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OfflineHoneyBadger9321
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The perfect MICROSCOPE
    #26338085 - 11/22/19 12:37 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Right, so I was looking for a microscope for my mycology work and as we all know they are expancive as gold shit. Then one day I was looking threw kickstarter and found this gem: [url=https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blips/diple-the-revolutionary-microscope-for-any-smartphone? ref=nav_search&result=project&term=microscope]https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/blips/diple-the-revolutionary-microscope-for-any-smartphone?ref=nav_search&result=project&term=microscope[/url] (if the link does not work anymore, the mic. was called: DIPLE MICROSCOPE)
I think its perfect for our work, i grabed myself the DIPLE BLACK for the 109$.
Compered to the standard 300$+ microscopes that we all know, it does the same thing if not better and quite cheeper.

Let me know what you guys think, I cant wait for mine to be delivered :eek:


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Edited by HoneyBadger9321 (02/17/20 03:18 PM)

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OfflineAlan RockefellerM
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: HoneyBadger9321] * 2
    #26338443 - 11/22/19 03:40 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)

It doesn't look nearly as good as a real microscope, but it looks better than the typical cell phone microscopes.

I recommend an Amscope b120 and a stage micrometer, and use a cell phone to take photos.

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller] * 2
    #26338562 - 11/22/19 04:51 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)

https://www.amazon.com/AmScope-B120-Magnification-Illumination-Double-Layer/dp/B009JPXSOC

:whathesaid:

That's the same one I have as well. And the same way I take micrographs, with a phone.


Clostridium butyricum making endospores
Cheek cells
Clamp connections in P.cubensis
Brewers yeast and a bacterial rod
Close up of a clamp connection

Get yourself a stain kit for fungi and look up the fungal microscopy guide.



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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: bodhisatta]
    #26338576 - 11/22/19 04:58 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Magnification example



40x



100x


400x


1000x(oil)

P.cubensis spores


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OfflineAlan RockefellerM
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: bodhisatta] * 3
    #26339466 - 11/23/19 04:00 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Nice clamp connections.  That would be an excellent addition to https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clamp_connection.


For the cube spores it would help to press down firmly on the cover slip to force all the spores into the same focal plane, and use less spores.

My photo of Psilocybe cubensis spores: 


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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller] * 1
    #26339494 - 11/23/19 05:12 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

I was trying to illustrate how absolutely small and numerous spores were. New growers like to use half a spore syringe per grow because more is better. But less is more with spores usually. That small speck the size of a period has enough spores to grow the rest of your life

But yea there's absolutely better ways.


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OfflinePitcherCrab
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: bodhisatta]
    #26340017 - 11/23/19 11:46 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

This is awesome. Great pictures guys! Making me want a microscope now... :strokebeard: That's a very reasonable price for a scope. For some reason I thought they were way more expensive.
How do you take the photos with your phone through the scope?


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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: PitcherCrab]
    #26340025 - 11/23/19 11:51 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Hold it up to the eyepiece. They make holders but i do it by hand.


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OfflineGreg
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: bodhisatta]
    #26340225 - 11/23/19 01:06 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)

I use the Amscope B120 as well.
They make a cheap adapter if you want to use a DSLR camera, I use that plus an intervalometer/remote to take micrographs.
It's possible to rig it up to take time lapses even.

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OfflineAlan RockefellerM
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: PitcherCrab]
    #26340862 - 11/23/19 05:56 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

PitcherCrab said:
That's a very reasonable price for a scope. For some reason I thought they were way more expensive.
How do you take the photos with your phone through the scope?





Very reasonable.  If you have more like $1200 to spend, an excellent choice is https://www.amscope.com/40x-1000x-brightfield-darkfield-plan-infinity-koehler-laboratory-microscope.html.

To take photos through the eyepiece you just hold the camera to the eyepiece until you get a good image.  Usually you need to hold it about 2 cm back, so I often use a spacer so I only have to get the X and Y right, not X, Y, Z and angle. 

