Simple micro-photography with a low-cost digital camera

MDigital photomicrographs can easily be taken by using a microscope and a digital camera without any adapter. Sharpen the object in the microscope, select close-up mode of the camera to see the image on the LCD monitor, position the objective of the camera on top of the ocular of the microscope, and: click!

With a stereo microscope, you are able to even take 3D stereo images. Take photographs by the left and right ocular, put them together in your computer, and, by using stereo glasses, you can view the 3D image on the screen or on a print.

As examples, two photomicrographs are shown below, which have been taken with a 300 Euro digital camera.

Image 1:

Polarization microscope, thin-section photomicrograph, crossed nicols: a strongly shocked quartz grain displaying diaplectic glass and PDFs. Rubielos de Cérida impact structure (Spain). Image diameter 700 µm

Image 2

Low-magnification binocular microscope. Stereo image of silicate impact glass. Rubielos de la Cérida impact structure (Spain). The field is 8 mm wide.