb Stereo Zoom 0.7X-3.0X on the way.

The most important takeaway is that decent
micro-photography can be done for a few hundred bucks. Most of us are
already going to have a point and shoot digital camera, and at least
some sort of scope. Then the price comes down to less than a C-note.
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I am intending on using it on an Olympus continuous zoom that has a barlow (.5 and .75) on it. The barlow gives you a good working distance. Without a Barlow you are too close to the glass to do air abrasion. What I am hoping is that I might be able to use my Lumix point and shoot to take some video of working in my blast cabinet with air abrasion. I have high eyepoint oculars already which is what you really want for afocal microphotography.

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My new to me microscope was waiting on the front porch when I got home from school yesterday. A Bausch and Lomb Stereozoom--0.7X to 3.0X with 10X wide field oculars.

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I had already received new stage plates and this ring light.

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By the time I had everything set up I didn't have much time to play. But I did come up with this pic.

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I bought 5X and 20X oculars as well--so I will be able to zoom from 3.5X to 60X. The optical clarity of this scope is noticeably better than the cheaper Boreal fixed 20X scope. Right now I'm just learning to use the equipment, but I have high hopes for much better pictures.

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Excellent acquisition, I do all my prepping under an Olympus stereo zoom. Took the scope(s) off the stand and mounted on a homemade boom(S) from steel piping. On the stand they are useless for prepping. A barlow is necessary to get a decent working distance . I have two Olympus scopes one with 10x oculars and a .5 barlow and 1 with 20x oculars and a .75 barlow. My oculars are all highpoint ones with rubber eyeyguards. I also have non highpoint Olympus oculars but they are not as comfortable for prolonged usage so they sit on the shelf gathering dust. I do not use my glasses when using the scope but adjust the +- diopter rings on the scopes ocular sleeves to get my eyes in focus. I do most of my prepping a .7x * 20 * .75 which give a 10.5 magnification. If you zoom all the way in you loose brightness and have a very small depth of field. So I rare xoom to more than 2.5 (the Olympus goes from .7x to 4.0x.

Have fun ..... looking forward to seeing some great pictures.

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Malcolmt

"If you zoom all the way in you loose brightness and have a very small depth of field. So I rare xoom to more than 2.5 (the Olympus goes from .7x to 4.0x."

Just about the first thing I learned with this scope. I believe I'm going to have to use the lowest magnification possible to achieve the best pictures.

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Very nice Mike! have fun with your new microscope. The B&L are excellent scopes.... you can also plug a usb digital eyepiece into the microscope and image through the pc......

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The better camera captures much more detail, color and contrast. I also did almost no editing other than cropping the photo.

On the con side--because this camera is approaching the weight of a DSLR it took much more higgly-piggly-jiggling of the Seben camera mount to get things in focus. But I'm still having fun.

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The result is superb!

"There has been an alarming increase in the number of things I know nothing about." - Ashleigh Ellwood Brilliant

“Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.” - Thomas Henry Huxley

>Paleontology is an evolving science.

>May your wonders never cease!

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The tooth in the photo is from the Atco member of the Austin Chalk fm. About 1 cm on the diagonal.

Isn't the Austin Chalk Cretaceous? The tooth that you photographed is Physogaleus contortus which ranged from Oligocene through Miocene.

You photos are nice. I made a camera mount for my microscope using sections of PVC, a small piece of metal and some screws. The PVC tubes slide over the eyepieces. Its very quick and easy to use.

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I take all of my pictures using an old Canon Powershot A520 (I have had it more than 10 years) and a 30x jewelers loupe. I hold the loupe over the lens. Sometimes I have to take 3 or 4 shots, sometimes not. I then crop the photo and use auto adjust sometimes. The loupe cost me $4 from Amazon, including shipping. Here are a few pictures, all the teeth are less than 3mm.

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Bulldozers and dirt Bulldozers and dirt
behind the trailer, my desert
Them red clay piles are heaven on earth
I get my rocks off, bulldozers and dirt

Patterson Hood; Drive-By Truckers

 

image.png.0c956e87cee523facebb6947cb34e842.png May 2016  MOTM.png.61350469b02f439fd4d5d77c2c69da85.png.a47e14d65deb3f8b242019b3a81d8160.png.b42a25e3438348310ba19ce6852f50c1.png May 2012 IPFOTM5.png.fb4f2a268e315c58c5980ed865b39e1f.png.1721b8912c45105152ac70b0ae8303c3.png.2b6263683ee32421d97e7fa481bd418a.pngAug 2013, May 2016, Apr 2020 VFOTM.png.f1b09c78bf88298b009b0da14ef44cf0.png.af5065d0585e85f4accd8b291bf0cc2e.png.72a83362710033c9bdc8510be7454b66.png.9171036128e7f95de57b6a0f03c491da.png Oct 2022

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Isn't the Austin Chalk Cretaceous? The tooth that you photographed is Physogaleus contortus which ranged from Oligocene through Miocene.

You photos are nice. I made a camera mount for my microscope using sections of PVC, a small piece of metal and some screws. The PVC tubes slide over the eyepieces. Its very quick and easy to use.

I bought the matrix from Ebay. It was identified as Atco, which is the basal member of the Austin Chalk, from near Prosper, TX. Anywhere near Prosper would be Cretaceous.

I haven't even attempted IDing the finds from the matrix yet. But pics of Physogaleus do look very much like my specimen.

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