I'll just put out this shameless plug for my colleague Nathan Renfro's recent article in Gems & Gemology about digital photomicrography:

http://www.gia.edu/gems-gemology/summer-2015-digital-photomicrography-gemologists

It's geared more for gemological work, but it does have some information on digital cameras and how to properly adapt a camera to your scope.

It's got some pretty pictures in there too, so it's worth a look.

Aaron

Aaron Palke
R.T. Liddicoat Postdoctoral Research Associate
Gemological Institute of America
5355 Armada Dr.
Carlsbad, CA 92008
918-510-0346

From: msa-talk-bounces@minlists.org [mailto:msa-talk-bounces@minlists.org] On Behalf Of Matthew Brueseke
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2016 12:31 PM
To: msa-talk@minlists.org
Subject: Re: [MSA-talk] Digital microscope cameras

Hi all,

Some of my students and I presented a poster at GSA two years ago on using cell phone cameras in mineralogy/petrology lab classes (see here:  https://gsa.confex.com/gsa/2013AM/webprogram/Paper224686.html). The platforms Kristin suggested would have been great for this.  At the time, one of the issues we faced (which might still be one) is that not every student has a smartphone with a decent camera/software to download the images (other info/feedback are found in the abstract). I've got a SPOT scope on my research microscope which works well. However, it cost ~$3K and if I was doing it again, I'd go with a DSLR set-up like what others have discussed.

Cheers,

Matt

Dr. Matthew E. Brueseke
Associate Professor
Department of Geology, 108 Thompson Hall
Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS 66506
Ph: 785-532-1908
http://www-personal.ksu.edu/~brueseke

After seeing the Martin Microscope display at GSA in Baltimore, I bought a medium-sized HDMI flat screen TV and connected it to the HDMI output of my Canon Eos 7D Mk II DSLR.  This is so much better than the USB output from our dedicated, $X000  microscope camera with USB output.  And with the adapter on the DSLR, I can grab a still photo if I want as well.  But the HDMI output has much greater tonal range in both PPL and XN illumination on the scope, and the color is great.  I'm thinking of getting another dedicated microscope camera, but it will need to have HDMI output.

Disclaimer-I have no connection with Martin Microscopes.  I was just impressed with their display and they gave me some good ideas to try.

Jim
Dr. James B. Murowchick
Associate Professor, Geochemistry & Mineralogy
Principal Graduate Advisor & IPhD Coordinator, Geosciences
Department of Geosciences
University of Missouri-Kansas City
420 Flarsheim Hall
5110 Rockhill Road
Kansas City, MO  64110
Office: 816 235-2979
Department Office: 816 235-1334
Fax: 816 235-5535
murowchickj@umkc.edu

From: msa-talk-bounces@minlists.org [mailto:msa-talk-bounces@minlists.org] On Behalf Of Spear Frank
Sent: Wednesday, January 27, 2016 11:33 AM
To: msa-talk@minlists.org
Subject: [MSA-talk] Digital microscope cameras

Hi all -

Does anyone have any experience with inexpensive digital microscope cameras? I see a range of products on Amazon by OMAX that sound like they would do the job in a teaching lab.
URL=
http://www.amazon.com/OMAX-Microscope-Advanced-Calibration-Compatible/dp/B00FG89CFK/ref=pd_sbs_328_5?ie=UTF8&dpID=41OH01vbBvL&dpSrc=sims&preST=AC_UL160_SR160%2C160&refRID=1577EZVNWRWPCEZQ5X6E

Thanks for any input.

Best regards,

Frank

Frank S. Spear
Professor and Head
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, JRSC 1W19
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
110 8th Street, Troy, NY 12180-3590
Phone (Office) 518-276-6103
(Lab)    518-276-4899
(Fax)    518-276-2012
http://ees2.geo.rpi.edu/spear/spear.html
http://MetPetDB.rpi.edu

Hi All,

I guess i should send a link to a video I made in 2010 showing how to use iPhone cameras to acquire micrographs via normal microscopes.  This was for a software that I wrote at the time which would do the scale bar automatically.  Since then, I got swept up in planetary science and am not maintaining the software, and it no longer available.  (If someone wanted to pick up the project I’d be happy to send them the source code, though it is kind of trivial to program.)

Anyway, folks still find the video useful as a demonstration for how to line the camera up with the eyepiece, so here goes:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4YMxlfBh10

Cheers,

Zack