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We
encourage all of our visitors and members to contribute their knowledge
and experience to the betterment of our community. If you have any
special knowledge of a subject or have any special microscopy techniques
that you would like to share with our visitors and members, consider
submitting a short article. |
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Perhaps you've acquired a new peice of equipment and would like
to write a review for our membership. Read any good books about
microscopy lately? We'd be happy to publish your reviews. There
are no deadlines. Articles may be submitted for publication at any
time. Review the Submission
Guidelines. |
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The
Sphagnum Ponds of Simelried in Germany: A biodiversity Hot-Spot
for Microscopic Organisms....A book review by Steve Neeley.
While in pursuit of the identification for a strange
amoeba I stumbled upon, I subsequently stumbled across a review
of this fine booklet. I seem to stumble a lot. :) ...Read
more... |
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Simple
Discoveries...by
Tim Bolinger. The article regarding finding the amoeba
in Tom's wife's flowerpot prompted me to get busy and write about
my microscopy experience.A little less than two years ago my wife
and I acquired our first microscope, a B&L Stereo 4. The motive
was innocent enough...Read
more... |
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Videomicrography...by
Tom Webster. For a couple of years now I have been
shooting video clips of the organisms I have observed through the
microscope. I have modified a Logitech Zoom web camera to capture
video clips in either 640 x 480 pixel resolution or 320 x 240 pixel
resolution. As much as
I enjoy making still images through the microscope, video clips
allow me to watch the behavior of the organisms time and time again....Read
more... |
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Adapting
a Canon 300D (Digital Rebel) Camera for Photomicrography Through
a LOMO Multiscope Microscope...by
Ken Vernon. When
I received the Lomo Multiscope it came complete with a trinocular
photo-tube and a spacer attached. I attached the 300D to the photo-tube
using a Canon EOS T Mount made by Celestron. For my first attempts
at photomicrography with this setup I used a medical specimen slide...Read
more... |
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Electronic
Flash System for a Microscope...by Ron Neumeyer. Several
years ago I put together an electronic flash system for microscope
imaging using a Canon T90 film camera and its companion flash, the
TTL300. Keeping with current trends I switched over to digital about
2 years ago...Read
more... |
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Acanthamoeba,
A Short Study in its Pathogenicity...By
Ken Ramos. For
those of you who have read my previous article, "Beware the
Ides of Summer", you have no doubt come to the conclusion that
I am keenly interested in the hazards associated with amoeba that
pose the potential for serious infections in human beings.Most
often we associate amoeba with aquatic environments such as lakes,
ponds, streams, and rivers. Seldom do we give thought to the soil,
the dust...Read more... |
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Simple
Pleasures from a Flower Vase
by
Tom Webster. The other day I had a rare day off with
no pressing demands and decided to do a little hunting for amoebae.
I made the rounds of my three favorite ponds, sampling the waters
and the bottom sediments. Returning home I settled in with the sample
jars full of prospects and my microscope at the ready, looking forward
to an afternoon's leisurely hunt. Three hours and several sample
changes later my leisurely afternoon turned into an afternoon full
of frustration. Not an amoeba to be found! Read
more... |
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Create
Simple Image Frames with Photoshop 6.0...by
Tom Webster. Some
of the members of our forums and galleries have expressed an interest
as to how I produce my "fancy" frames around the images
I post. To perform all of my post-capture image editing, I use Photoshop
6.0. I
have simplified some steps to easily make simple but attractive
frames around my images. Read
more... |
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Beware
the Ides of Summer, Primary
Amebic Meningoencephalitis and Naegleria fowleri...by
Ken Ramos. There
are numerous pathogenic organisms in our environment no doubt and
some are more prolific and are noteworthy enough to be placed on
the evening news and be famed as the scourge of mankind, and rightly
so. However there is one small, seemingly insignificant organism
that crops up from time to time.
Read more... |
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Getting
Back to the Basics, Thoughts of Long Ago...by
Ken Ramos. The world was my laboratory and within
it lay many mysteries to be solved and the dreams of exploring these
new frontiers burned in a young boys mind. I wonder today what ever
happened to those dreams. Maybe a return to the basics would be
in order. Read more... |
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Color
Print Film for Photomicrography...by Tom Webster. One
of the sheer joys, to me, of owning a microscope is that I am capable
of sharing what I see with others through the use of photomicrography.
It is quite satisfying to acquire personal knowledge of a subject
or organism but it is much more satisfying when that knowledge can
be shared. Read more... |
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The
World's Best Microscope...by Tom Webster. I
recently purchased a different trinocular head for my venerable
old Nikon microscope. In the process of setting up the head I found
a number of issues that I could not seem to get resolved. In frustration,
I caught myself thinking, "Boy, if only I had a Zeiss (or Leitz,
or Wild, or Olympus...) I wouldn't be having these problems!"
Read more... |
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Crossed-Polarized
Crystal Photography...by Tom Websterxx
A four-part series of articles describing how Tom makes photomicrographs
of crossed-polarized crystals. |
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Modify
a Webcam for Videomicrography...By
Tom Webster This is a three-part series on how to shoot video clips
of "micro-critters" utilizing an inexpensive webcam. |
Part
I...Introduction
and a Layman's Explanation of the Physics
I have
viewed many wonderful sights through my microscope but few
sights have thrilled me more than viewing microscopic crystals
under crossed-polarized lighting. This is, in fact, one
of the easiest types of lighting to accomplish for an amateur
microscopist. Read
more... |
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Part
I: Introduction and Webcam Modifications
If ever a subject and a method of recording that subject
fit together like a hand in a glove, pond "micro-critters"
and videomicrography are an ideal fit. I receive an immense
amount of satisfaction from photomicrography and the still
images I create but I learn more about the pond "micro-critters"
and their behavior from videomicrography. Read
more... |
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Part
II...Equipment
Setup
If you have a spare few hundred dollars
to a spare few thousand dollars laying around you can purchase
some very fine polarizing microscopes. If, on the other hand,
you are as economically challenged as I am you can make your
current microscope into a limited polarizing microscope. Read
more... |
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Part
II: Webcam Modifications
The first order of business is to remove
the lens. Why? The CCD array is tiny, 1/3". This, in
itself, guarantees a high power at the plane of the CCD
array. Introducing an eyepiece as a relay lens serves only
to increase the magnification of the image. Read
more... |
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Part
III...Making
the Crystal Slides
Nothing
could be easier to create than crystals on a microscope slide.
Two methods may be used: 1) Allowing crystals to form from
a solution and 2) melting substances between a coverslip and
a microscope slide (a "melt"). Read
more... |
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Part
III: Image Capture and Post-Capture Processing
I
prefer to set the camera settings manually. Video clips
recorded at 640 x 480 pixels create large, bloated video
files at only 15 fps video rate. The video clips look much
better and the file sizes are much more manageable at 320
x 240 pixel resolution. Read
more... |
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Part
IV...Putting
It All Together
Once
I have the microscope set up and my crystals formed on microscope
slides I'm ready to make my images. Read
more... |
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Bdelloid
Rotifers: Female Filter Feeders...by
Tom Webster I was struggling with a bad case of "writer's
block" in my attempt to write this article. I finally decided,
"Oh to heck with it!" and went out to my birdbath to make
sure the drip system was still working. Just for the heck of it
I gathered a water sample from the birdbath. Read
more... |
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