If you have manual focus, enable that and set it to all the way far so you don't have the phone autofocusing on you.  Autofocusing will make it harder to get the focus on the scope correct, and will change the size of the image, making your measurements less accurate.

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OfflineeLeSDenes
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
    #26344172 - 11/25/19 08:45 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Alan, a very stupid question, but is it possible to see through the petri dishes without taking the top off? I have a very shitty handheld 'microscope' and was wondering if the reflection of the dishes affects the image quality with proper microscopes too?

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: eLeSDenes] * 1
    #26344185 - 11/25/19 08:54 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Usually the focal distance is so short you need the objective to be closer than the lid allows to focus on the agar


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OfflineeLeSDenes
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: bodhisatta]
    #26344595 - 11/25/19 12:54 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Ahh that sucks, it would kick ass if I could watch mycelium growing on agar and identify contams way before it is noticeable with naked eye (I know you can sandwich it between slides, but it's a bit limited and can only view a small segment)
Can it even be done? Are people doing this? Maybe pour the agar full so the lid almost touches the agar so the objective is closer?

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: eLeSDenes] * 1
    #26344837 - 11/25/19 02:30 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)

You could take the lid off. If i remember right the coverslip plays a role in getting the focal length right so you may still have to cover the agar with a slip too


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OfflineAlan RockefellerM
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: eLeSDenes] * 1
    #26345926 - 11/26/19 01:28 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

eLeSDenes said:
Alan, a very stupid question, but is it possible to see through the petri dishes without taking the top off? I have a very shitty handheld 'microscope' and was wondering if the reflection of the dishes affects the image quality with proper microscopes too?





Depends on the magnification and focal distance of the microscope.    Stereo scopes usually can, compound scopes sometimes can when you use the lowest magnification.

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
    #26351758 - 11/29/19 10:36 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

There are specific microscopes for examining plates, but none that allow you to get down to the cellular level. They're mostly for colony counting on specialized agar to determine how infected a sample of water is or for identifying causal pathogens.

The PERFECT microscope depends on the application, but as far as our hobby goes, I think a phase contrast microscope would be really handy (if they weren't so expensive), but if you're shopping for one, the features that you're really going to want to have are:

  • Movable stage: allows you to move your sample with incremental knobs rather than pushing the slide around.
  • Binocular: not essential but you can see more and you're not closing one eye
  • Oil immersion 100x objective - brightfield microscopes can really only do 1000x magnification, and even then, you need to add immersion oil because the refractive index of the glass with air between would cause light to scatter enough to obscure the image(close enough). There are vendors that sell >1000x magnification but all that is is replacing the 10x eyepiece with a 20x or even 40x, which has the same effect of zooming in on a pixelated photo. Don't waste your money on anything more than 1000x, unless the 20x eyepiece just comes with.
  • 4 Objectives is plenty - usually its 10x or 20x, 40x, 60x, and 100x oil immersion. Companies sell 5 objective scopes that you will never use. You should be using the lower strength objective to find what you're looking for (including the plane the sample is on) using the coarse adjustment. Then swing in a middle objective to look at most things, using only the fine adjustment knob. You'll only need to break out the oil if you're looking at bacteria or want to get right on top of a spore.
  • ability to set koehler. This is something to google but is how you 'calibrate' a microscope so the entire field is evenly illuminated and you're not seeing things that are an artifact of uneven illumination (like colors on edges from light refraction).



There are an abundance of exceptionally good microscopes that are available at auction and what you're paying for is the quality of the lenses and their mounts. Cheaper scopes will get the job done, and I have limited experience with them so I can't say whether or not they're just as good but cheaper because of slave labor or something, but I suspect that over time the lenses will move slightly and they'll require repairs with normal use. A quality microscope is for life. Zeiss is my fave, but Olympus makes some incredible scopes too.

If you're into microscopy have a look at phase contrast microscopes (see transparent things well and with depth without stain) as well as the infinitely cool dark-field microscopes (best for photography).

