Allan, another in a series of fantastic educational videos. My mind is a sponge that soaks in what I have learned as I watch each one. If you have not done a segment on preserving specimens, I would truly enjoy watching it for I follow your videos on cleaning and preparing them. Thanks for all that you do.
I did a few but it has been months ago - but I have changed up a few of my practices so it is time for a recap and I do have some cleaning and posing technique videos coming out soon. Thanks for the kind words!
If I'm not mistaken, you could use a Raynox 250 simply by altering the 'bellows' distance (that between sensor plane and lens) to 125mm. The focal length of a Raynox 250 setup is calculated by dividing 1000 by the 250's dioptre of 8 - whereas the DCR 150 has a dioptre of 4.8, giving a tube lens focal length of 208.33mm (as demonstrated by Allan).
Thanks for the very comprehensive video. Two questions: what is the 4-axis stage you're using, and why is this setup -- with all of its extra equipment/adapter requirements -- any better than using the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5x-5x or Canon f/2.8 65mm 1x-5x MP-E, which would either mount natively (depending on your body of choice) or require only a single, inexpensive adapter?
So, I guess I'm a bit addicted to this channel now. I can't quit you Allan!! ...ahem. Not like that. Anyway, I'm having trouble finding the 42 to 43mm adapter ring. Where can I find one of those?
Thank you for your expert advice in setting up this combination of lenses. Without the information you share, I would most likely be exponentially down the learning curve. The information for me is invaluable and I am grateful for the time you spend educating the rest of us. I was wondering if you have tried longer infinity spaces and what effect might this have on image quality? On one of the previous videos on lighting, I noticed you were using the 14 mm light spreader built-in to the flash. The flash can be adjusted for different focal lengths and I was wondering if you had experimented with this option? Some describe better results using a short focal length of 144mm for the Raynox with less chromatic aberration. I have not tried it yet but wondered if you have? Thank you fo all that you do.
Thanks Bud, I am grateful for your support. Yes, yes, and yes. The amount of infinity space should have no effect on image quality but it does reduce the field of field quite rapidly. This particular system will let you get away with almost 80mm on APSC, but there is really no reason to push it, unless you are having contrast issues de to internal reflection. I use 30mm and it seems like the sweet spot to me. I am getting ready to do a video on the ways I use diffusion, reflection and the built in spreaders of speedlights. I do actively use the feature when I shoot with flash and I have more than a few keepers that were a direct result of using some creative drop off to add interest. I have used the short-focus technique from time to time and have never been really excited by the results. I'm not sure how anyone can claim to get less CA than this setup at 200mm, because there is none. We call it short focus but it is no different than using a 100mm relay lens to get 5X out of a 10x objective. But the fact remains that the chromatic and geometric corrections of the objective are designed around the expectation that the lens will be used in the configuration of its intended microscope. Focusing beyond infinity at 144mm will reduce magnification to about 4:1 but I have never been able to appreciate any increase in image quality. It also bothers me that I have no idea what process resulted in 144mm. At least if I knew where the number came from I'd have something to explain the apparent phenomenon.
Thanks Allan, I appreciate the info. Can’t wait for the next Episode. Playing with flashes and light modifiers as you choreograph your models may redefine “Tripping the Light fantastic”. Maybe they will do a movie about you perhaps titled “Dances with Bugs”! I hope you will address your experience with the zoom feature on the flashes and do you prefer the pull out 14mm “light spreader”?
@@BudPerrott I am thinking that there is enough for a short video on the "flash zoom in macro" topic. It raises a lot of interesting ideas we don't get to talk about much.
Always love your content and attention to detail, Allan. Just started he video, but am itching to ask a question right off the bat. Forgive me if you’ve answered it later on. Why is using a Raynox as a tube/relay lens the preferred method of adapting the objective? I’ve tried this but I prefer to go use my Canon 70-200 f4. Easy-peasy. No faffing around with tubes and adaptors and calculating the proper tube length etc. I use 2 step rings to adapt to the Canon and that’s it. In addition there is no need for flocking. I’ve tried the Raynox and tubes but had a lot of reflection and light leaks. Just wondering why this wouldn’t actually be more complex…
Thanks and this is a common question. A lot of people have your experience but when I look at every setup and how it works under a wide variety of subject types, lighting schemes, and sensor types, the more traditional tube lens always come out the winner in terms of adaptability, flexibility, and image quality. Of course this is rather subjective, and most of the time you can get very close results with a good 200mm lens, set up correctly. It is for those other, difficult subjects or lighting conditions that the ability to adjust the tube length or reverse the tube lens really shines. I would tell you to shoot with the setup you are most confident in, but learn the basics for the the other configurations and practice them occasionally in case you end up needing them in the future. Thanks for a great question!
Good question, I was concerned about how far right the green and red channels were. I try to expose well to the left with setups like this. The reason is that clipped highlights are impossible to work with but you can get away with losing a little detail in the shadows. The second histogram shoed all the channels shifted to the left after pulling the lights back a little. The perfect histogram would depend on the photograph, of course, but a nice gentle bell curve between the black point and halfway from mid point to white point on the right would be ideal.
Yes - just an F-mount lens cap - whatever make extension tube/bellow you get, just leave the adapter on the Raynox and cover with regular lens cap for your brand.
Allan, you also have a video showing a setup with this same Mitutoyo 5x objective with a 200mm lens instead of the Raynox. Does one setup get better results than the other?
