Consumer Digital Camera to Microscope Adaptor Kit |
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| The technical description on this page is for information purposes only. WPI technical staff supports accessories for the microscopes and cameras sold only by WPI | |||||||||||||
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What kind of cameras does this adapter kit work with? This is a short list of cameras that have been demonstrated to work with this kit and are optically compatible. Note: That mechanical mounting compatibility is also a requirement (see the footnotes for details). Nikon Coolpix™ 800, 880, 900, 950, 990, 995, 4500 (all here see note1) Nikon Coolpix™ 885, 4300 (with Nikon UR-E4 adaptor)1, 5400 (with Nikon UR-E11 adaptor)1 Nikon Coolpix™ 880 (with Nikon UR-E2 adaptor)1 Kodak™ DC1201, DC2607, DC2907 Olympus™C20201, C20401, C30001, C30304, C30404, C40004, C50504 Canon Powershot™ G11, G21 , G33 , G53 Fuji FinePix™ 4800Z6, 6800Z6, 4900Z5, 6900Z5 Nikon Coolpix™ 5700 (snap-on adaptor WPI P/N 502155 )1 Sony Mavica™ FD711, FD751, FD831; Cybershot™ DSC-P201, DSC-P301, DSC-P501 ,(all have 37 mm thread) Note1 :These cameras will connect up to either the 28 mm lens, 37 mm or 43 mm adaptors supplied with the kit, no other devices are necessary. Note2 :A special snap-on adaptor is required from Tiffen (part number CANG1AD) to a 43 mm ring. Note3 :A special snap-on adaptor is required from Canon (part number LA-DC58) and step down filter rings. Note4 :A special snap-on adaptor is required from Tiffen (part number OLYC-3000AD) to a 43 mm ring Note5 :A special snap-on adaptor is required from Tiffen (part number FUJI4900AD) to a 43 mm ring. Note6 :A special snap-on adaptor is required from Tiffen (part number FUJI4800AD) to a 37 mm ring. Note7 :A special snap-on adaptor is required from Tiffen (part number TIF290AD or DC265AD) to a 37 mm ring. Notes 2-7: These cameras require a special mounting tube that allows for the expansion of the motorized zoom lens. Please contact your camera vendor for a converter adapter that terminates in a 28, 37 or 43 mm threads or purchase lens filter adaptors to reach one of those threads. WPI does not carry these camera components. It may be possible to search for: Adapter mount lenses and filters or Digital camera accessories. Other digital cameras as they come onto the consumer market may work or not, this list will be updated at that time, until then please use the following information below to verify if your camera may or may not be usable in microphotography. If you require assistance please email WPI Technical at TechnicalSupport@wpiinc.com. Please no phone calls, describe what Make and Model microscope, camera and other attachments you might have. If your camera is not listed, please read the following: The minimal requirements of the digital camera are: 1. Your camera must have integrated lens filter thread of 28, 37 or 43 mm. or Cameras that have lenses that mechanically extrude from the camera body must use an additional adapter and must be capable of supporting the weight of the camera and have one of the above mentioned filter threads. 2. Your camera must have an optical zoom of at least 3x for 28 mm. If your camera meets these requirements, then it may be possible for the camera to be used in microscopy. Testing the Optics of the camera: Set up the microscope with a slide and focus on it through the eyepieces. The best choice for this is to use a 10X eyepiece, a 10X objective on a compound microscope and 1X to 5X on a stereomicroscope. Turn on the camera, set the optical zoom on the camera to about 3X. Hand hold the camera to almost touching the microscope eyepiece you just focused for your eyes. Look at the LCD screen on the back of the digital camera (you might have to move the camera around a bit), if you see a flat and completely filled rectangular image of your slide then this camera is optically compatible with microscope use. If all you see is a fuzzy or badly focused image or a bright circle of light surrounded by darkness, then try to zoom the camera in a bit further. If the image does not expand to fill the full frame of the viewing rectangle then this camera can not be used photo microscopy. Mechanical mounting to the camera: The requirement for the camera is to mount onto the Digital Camera Kit’s threaded lens. The camera has to have a lens filter thread or the ability to accept a tube manufactured by the camera’s maker that allows for a filter to be screwed into the front of the camera’s lens. For some of these cameras there is a short tube available from the camera manufacturer that snaps onto the camera front and encapsulates the motor driven zoom lens that extrudes from the camera body when the camera is turned on. In any case, the camera should be supported against falling off the top of the microscope or being knocked off the microscope by an additional mounting. For an installation on a set of tilted binocular microscope head this extra mounting will be critical. If the camera has any appreciable mass over a few hundred grams, the camera’s extra weight can cause the camera to fall off, tip