Don't be fooled by how old it looks. If it's a binocular Zeiss with a 100x objective and a light, a movable stage, no objectives missing, and everything moves smoothly with no grit or noticeable static-friction, and you can see clearly through all objectives, you've got yourself as good a brightfield scope as anyone else.

If you see one at a garage sale, extra points if it still has its original dust jacket and manual. Not that its important to the microscope, which it is a bit, its more an indication of the level of care its received over its life.

A Zeiss from the 80's or 90's is probably one of the higher quality pieces of optical equipment a person can buy. At auction you can expect to pay anywhere from $100-$1200 for these microscopes depending on the crowd.

That smartphone microscope is the google cardboard of microscopes. We need to stop buying things because they're cheap and ask ourselves if we need something, and if we do, buy something used that's already been made, is higher quality, and will never need to be replaced or repaired unless you break it.

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OfflineHoneyBadger9321
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Heruuka]
    #26352300 - 11/29/19 03:49 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)

My friend to all of your points and facts made, I would agree to all of them. I might just like to add my perspective and on why someone like me would buy such a thing / microscope. I am an amature mycologist analyzing, growing and am daily fascinated by the world of mycology. I would love to own a Olympus microscope, but spending from 200 - 1000$ on a microscope without any experience with them at all (plus im not from the US). So if there is an opportunity out there for a 'as you put it: cardboard microscope'' that gets the job done and familiarizes us of the works of a microscope and how to use it... for 36 - 108$. Well thats a pretty big money leep for a thing that does the same job, however I do agree that it will not last a lifetime or maybe not even 5 years, but that is the perfect time to get to know your microscope and watch that mycelium grow.


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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: HoneyBadger9321]
    #26353995 - 11/30/19 02:32 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Following

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OfflineAlan RockefellerM
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: HoneyBadger9321]
    #26354920 - 12/01/19 02:42 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

A cardboard microscope won't do the same thing as a cheap Amscope, don't bother with cardboard scopes.  The minimum you should get is an Amscope b120.  That is a respectable scope that will work well for many years if you keep it covered when not in use.

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
    #26354929 - 12/01/19 03:23 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

Alan Rockefeller said:
A cardboard microscope won't do the same thing as a cheap Amscope, don't bother with cardboard scopes.  The minimum you should get is an Amscope b120.  That is a respectable scope that will work well for many years if you keep it covered when not in use.




Is it worth getting the one with the camera attachment or better to attach your own camera? I have read that sometimes the image can be out of focus at some places so Ideally I would rather work with the camera and a monitor so I can stitch the images together, but not sure how good the Armscope b120 camera is.

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OfflineAlan RockefellerM
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: eLeSDenes] * 1
    #26354930 - 12/01/19 03:26 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

The cheap cameras don't have much dynamic range and are often grainy.  The more expensive Amscope cameras are good.  I have very good luck with my Samsung s7 cell phone camera, it has manual focus which helps a lot.

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
    #26355079 - 12/01/19 07:36 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Thanks for answering Alan. I just found one of your videos on youtube about fungal microscopy and there are tons of good information in there if anyone is interested : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsZC4rEfNic
Sorry for hijacking the thread, but it might be useful for people interested in the topic.

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OfflineThrowawaygrower
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: eLeSDenes] * 2
    #26359150 - 12/03/19 01:48 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Whatever scope you get, the quality of what you're seeing is going to be mainly determined by the quality of the lenses. An expensive brand of scope with shitty lenses is going to suck way more than a cheap scope with high quality lenses. Get the most expensive glass you can afford.

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OfflineNichrome
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: eLeSDenes]
    #26370013 - 12/09/19 12:02 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

eLeSDenes said:
Quote:

Alan Rockefeller said:
A cardboard microscope won't do the same thing as a cheap Amscope, don't bother with cardboard scopes.  The minimum you should get is an Amscope b120.  That is a respectable scope that will work well for many years if you keep it covered when not in use.




Is it worth getting the one with the camera attachment or better to attach your own camera? I have read that sometimes the image can be out of focus at some places so Ideally I would rather work with the camera and a monitor so I can stitch the images together, but not sure how good the Armscope b120 camera is.




