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Cryogenicz
what?


Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 2,421
Loc: Oregon
Last seen: 5 years, 3 days
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microscope
#6647343 - 03/07/07 11:50 PM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
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It all depends on what you want it for. The lenses on the objectives look really small, so they won't take in much light.
I actually use my stereo microscope much more often than my light microscope. The light microscope is good if you want to identify bacteria or observe clamp connections in mycelium. If you want macro shots of gill structures or looking at the outside of objects, a stereo or zoom microscope is what you want. For a light microscope, look for an adjustable condenser so you can focus the light and the largest objectives you can find. By largest objectives, I mean the largest diameter, not the highest power. I rarely use 1000X. 400X gives much a clearer picture of clamp connections, so diameter of the lense becomes much more important then power. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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Workman
1999 Spore War Veteran



Registered: 03/01/01
Posts: 3,604
Loc: Oregon, USA
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That is the model I use. It is great for the price.
-------------------- Research funded by the patrons of The Spore Works Exotic Spore Supply My Instagram Reinvesting 25% of Sales Towards Basic Research and Species Identification 
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Cryogenicz
what?


Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 2,421
Loc: Oregon
Last seen: 5 years, 3 days
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Re: microscope [Re: Workman]
#6648629 - 03/08/07 11:27 AM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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I need something for detecting contaminates in LC, spores and aqueous solutions.
-------------------- www.MycoPath.com Mushroom Spawn, Cultures, Fungi Bags, Casings, Master Grain Jars, Bags for In-vitro, Laboratory supplies, and much more! Mushroom Supplies. Fast Turnaround Times. Great Service. orders@mycopath.com enter code shroomery for 10% off product. www.FungiForum.com
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fastfred
Old Hand



Registered: 05/17/04
Posts: 6,899
Loc: Dark side of the moon
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That looks like a pretty decent scope to me. They're standard DIN objectives, so you could always change them out. It doesn't list the NA specs for the objectives, but I would imagine that they are pretty standard numbers.
-FF
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Cryogenicz
what?


Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 2,421
Loc: Oregon
Last seen: 5 years, 3 days
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Re: microscope [Re: fastfred]
#6649306 - 03/08/07 02:19 PM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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Can you tell if the stage moves x y and z?
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Cryogenicz
what?


Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 2,421
Loc: Oregon
Last seen: 5 years, 3 days
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
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The last one for sure has x,y and z adjustments. It's the shaft that hangs down from the stage near the base with two knobs on it. One moves the stage left and right, the other front and back. The focus knob moves it up and down. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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Cryogenicz
what?


Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 2,421
Loc: Oregon
Last seen: 5 years, 3 days
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RR - Which one of the AMscopes on ebay would you get? Im thinking the last link I sent is a keeper.. what do you think?
-------------------- www.MycoPath.com Mushroom Spawn, Cultures, Fungi Bags, Casings, Master Grain Jars, Bags for In-vitro, Laboratory supplies, and much more! Mushroom Supplies. Fast Turnaround Times. Great Service. orders@mycopath.com enter code shroomery for 10% off product. www.FungiForum.com
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 1 year, 2 months
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I'm not experienced with any of those, so I'd go with what workman said. I got ripped off by ebay/paypal five years ago and I've never forgiven them, so I refuse to shop there.
I have a couple of scopes in that genre that sit on my shelf unused. I bought a medical lab scope that is so much clearer, with larger objectives and eyepieces and a light that can be focused, so it's the one I use. Definitely get a trinocular model with a ccd tube adapter so you can take pictures. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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shroomsynergy
Fungi Freak


Registered: 01/17/06
Posts: 861
Loc: Andromeda
Last seen: 4 years, 8 months
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thats about the same that i have, and i can see the contams pretty easy. i tend to go too far in, and dont know what the fuck i'm looking at, but if i stay between 300-700 i seem to be able to tell better whats going on!\
i'm still new at this too, but well, thats what i noticed so far. lol
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Cryogenicz
what?


Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 2,421
Loc: Oregon
Last seen: 5 years, 3 days
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ok, cool... Thank you for the information.
-Graham
-------------------- www.MycoPath.com Mushroom Spawn, Cultures, Fungi Bags, Casings, Master Grain Jars, Bags for In-vitro, Laboratory supplies, and much more! Mushroom Supplies. Fast Turnaround Times. Great Service. orders@mycopath.com enter code shroomery for 10% off product. www.FungiForum.com
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Cryogenicz
what?


Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 2,421
Loc: Oregon
Last seen: 5 years, 3 days
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-------------------- www.MycoPath.com Mushroom Spawn, Cultures, Fungi Bags, Casings, Master Grain Jars, Bags for In-vitro, Laboratory supplies, and much more! Mushroom Supplies. Fast Turnaround Times. Great Service. orders@mycopath.com enter code shroomery for 10% off product. www.FungiForum.com
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 1 year, 2 months
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Get ready to be addicted to the miniature world for a while when it comes. There's a whole new universe you'll see and it's a facinating one. Did you get a camera too? The best microscope cameras are the ccd tube mounts, but they're a bit spendy. A cheaper alternative is the ones that replace an eyepiece, but they don't have the clarity or resolution, but still get the job done. Have fun! RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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Cryogenicz
what?


Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 2,421
Loc: Oregon
Last seen: 5 years, 3 days
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I didnt get a camera, I cant afford it.
I really just need one now so I can verify that my cultures are contaminate free.
The camera is next on the list, but I dont see how I "have" to have it now.
-Graham
-------------------- www.MycoPath.com Mushroom Spawn, Cultures, Fungi Bags, Casings, Master Grain Jars, Bags for In-vitro, Laboratory supplies, and much more! Mushroom Supplies. Fast Turnaround Times. Great Service. orders@mycopath.com enter code shroomery for 10% off product. www.FungiForum.com
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 1 year, 2 months
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If you make your product in large batches, it's always best to test on grains or agar a sample from each batch. Sometimes the single drop of liquid you put on a slide will be clean, but there could still be bacteria or mold spores in the rest of it. Just a heads up.
Which reminds me. Be sure to order a box of slides and cover slips. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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Workman
1999 Spore War Veteran



Registered: 03/01/01
Posts: 3,604
Loc: Oregon, USA
Last seen: 20 minutes, 38 seconds
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Yeah, RR is right. Visually checking for contamination with a microscope isn't going to work very well. Its fine for checking the identity of contaminates you can already see like a spot of mold or bacteria on a petri dish. I guess it might be helpful to look at questionable liquid cultures that have large amounts of bacteria or yeast, but a simple drop test on agar would be more definative.
Enjoy the scope, they are fun!
-------------------- Research funded by the patrons of The Spore Works Exotic Spore Supply My Instagram Reinvesting 25% of Sales Towards Basic Research and Species Identification 
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fastfred
Old Hand



Registered: 05/17/04
Posts: 6,899
Loc: Dark side of the moon
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Re: microscope [Re: Workman]
#6666325 - 03/13/07 08:01 PM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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I think it's pretty useful to have a microscope for checking contamination. With liquid cultures possibly contaminated with yeast or bacteria it's quite easy to check for that under the scope. Yeast and bacteria replicate very quickly and by the time the culture is ready or you notice any suspicious signs you will be able to spot the contamination in every drop you throw on a slide. Checking cultures this way saves the cost of a petri and the time it takes to grow it out.
You can't verify a culture is free from a handful of stray spores this way, so it's not the most effective way to find fungal spore contamination. OTOH there are times when you spot a white fungal spot on a petri and can't visually tell what it is right away. Using a scope you can look at the morphology and figure out if it's contamination or not right away. So using a scope to check petris also helps save time and the danger of growing up contaminants to the point where they produce spores.
A couple tricks for being able to look directly at petris under your scope is to either get an ULWD (ultra long working distance) objective or to pour your petris very full so that the distance looking through the dish to the surface is reduced. It's very fun to be able to look directly at a growing dish without disturbing it or the hassle of preparing slides. Some scopes have mechanical stages that will hold a whole petri, with others it's slightly more difficult but still very useful. The one you got looks like the clip is big enough to hold the petri in it, which makes it very easy to move around. Using parafilm or some other sort of wrap around the edge of your dishes is also helpful by keeping them together and sealed while working with them.
-FF
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Cryogenicz
what?


Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 2,421
Loc: Oregon
Last seen: 5 years, 3 days
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Re: microscope [Re: fastfred]
#6666555 - 03/13/07 09:02 PM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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Thank you for all of your information. You have been very helpfull.
Thankyou RR, FF, and Workman 
-Graham
-------------------- www.MycoPath.com Mushroom Spawn, Cultures, Fungi Bags, Casings, Master Grain Jars, Bags for In-vitro, Laboratory supplies, and much more! Mushroom Supplies. Fast Turnaround Times. Great Service. orders@mycopath.com enter code shroomery for 10% off product. www.FungiForum.com
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
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I can put a closed petri in my cheap microscope, but my better lab one doesn't have the working distance to be that far away, even if I fill the dish up. In fact, with the stage all the way down, I can't even fit a petri in under anything but the 4X objective. It's barely above a cover slip on a slide when the lenses are in focus at anything over the 10X objective. That's the only reason I don't get rid of the cheapie. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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Cryogenicz
what?


Registered: 07/01/04
Posts: 2,421
Loc: Oregon
Last seen: 5 years, 3 days
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I got the microscope today. Beautiful. I cant wait to bring it to my laboratory tomorrow.
-------------------- www.MycoPath.com Mushroom Spawn, Cultures, Fungi Bags, Casings, Master Grain Jars, Bags for In-vitro, Laboratory supplies, and much more! Mushroom Supplies. Fast Turnaround Times. Great Service. orders@mycopath.com enter code shroomery for 10% off product. www.FungiForum.com
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WoodsCall
own it


Registered: 12/06/04
Posts: 1,486
Loc: eye of the beerholder
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I in no way intend to hijack this thread, but since there is already some information posted here, I would like to ask for the expert opinions as well.
I have been searching around for a bit and have decided to purchase a microscope for the serious study of mushrooms and also to aide my college education. I will be taking USB pictures, so would a trinocular be better than a binocular? Also, what are the advantages of a stereo microscope besides 3-dimensional viewing? I have noticed that they have lower magnification than trinoculars...
I have not studied extensively with a micrsocope before and it has been about 5 years since I gazed through a pair of eyepieces. Would a "student's" or "beginner's" microscope be a better purchase than say something meant for actual lab work? It has long been a dream of mine to own one, so I would also like to make sure I'm making a worthwhile investment and not making a mistake by going for the cheap one. Money is not necessarily a large issue in this decision, as I recently received $200 to go toward this purchase, and I wil be adding up to another $200 for the scope itself and accessories. What quality microscope can I expect for $400 USD?
I happened upon this one on eBay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170084023786&ssPageName=MERCOSI_VI_ROSI_PR4_PCN_BIX_Stores&refitem=170085636599&itemcount=4&refwidgetloc=closed_view_item&refwidgettype=osi_widget It seems pretty cheap even though it comes with a camera. Any opinions?
Thanks much
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Live free or die.
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RogerRabbit
Bans for Pleasure


Registered: 03/26/03
Posts: 42,214
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 1 year, 2 months
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A stereo microscope is not for looking at things on the cellular level. Consider it like having a super macro lense on a camera. The lense and the light source are on the same side of the object being viewed, so a stereo or a stereo zoom microscope sees the light that is reflected off the object. A zoom/stereo microscope is great for studying the gill structure of a mushroom, or looking at other objects such as jewelry or bugs.
A light microscope has the light on the opposite side of what you're viewing from the lense, so it shows you the light that is penetrating the object you're viewing. With a light microscope, you can view things at the cellular level. Take a scroll through my gallery and you'll see several pictures taken through each type. I would always suggest getting the best scope you can afford. It's no fun looking through shitty lenses or using a cheap light that won't focus on the object you're studying. RR
-------------------- Download Let's Grow Mushrooms semper in excretia sumus solim profundum variat "I've never had a failed experiment. I've only discovered 10,000 methods which do not work." Thomas Edison
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Meat_hod
sick shit



Registered: 09/27/05
Posts: 1,808
Last seen: 8 years, 1 month
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I bought an old Lumix microscope, all metal, goes upto 900x. It's great! it just has a mirror for a light source, but it's fine with an adjustable desk lamp or something.
it was 20$ from a used junk store.
best $20 i ever spent.
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Meat_hod
sick shit



Registered: 09/27/05
Posts: 1,808
Last seen: 8 years, 1 month
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Re: microscope [Re: Meat_hod]
#6692425 - 03/20/07 06:20 PM (17 years, 2 months ago) |
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I'll also note that with another external light, i can use it in the same way you could use a stereo microscope.
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