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dino-lite digital microscopes?
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Author:  cascaillou [ Sun Jan 08, 2012 11:09 am ]
Post subject:  dino-lite digital microscopes?

among their many models, here are some of the high resolution long working distance models:

http://www.dino-lite.com/products_resul ... tance=Long

note that some models feature polarization and UV leds

here are the accessories that are available for these scopes:
http://www.dino-lite.com/products_resul ... _distance=

and here are some demo pics: http://www.dino-lite.com/microscopy_list.php


Anyone has experience with these? what's your opinion concerning gemological use for these (observation of inclusions in gemstones)?

Author:  G4Lab [ Sun Jan 08, 2012 2:46 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

http://www.thelittlecameras.com/
Wayne Emery sellls these for jewelry and gemological use. He has tested lots of these cameras and says these are very good.

All other things being equal I would recommend buying them from Wayne. Very smart guy who has been in the industry forever. Knows exactly what you want to do with them.

Even if his price was a few bucks more I would buy from him just to get some access to his brain.

Author:  ROGER DERY [ Sun Jan 08, 2012 4:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

G4Lab wrote:
http://www.thelittlecameras.com/
Even if his price was a few bucks more I would buy from him just to get some access to his brain.
Amen to that.

Author:  cascaillou [ Sun Jan 08, 2012 9:48 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

for gem purposes, arn't the long working distance models preferable to the normal working distance models?

Author:  G4Lab [ Mon Jan 09, 2012 6:10 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

I have not played with these at all. Whatever Wayne proposes is very likely correct and well thought out. Ask him.

Author:  cascaillou [ Tue Jan 10, 2012 9:41 am ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

ok. thank you

Author:  path914 [ Wed Jan 11, 2012 11:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

I have one from Wayne and although it is convenient and works well when set up correctly, it only focuses by distance to the object or by magnification. It can be tricky to get decent shots imho.

If you are purchasing for your own use and research, then they are wonderful. If you are thinking about using for sales or customer images, i think that there are better options.

Author:  Swishman [ Sat Jan 14, 2012 1:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

path914 wrote:
I have one from Wayne and although it is convenient and works well when set up correctly, it only focuses by distance to the object or by magnification. It can be tricky to get decent shots imho.

If you are purchasing for your own use and research, then they are wonderful. If you are thinking about using for sales or customer images, i think that there are better options.

I concur. Personally I think even for personal use and research much more flexible and better equipment can be had for same or lesser cost than any of these type gadgets. They are good for showing customers things like repairs that maybe needed or the like. Decent for field work. But the really cheap $50 ones work for this as well.

I just feel they're far too limited for real beneficial use.

Gemstones and jewelry photography is better done with a Panasonic LX3 or LX5 + Raynor add-on macro lenses, all of which can be had for same or less money and offer a lot more features, flexibility, and better image quality as well. With cropping they can even do decent shots of inclusions too with the MSN-202 or 505 Raynox lenses.

A digiscoping adapter + P&S camera with your existing microscope works for micrographs as well much better.

Author:  cascaillou [ Tue Jan 17, 2012 4:08 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

I just bought the device Swishman suggested: an universal digital camera adapter. To fit my Gemoro 1030PM microscope.

Here is the adapter:
http://www.maison-astronomie.com/astrop ... -2046.html

It's cheap and easy to use.

Here's a labradorite inclusions picture (45x magnification) I just took using the digiscope adapter:

Image

Author:  Barbara O. Ellis [ Tue Jan 17, 2012 6:40 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

Wow! That might even be within my price range :o . How many U.S dollars is 45 Euros? :-k

Would this fit on my Leica S6E? Does it come with Instructions for Dummies? :P

Author:  ROM [ Tue Jan 17, 2012 7:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

Barbara O. Ellis, GG wrote:
Wow! That might even be within my price range :o . How many U.S dollars is 45 Euros? :-k

I can't help you with your other questions but I think this is the same item sold in the U.S. for a penny under 50 bucks with free shipping (if you're not in a big rush): http://www.adorama.com/VORDAS.html

I'm thinking about buying one of these as well. Cascaillou, is it possible for you to post an image of the adaptor and camera attached to your microscope? Thanks in advance.