Various pictures of live stuff on agar with my amscope camera...



The lack of focus is due to the condensation on the petri lids.


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Edited by Nichrome (12/09/19 12:07 AM)

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Nichrome]
    #26370151 - 12/09/19 02:52 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Very nice images! Quite impressed how good the images are through the petri lids! Well done man

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: eLeSDenes] * 3
    #26370838 - 12/09/19 12:27 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)



Bacterial LC video.
This was taken through my amscope b120 / canon rebel dslr setup, the original is much higher quality but it had to be compressed a lot to upload here.

Edited by Greg (12/09/19 12:28 PM)

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OfflineNichrome
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Greg]
    #26371143 - 12/09/19 03:20 PM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Rad...:thumbup:


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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Nichrome] * 1
    #26378422 - 12/13/19 02:37 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

I got an Amscope T340 recently, which has darkfield capability.  The darkfield looks awesome at 40x and 100x, and a little but at 400x.

Here's some fern pollen at 100x darkfield that I photographed yesterday.


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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
    #26378505 - 12/13/19 05:09 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

I ended up buying the Swift 380T, someone was selling it for £120 barely used and I couldn't resist. The lowest magnification can give pretty good looking images through petri dishes but the bigger magnifications need to be closer to the object I suppose.
@Greg, How did you check your LC? A drop of LC on the slide, then using the oil immersion? I guess It only works when the LC is loaded with bacteria and agar test would still be necessary, but I love how you can use it as a first quality control.

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: eLeSDenes] * 1
    #26378834 - 12/13/19 09:48 AM (4 years, 5 months ago)

Quote:

eLeSDenes said:
I ended up buying the Swift 380T, someone was selling it for £120 barely used and I couldn't resist. The lowest magnification can give pretty good looking images through petri dishes but the bigger magnifications need to be closer to the object I suppose.
@Greg, How did you check your LC? A drop of LC on the slide, then using the oil immersion? I guess It only works when the LC is loaded with bacteria and agar test would still be necessary, but I love how you can use it as a first quality control.




If you sanitize your microscope you can buy sterile cover slips to go in the plates themselves allowing you to view things closer. They lay right on the media. You NEED a laminar flow Hepa filter to work in front of (I'm not a proponent of the term "flow hood" unless it is an actual hood as there is a difference) to do this without ruining your culture. Iv'e never bothered as the view I get with the smallest lens on my microscope is enough to see contams and things like that as well as sectors I'd like to expand. Microscopy is a very valuable tool in mycology.

Looking at things up close will greatly increase your understanding of these organisms on a personal level.


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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
    #26415367 - 01/03/20 11:50 PM (4 years, 4 months ago)

Hi Alan, what microscope did you use to take that photo (my apologies if already answered)?

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: DragoonsSworn]
    #26419839 - 01/06/20 07:04 PM (4 years, 4 months ago)

Wow, I'll have to come back to this

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OfflineAlan RockefellerM
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: DragoonsSworn]
    #26420287 - 01/07/20 02:05 AM (4 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

DragoonsSworn said:
Hi Alan, what microscope did you use to take that photo (my apologies if already answered)?




Amscope T340

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: eLeSDenes]
    #26420517 - 01/07/20 07:54 AM (4 years, 4 months ago)

Quote:

eLeSDenes said:
I ended up buying the Swift 380T, someone was selling it for £120 barely used and I couldn't resist. The lowest magnification can give pretty good looking images through petri dishes but the bigger magnifications need to be closer to the object I suppose.






flip the plate upside down and you should be able to get the 10x objective close enough to see what's happening on the surface of the agar. since this is lightfield work it doesn't really matter from what direction you're looking at it.


