Photomicroscopy

[SamHH]

Hi,

I want to be able to take photos with an Olympus microscope. It has attached to it a ColorView 8 camera (see images). From a bit of Googling, it seems it was made by a company called Soft Imaging Systems GmbH, which has since been acquired by Olympus, but I can't find any information about the camera on the Olympus website or anywhere else. Presumably it works by plugging it into a computer and using software to operate it? Any ideas where I could find this software?

Alternatively, can I attach an ordinary digital camera? The ColorView camera is attached via U-TV1X-2 and U-CMAD3 adapters, which I understand have a C mount. Can I attach a Micro Four Thirds or Nikon F mount camera via an adapter?

 

[PhilH04]

Presumably it works by plugging it into a computer and using software to operate it? Any ideas where I could find this software?

Yes, however I am guessing that the CCD imager is now obsolete, plus it looks as if you have a firewire interface. The resolution will also be pretty small, dedicated CCD imagers often were.

Alternatively, can I attach an ordinary digital camera? The ColorView camera is attached via U-TV1X-2 and U-CMAD3 adapters, which I understand have a C mount. Can I attach a Micro Four Thirds or Nikon F mount camera via an adapter?

The good news is yes, however you will need to speak to a specialist in order to obtain the correct adapters etc.

 

[Snapsh0t]

If it is C mount then adapters to Nikon or m43 are under a tenner on eBay. You should be able to unscrew the camera and screw on the adapter.

 

[Retune]

Perhaps the existing adapters have optics that are only designed to project an image on to a small video camera CCD? In that case, although adding a simple C-mount adapter may work, you might end up using only the centre of a dSLR or mirrorless sensor. What is the microscope model? Back in the day, Olympus also made microscope adapters designed to give full-frame images with their 35mm cameras, which would presumably be easy to adapt to a modern large-sensor digital camera. I once adapted a Zeiss microscope that had originally shipped with a Contax film SLR to EOS digital - it turned out the camera port (which obviously had appropriate optics to cover 35mm full frame) was just fitted with a Contax T-mount, which was very easily replaced with an EOS T-mount, but things may not be as simple in this case.

 

[LongLensPhotography]

Yes, however I am guessing that the CCD imager is now obsolete, plus it looks as if you have a firewire interface. The resolution will also be pretty small, dedicated CCD imagers often were.

The good news is yes, however you will need to speak to a specialist in order to obtain the correct adapters etc.

I've used similar one a decade ago. It looked really awful even back then. I'd go the adaptation route 100%.

Perhaps the existing adapters have optics that are only designed to project an image on to a small video camera CCD? In that case, although adding a simple C-mount adapter may work, you might end up using only the centre of a dSLR or mirrorless sensor. What is the microscope model? Back in the day, Olympus also made microscope adapters designed to give full-frame images with their 35mm cameras, which would presumably be easy to adapt to a modern large-sensor digital camera. I once adapted a Zeiss microscope that had originally shipped with a Contax film SLR to EOS digital - it turned out the camera port (which obviously had appropriate optics to cover 35mm full frame) was just fitted with a Contax T-mount, which was very easily replaced with an EOS T-mount, but things may not be as simple in this case.

You should be able to tell this with a piece of paper and bright light on the sample desk in a dark room.

If it is indeed really small how about adapting Nikon 1 series or something along those lines to keep it simple. It will be night and day better.

 

[Cuchulainn]

You can get a modern version of the camera from here: http://www.brunelmicroscopes.co.uk/digitalmicroscopyl.html

Your adapter means that you have a cmount compatible setup for your microscope. This is still a really common mount for current microscopes (I have 4 cmount cameras currently attached to my custom designed microscope at work). We're using one of the Brunel cameras at the moment and the limit is the microscope, not the camera.

 

[SamHH]

Thanks for all the replies. I have taken a punt on a Micro Four Thirds adapter. I'll report back how it turns out.