over the microscope or distort the image. A step up or step down filter adaptor may be required to couple your camera to the 43, 37 or 28 mm lens threads provided. Please contact your local camera store for these filter adaptors. Mechanical mounting to the Microscope: To the Microscope Eyepiece: The Digital Camera Kit's eyepiece tube fits a standard DIN (23.2 mm) compound microscope tube. For a stereo microscope use the included 30 mm adapter tube to accommodate the larger stereo eyepiece configuration. Insert the camera / eyepiece into either the left or right eyepiece holder in the microscope. Take care that the weight of the camera assembly does not overbalance the microscope or place undue strain on the eyepiece tube, you may have to support the camera on a tripod. -or- To the Microscope's Trinocular Photoport: The Digital Camera Kit is supplied with a coupling tube that has two knurled tightening screws on the side and a c-mount tube that has a female thread. Screw the female thread of the c-mount tube onto the microscopes installed c-mount adapter* and insert the coupling tube and then the camera / lens assembly, set the orientation of the camera view and gently tighten the retaining screws. The mass of the camera should in most cases be supported by the tube structure, for some heavier cameras or where cables are run from the camera, additional camera support may be needed. * The Digital Camera Kit is intended to attach to an existing 1x c-mount adapter on trinocular microscopes. Most trinocular microscope / camera combinations use a reducing or relay lens of some magnification less than 1.0. Use of these reducing adapters with this kit is not recommended as the projected image may exceed the cameras zoom capability to view a full field image. WPI carries a number of 1x adaptors for most popular microscopes. Please refer to this link for the WPI part number to order. Direct Projection table. Please refer to your microscopes operation manual for special configurations. What do I need to Purchase? 1. A consumer digital camera capable of the above requirements. 2. The Digital Camera Kit listed below WPI P/N 501384. 2a. For an eyepiece configuration, one of the kits is all that is needed, provided your camera passes the above tests. 2b. For use with a trinocular microscope, you will need a 1X C-Mount adapter for the photo port of the microscope. Please see the Direct Projection C-mount adapters 1X table for details: Direct Projection table. Will my digital camera take quality pictures? Yes, the higher resolutions and high contrast imaging in the newer digital cameras will undoubtedly serve the needs of the microscope community well. There are notable exceptions where specific colorimetric or density imaging is required. Consumer digital cameras change the image to be more pleasing, as these cameras are specifically designed with the average consumer in mind and not the microscopist. Also bear in mind that the zoom lens itself can add significant distortion or lens artifacts in an application where detailed measurements might be required. Can I take Epi-fluorescence images? The answer to this is a conditional yes for some bright images and no for dim images. The speed rating on some digital cameras can reach up to 1600 ISO (ASA), although this is good enough for some low light imaging, it is not good enough for difficult fluorescent imaging. Consumer digital cameras may introduce image artifacts on longer exposures. Use a specialty Epi-fluorescence cooled camera instead for this application. Penguin Professional Camera Can I use the auto focus or auto exposure of the camera? Yes, if you can change the auto focus weighting, it should be set to full image sampling (more than just a single point) for flatter samples and single point or multiple centered points for individual cell imaging (see your camera's manual for details). The zoom should be set manually and locked in place, if possible. If the camera has aperture or shutter priorities, the settings should be set to shutter priority and the shutter set to 1/30 sec or faster to minimize shaking. In some cases where the image to be captured is very dim, the exposure must be made manually by a remote cable. Can I measure the images on them? Yes, for compound microscopes we reccomend using a micrometer stage slide to calibrate the imaging system (WPI P/N 500477 10 micron). In addition, some post market image capture software has features available in it to superimpose a calibrated marker on the image or measure between two points from a calibrated objective. What kind of magnifications will I get? Most recorded images do not always need to be measured or the magnification noted, but it does help in some investigations to know the range of the magnification of the recorded images. Because the image is zoomed in on by the camera, a few factors are needed to calibrate this image magnification. Where precise measurements are needed, one should bracket the images with a stage micrometer (WPI P/N 500477 1mm to 10 micron) to calibrate the image. Changing the zoom or the focus of the camera will change the magnification, so care