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OfflineeLeSDenes
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: trubblesome]
    #26420573 - 01/07/20 08:45 AM (4 years, 4 months ago)

Thanks, that is a really good tip! A workaround hack I found that if I pour the agar thick (almost touching the top of the plate) I can use the larger magnifications too, but very hard to get a good image which captures a larger area.
I am currently looking for a way of stacking the images in different focus and also stitch different parts together to create a large image where everything is in focus. This is absolutely unnecessary and would provide no benefit, but I love doing this stuff cause it looks super cool.

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: eLeSDenes] * 1
    #26423580 - 01/08/20 08:26 PM (4 years, 4 months ago)

I have stacked micrographs with the free software Hugin.  CombineZP also is a good free one.

Here is a photo I took of the spores of Oregon white truffle, Tuber oregonense.    600x magnification, 30 images stacked with CombineZP.

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
    #26423855 - 01/09/20 01:48 AM (4 years, 4 months ago)

Far from the perfect scope,and I expect to catch some flak for it, but a good beginner scope. It allows you to see spores and growth on agar and while the eyepiece quality is not the best, it does get the job done. I am a bit picky with eyepieces due to my amateur astrophotography hobby but these are not so bad as to make the scope useless. My biggest complaint is there is not enough clearance to fit a 100mmx15mm plate on the stage at the highest mag. https://www.amazon.com/TELMU-Microscope-Magnification-Illumination-Microscopes/dp/B07DQQKJNZ/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?keywords=microscope&qid=1578559156&sr=8-3

This has fulfilled my very simple needs so far but am looking to step up at some point in the near future.


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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Randalf the Grey]
    #26436632 - 01/16/20 11:22 AM (4 years, 4 months ago)

Are there models that have digital aspects with the Zeiss lenses?

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: bodhisatta]
    #27005580 - 10/27/20 12:46 AM (3 years, 6 months ago)

Would plastic wrap let you get in closer without contamination if you can’t see without the lid off?

Edited by Sleepingstar (10/27/20 12:48 AM)

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OfflineAlan RockefellerM
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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Sleepingstar]
    #27005590 - 10/27/20 01:00 AM (3 years, 6 months ago)

Yes, great idea.

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
    #27005600 - 10/27/20 01:13 AM (3 years, 6 months ago)

Would that be something you would have to do in the first place when making the plates up, to avoid contams? For example, if you started with lids, you couldn’t switch them out or could you in a sab?

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Sleepingstar]
    #27005609 - 10/27/20 01:28 AM (3 years, 6 months ago)

You could in a SAB, or in open air carefully if you don't mind a slight contamination risk.  If you put the plastic on first the plates might have a bit of trouble breathing, though I doubt that would matter much.

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller] * 1
    #27017534 - 11/02/20 01:30 PM (3 years, 6 months ago)

A couple of draft protocols I'm working on: tech/microscope and tech/light-source. Emphasis on "draft" right now!

Edited by AndyHinton (11/03/20 07:20 AM)

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Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: AndyHinton]
    #27493301 - 10/05/21 08:04 AM (2 years, 7 months ago)

I'd like to pull the trigger on a microscope today and am looking at the different variations of the AmScope B120 recommended early on in this thread. I can get a B120 that is 40x-1000x for $215, or a B120C that is 40x-2500x for $195.

I read this from the first page of this thread:
Quote:

Heruuka said:
  • Oil immersion 100x objective - brightfield microscopes can really only do 1000x magnification, and even then, you need to add immersion oil because the refractive index of the glass with air between would cause light to scatter enough to obscure the image(close enough). There are vendors that sell >1000x magnification but all that is is replacing the 10x eyepiece with a 20x or even 40x, which has the same effect of zooming in on a pixelated photo. Don't waste your money on anything more than 1000x, unless the 20x eyepiece just comes with.





  • The specs on the B120C appear identical to the B120 except the B120C comes with the additional 25x eyepieces, so it seems like it makes sense to just get the cheaper of the two scopes, correct?

    Second question is related to measuring. I'm new to microscopes and still researching everything, but my understanding is that in order to measure spores or anything else, you need an eyepiece with a reticle? From everything I am seeing, none of the B120 variations come with eyepieces that have a reticle, and you'd have to buy it as an optional accessory (WF10X) for around $40. So, first question is, does this sound right? And second question is, are there other/better ways to measure?

