An Introduction to Digital Photomicrography E-Book

Brian Matsumoto

• Herausgeber: Crowood
• Kategorie: Wissenschaft und neue Technologien
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

An Introduction to Digital Photomicrography is written for the hobbyist and the neophyte who wants to take pictures through the microscope. The book includes a description of the parts of the microscope; how to use adjust lighting; types of digital cameras; controls for adjusting digital cameras; choosing a video camera and controls for videography.An introductory guide for the hobbyist who wants to take pictures through the microscope, fully illustrated with 88 colour photographs.

Leseprobe

An Introduction to

Digital Photomicrography

Brian Matsumoto and Carol Roullard

THE CROWOOD PRESS

First published in 2017 by

The Crowood Press Ltd

Ramsbury, Marlborough

Wiltshire SN8 2HR

www.crowood.com

This e-book first published in 2017

© Brian Matsumoto and Carol Roullard 2017

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

ISBN 978 1 78500 305 9

Frontispiece: Cholesteryl hexanoate crystals recorded using polarized light, Sony a7R II, Olympus BX51 microscope, 10x objective, 2.5x eyepiece. (Slide and image: Carol Roullard)

CONTENTS

1INTRODUCTION TO THE MICROSCOPE

2MICROSCOPE PARTS IN GREATER DETAIL

3EXPANDING THE SYSTEM

4INTRODUCTION TO CAMERAS

5DIGITAL CONCEPTS

6IMPROVING IMAGES

7MOVIES

FURTHER INFORMATION

INDEX

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION TO THE MICROSCOPE

To the neophyte, using a microscope might seem intuitive. All one has to do is turn on the illuminator, place a specimen on the stage, centre it, focus, and view. Unfortunately it’s not that simple. In order to get the best results, the microscopist must know how to control his illuminator, and what type of adjustments must be made with different types of specimen. The lighting used for recording the activity of pond animals will be different from that used for viewing stained slides, and a failure to adjust the microscope to the specimen being observed would lead to less than optimum viewing.

A slide of diatoms arranged by Klaus Kemp. Photographed with a Leitz Orthoplan microscope with a colour Heine condenser, 10x objective, 2.5x eyepiece. (Image: Brian Matsumoto)

If one wishes to take good photographs, using the microscope requires a rigorous attention to details. A camera records accurately while the human eye tends to view subjectively. If the photographer does not use the right illuminator, the right filter or the right software setting on his camera, the photograph will show a colour cast.

It is essential to learn how to use the correct visual and photographic techniques. This is accomplished by making a routine for setting up the microscope. The first step is to adjust the illumination; the second step is to use the microscope controls for focusing and moving the slide about. The third and final step is to adjust the camera to take photographs. One will have to match the camera’s sensor output to the light source and adjust its exposure.

We encourage the new microscope user not to be intimidated by the expensive microscopes used by the knowledgeable hobbyist or the research scientist. With a relatively modest outlay, one can start taking quality pictures. If this is your first time trying photography through the microscope, we recommend starting with the simpler microscope stands. The so-called student stands used in colleges or grade schools can be effective for taking pictures of fascinating pond creatures. If you find this hobby absorbing, you will purchase a more advanced microscope and camera. In fact, you will find that one microscope is not enough.

This chapter introduces the microscope by describing its controls used most frequently. Chapter Two covers the parts of the microscope in greater practical and theoretical detail. Taken together, these chapters provide the basics to get immediate results. Later chapters cover more sophisticated steps and techniques to enable you to build on the basic knowledge, and to understand how to perform the new techniques successfully.