must be taken to minimize any changing the optical setup. The three examples below describe calibrated images and not necessarily the apparent visual magnification that your eye sees. In the first two instances The calibration slide is used to measure the field of view. In image 1, the large ticks are 0.1 mm (100 micron), the mid tick is 0.05 mm (50 micron) and the smallest tick is 0.001 mm (10 micron). A line dropped horizontally across the mid point of Fig 1. measures ~0.58 mm. Examples: Fig 1: If a trinocular compound microscope has a defined field of view of 18 mm, with a 10X objective the total visual field of view is 1.8 mm (18 mm / 10x). A photo taken at a camera zoom of 2.8X reduces this field of view to 0.64 mm (1.8 mm / 2.8x). The theoretical image magnification would be 2.8 x 10 or 28X (18 mm / 0.64 mm). The measured field of view in the image is 0.58 mm. Image magnification = 31.0x (18 mm / 0.58 mm). The apparent visual magnification of the slide is 10x (eyepiece) X 10x (obj) X 2.8x (cam) = 280x. Fig 2: Through the eyepiece of an compound binocular microscope; FOV=18 mm, 10X objective. The field of view in the image measures 1.8 mm, a photo at a camera zoom of 1.0x yields an image magnification of 10x (18 mm / 1.8 mm). The apparent magnification of the slide is 10x (eyepiece) X 10x (obj) X 1.0X (cam) = 100. Fig 3: Through the eyepiece of a typical stereo microscope set at 1X zoom on the microscope. The microscopes defined visual field of view is 20 mm. The camera is zoomed to 2.8x. The photo measures ~7.0 mm. The image magnification is 2.85x (20 mm / 7 mm = 2.85X). The apparent visual magnification = 1 X 2.85x X 10x (eyepiece) = 28.5x).
Fig 2: Full field of view (FOV) camera unzoomed showing 1.8 mm field of view and an image magnification of 10x, also demonstrating vignetting (tunnel vision). Fig 3: Stereo zoom at 1X (on the microscope) showing an image magnification of 2.85X (1 mm markings). Zooming beyond 3x: The digital camera's zoom is required to give a non-vignetted (tunnel vision) image. Additional magnification can be utilized if the cameras optical zoom can go beyond 2.8 - 3x. A wider field of view is not applicable to this configuration, as vignetting will occur (see Fig 2 above). A manual shutter release is highly recommended to prevent image blur from shaking. A stage micrometer slide should be used to bracket images for accurate measurements and image calibration. WPI P/N 500477 (10 micron). How do I connect up my camera to my microscope? To the Camera: This depends on the digital camera's lens, screw the kit's threaded eyepiece onto the threaded end of the camera's lens using either the 28 mm wide eyepiece or use either the 37 mm or 43 mm supplied adaptor rings. If your camera has a lens that extrudes when the camera is turned on, then you must use a lens converter specifically made for that camera to house the extruding lens. Contact the camera manufacturer for this device. To the Microscope Eyepiece: The digital camera kit's eyepiece terminates in a standard DIN (23.2 mm) compound microscope tube. For a stereo microscope add the 30 mm adapter tube to accommodate the larger stereo eyepiece configuration. Insert the camera / eyepiece into either the left or right eyepiece holder in the microscope. Take care that the weight of the camera assembly does not overbalance the microscope or place undue strain on the eyepiece tube, you may have to support the camera on a tripod. -or- To the Microscope's Photoport: The digital camera kit is supplied with a coupling tube that has two knurled tightening screws on the side and a c-mount tube that has a female thread (c-mount). Screw the female thread of the c-mount tube onto the microscopes installed c-mount adapter* and insert the coupling tube and then the camera / lens assembly, set the orientation of the camera view and gently tighten the retaining screws. The mass of the camera should in most cases be supported by the tube structure, for some heavier cameras or where cables are run from the camera, additional camera support may be needed. * The digital camera kit is intended to attach to an existing 1x c-mount adapter on the microscope. Most trinocular microscope / camera combinations use a reducing or relay lens of some magnification less than 1. These are used to reduce the 20 mm wide projected image from the objective onto a CCD plane that is usually 0.5" or 1/3" in width. Use of these reducing adapters with this kit is not usually recommended as the projected image may exceed the cameras zoom capability to view a full field image. For most photo applications, the recorded image is best when the image seen in the other eyepiece looks the same as the apparent magnification. WPI carries a number of 1x adaptors for most popular microscopes. Please refer to this link for the WPI part number to order. Direct Projection table. *The tube with the tightening screws can attach to some Olympus microscopes directly without the c-mount tube (25.4 mm OD x 23.2 mm ID photo tubes only). Please refer to your microscopes operation manual for these configurations.
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