    Last question is: What stain should I use. I know Melzer's Reagent is the gold standard but difficult to get. I've done some reading and can't really find highly-recommended alternative. I'm mostly interested in looking at spores and mycelium.

    Thank you!

    Edited by Hindsight (10/05/21 09:13 AM)

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    OfflineTas75
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    Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Hindsight]
        #27494021 - 10/05/21 08:00 PM (2 years, 7 months ago)

    I would say the extra magnification is usually a waste of time on cheaper scopes. You will get a bigger image that shows you no more detail than the smaller one, only magnifying the blurriness.

    Save your money to buy stuff that will be useful and go for the cheaper one.

    I don't know these particular scopes, but you can often buy a reticle insert to place into the eyepiece. Can anyone comment who has used them?

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    Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Hindsight]
        #27494068 - 10/05/21 09:00 PM (2 years, 7 months ago)

    I would throw away the 25x eyepieces, the 2500x is empty magnification.  Cheaper of the two sounds good, they appear to be otherwise identical.

    Instead of using a reticle you could get a stage micrometer and measure digitally.  https://amscope.com/products/mr095



    Amscope has a 10% off sale right now that ends in a few hours, coupon code SAVE10

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    Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
        #27494363 - 10/06/21 06:03 AM (2 years, 7 months ago)

    Thank you both for the replies!

    Alan, when you say measure digitally, I assume you mean by using an Amscope digital camera attached to the microscope? If so, what megapixel rating what you suggest?

    Edited by Hindsight (10/06/21 06:13 AM)

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    Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Hindsight] * 1
        #27498134 - 10/09/21 02:18 AM (2 years, 7 months ago)

    Quote:

    Hindsight said:
    Alan, when you say measure digitally, I assume you mean by using an Amscope digital camera attached to the microscope? If so, what megapixel rating what you suggest?




    I use a Nikon Z7 to take microscope photos - or a cell phone with a spacer to keep it a constant distance from the eyepiece and a camera app that allows manual focus.  Both distance and focus will change your measurements.

    I use Piximetre to do the measuring.

    I haven't tried many of the Amscope cameras - I have a little though.  The 1.3 megapixel has given me grainy photos and the 5 megapixel decent photos.    I am not sure how these cameras compare to a professional camera or a cell phone.  Many cell phones take surprisingly good photos through the microscope, it'd have to be a good microscope camera to perform better than that.

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    Re: The perfect MICROSCOPE [Re: Alan Rockefeller]
        #27498210 - 10/09/21 06:13 AM (2 years, 7 months ago)

    Thanks again for all the help Alan. I have a complete setup now and have been testing it out, dialing it in, and learning about it. I went ahead and got a 3MP Amscope camera. I used my cellphone to take a few pics and it did work well though I was holding it by hand so not perfect. I liked the idea of being able to view and measure objects and video on my big computer screen in real-time so that was part of why I went with the Amscope camera. I have the camera now and it works pretty well. 3MP seems pretty good so far.

    Here is what I've looked at so far. This is the plate I prepared slides from. The spot at 7:00 appears to be mold to me:



    Here is that mold(?) spot at 1000x:



    And here are two shots of a slide prepared from the main mycelium in the center of the dish - the first with red food coloring dye and the second without dye:




    I can't really tell the difference. I haven't been able to find many photos online showing the difference between mycelium of edibles and actives vs molds. Obviously both are fungi but I've read you should be able to see the difference, which I cannot. Also not sure what dye to use - I know food coloring isn't the best but if I can't get Melzer's what would you suggest for looking at mycelium?

    Edit: I tried the scotch tape method (pick up mycelium on scotch tape then place it sticky side up on a slide with a cover plate) and the pics came out better. But I still can't tell the difference between mold and mycelium (unless the mycelium is actually mold too hah)






    Thanks again!

    Edited by Hindsight (10/09/21 11:16 AM)

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