FW: digital microscopy

[Steve at]

For adaptors to attach CoolPix cameras (and a few other brands) to
microscopes as well as closeup lenses have a look at
http://www.rosensaft.com/ezra/cp_lenses.htm - especially down towards the
bottom of the page.  The LM Scope attachments are top-quality but expensive
(and their web sites seems to come and go - a bit of a worry).

This page has links to all sorts of great stuff that will do the trick, no
problem.  From our experience we get essentially identical results using a
sub-$1000 CoolPix as we do with a over-$10,000 digital microscope camera
when used with the same microscope and lighting (the lighting being by far
the most important component).

Another place to check is
http://www.marksimmons.org/closeup/adapter/adapter.html.  Again, works
great.

The biggest problem with point-and-shoot digital cameras compared to
microscope-mounted cameras is handling and processing time.  With
point-and-shoot you need to transfer the pictures from the camera to the
computer as a separate step and you are limited to previewing using the
small on-camera screen.  With the more expensive cameras you can preview on
your HUGE computer monitor and capture images directly.  No big deal, but
does add to the time.

Steve Shattuck
CSIRO Entomology
steve.shattuck at csiro.au