Author:  cascaillou [ Tue Jan 17, 2012 8:12 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

well to take a pic of my camera would require another camera (if I can find one I'll post a few pics).

However, the link I provided shows the adapter and camera fitted on some kind of telescope, it fits my microscope occular exactly in the same way (the only difference is that the occulars of my microscope are a bit more vertical angled than the one of the telescope shown in these pics, but that still works just fine)

to barbara: universal adaptors should fit most scopes, just check the occular diameter range the adaptor can fit (the one I have fits any occulars from 28mm to 45mm diameter, and the occular tube needs to be at least 3cm long)

The main issue with such setting is that all you get on your camera screen is a tiny circular image (2cm diameter) in the middle of a black screen (note that the camera zoom was of no help here). That means that you cannot see what the camera will be picturing just from looking at the camera screen.
This is a problem to centre and focus your pictures, unless your camera can take pictures while being connected to a large screen displaying what it sees.
So I did set the diopter ring of the scope left occular to show roughly the same as the right occular, then setted the adaptor+cam on the right occular, which still allow me to look through the left one to get an idea of what the camera will be picturing.

about camera settings: no zooming, flash off, macro mode on, timer on with a delay of 2seconds. I always take many pics, as I know that many will be blurry or uncentered. Not so easy. I guess with some practice I will get used to it.

here's what a pic looks like (before I modify it using windows pic editing tools):

Image

ps: note that I used to take similar pics just by holding my camera right against the microscope occular, but using a digiscope adaptor makes things more stable and more comfortable.

Author:  Barbara O. Ellis [ Tue Jan 17, 2012 11:35 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

Thanks, guys! I do believe these are both the same item. Okay, so it will fit on my microscope, now I wonder whether it would work with my camera :lol: . The ad says for point-and-shoot cameras ... mine is a Canon PowerShot A640. When it is first powered on the lens telescopes out from the body (it is a 4x zoom lens). Anyone know about these and if it would work with the adapter??

Author:  drsue [ Wed Jan 18, 2012 7:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

ROM wrote:
Cascaillou, is it possible for you to post an image of the adaptor and camera attached to your microscope? Thanks in advance.

If you check the manufacturers website, they have a picture...
http://www.vortexoptics.com/product/vor ... ra-adapter
It is in the alternate views in the box on the upper right.

Sue

Author:  cascaillou [ Wed Jan 18, 2012 8:23 am ]
Post subject:  Re: dino-lite digital microscopes?

barbara, what I use is the same kind of camera (with telescoping objective) and the adapter fits it fine (the adapter is made so you can move the camera back and forth over a few centimeters so the camera objective can be stuck right against the microscope occular)

As I said, the main issue with this setting is to see what the camera sees.
I suggest that before buying an adapter, you try the following:
place a stone under the scope and focus on some inclusions within the stone, then stick your cam objective right against your microscope occular (holding the cam with your hands), you'll notive that you can't really see anything on your camera screen (the displayed image being to small for you eyes to see any details of what the camera actually sees). Then take a pic (try to move as little as possible, keeping the cam stuck to the occular), and then link the cam to your computer to see the pic you've been taking: you'll get something similar to the last pic I posted, meaning a black field with a tiny circular image of the stone at the center (which will need to be enlarged for better understanding, which can be done using windows pic viewing tools). Of course, enlarging a pic means you're loosing resolution.

Things will be exactly the same when using the adapter, but instead of holding the camera with your hands, the adapter does it for you.

I wonder if there are any lenses that could be added to the digital camera so to solve this problem, allowing the cam to take a "full pic" instead of picturing the inner surface of the occular cylinder as a black field with a tiny circular image in the center. Is that what you call a "macro lense" swishman ?
(my camera does feature a threaded ring around the objective allowing to attach some kind of adaptor for special filters, maybe I could attach a macro lense here)

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