It depends on the lens, to some degree. But you will never go wrong with the Raynox. I did that video as a way for new 5X owners to get it on the camera immediately and it is a pretty good way to use the objective, but there are some cheap 200mm lenses that do a better job than others. Rule of thumb, use a dedicated fixed focal length tube lens. You can always add an aperture later if you decide you want one.
@@AllanWallsPhotography The way to adapt the (Mitutoyo, microscope objective) on a AF lens and not on the Raynox allows me to use the camera focus bracketing function! Thats an amazing way on the field, at least for me... I also play with the idea to pair the mitutoyo 5x with my Canon 180mm f/3.5 macro lens! I hope that works...
Thank you ! I have never received a compliment on my thumbnails before - but I do appreciate it as they sometimes take a lot of work. The fonts I use for the title are usually Bodoni Small Caps to which I add a chiseled emboss effect, slight complimentary inner glow and slight neutral outer glow. The secondary titles either use the Bodoni Small Cap, or occasionally the Bodoni Old Style. I use American typewriter for additional text and Roboto condensed for my name. I think that is everything, though I do change it up from time to time. Hope that is helpful, and thanks again!
@@AllanWallsPhotography I really appreciate the comprehensive answer! Wonderfully designed indeed, one of the best thumbnail styles I have seen on TH-cam!
Hey Allan, I was wondering whether you would actually compromise the stability of your wooden platform by attaching the clamps right on it. Any vibrations picked up by the table are transmitted to the arms which then takes much longer to settle as the weight (i.e. flash) is placed at the end of the long arms. To remedy this issue, use a much heavier desk to start off with and/or mount the flas guns seperately on floor stands or similar.
The table it is on weighs over 250lbs, is on the only solid floor in the house and the wooden base layer is mounted on anti-vibration pads at 6 points. This is a temporary stop gap shooting space while a more permanent mount is being constructed, but it is very stable.
I'm doing the same workflow and having almost the same setup as you're showing in this video. And I'm using also the (white) flag's from foam with the "bending arms" as you showed several times in other video's. Can it be that those flag's have a negative (over) reflecting effect on the objective and/or the specimen? Sometimes I get the impression they have a bad result on the shoot. Is that possible or am I doing something wrong?
Hi Kees, Whether I use reflector panels to bounce flash into difficult spots or black flags to accentuate shadows, I always get a test shot before and after adding, moving or removing any lighting element. If you are picking up unwanted color, which is easy to do, you will know exactly where and when it happens.
Nowadays, with some dslr cameras you no longer need to use MLU, if you shoot in live view and camera has efcs electronic first curtin shutter this is right ????
Yes indeed, there are a number of options with the better DSLRs but I don't like to keep live view active during the sequence and am in no hurry, as I allow long flash recycling times to avoid dropped flashes. But you certainly could.
I wondered the same thing, but under the microscope it turned out to be evisceration due to putrefaction and gaseous distention. This happens when I leave a specimen out of preservative for too long. It is amazing how quickly the smallest insects decompose. I have seen obvious bloat between the first and last shots in a sequence. Distasteful, but important to consider with tiny specimens.
@@AllanWallsPhotography Consider exposing the insects to chlorine dioxide gas, to neutralize the bacteria and yeast that are present in the insect. Chlorine dioxide will oxidize ad 0.95 volts oxidization potential in body fluids, which is well above oxygen potential in body fluids of O2 which 0.77 volts, O2 in free air oxidizes at 1.28v, but that is no benefit to neutralizing bacteria and yeast in the body of the insect as O2 is no longer a free gas when it is absorbed into the tissues or the insect. Adding CL02 to the gas in the jar used to collect the insect will allow the CLO2 to be respired by the insect, and may be sufficient exposure to neutralize the petrification process long enough to obtain excellent micro photography results. (copy paste and remove ALL capitol "X" in the following) wwXw.mmXsinfo.oXrgX/miscX/Oxidation_PoteXntial_of_Oxygen_and_ChloriXne_DioxidXe_T.Horky_2014.pdXf The mmXs.info.oXrg web pages fully explains the process of CLO2.
Everything you need all in one place! I’m a newbie but have done astrophotography and stereo photography so much is familiar. ❤❤❤❤❤❤
I absolutely love your sense of humor lol
I'm nowhere near your level, but thank you for the wonderful knowledge & inspiration.
You are a lot closer to my level than you think!
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, and your great sense of humour 👍
This is one of your BEST videos, and the thorough notes are great for reference. Keep up the great work!
Thank you! Will do.
Nice video again Allan!!! Top! Keep them making....
Allan, another in a series of fantastic educational videos. My mind is a sponge that soaks in what I have learned as I watch each one. If you have not done a segment on preserving specimens, I would truly enjoy watching it for I follow your videos on cleaning and preparing them. Thanks for all that you do.
I did a few but it has been months ago - but I have changed up a few of my practices so it is time for a recap and I do have some cleaning and posing technique videos coming out soon. Thanks for the kind words!
Awesome information, Allan. Thank you for sharing.
Cheers Carl - hope you are doing well!
Very nice video, thank you. I have Raynox 250 can I use that with Mitutoyo ?
If I'm not mistaken, you could use a Raynox 250 simply by altering the 'bellows' distance (that between sensor plane and lens) to 125mm. The focal length of a Raynox 250 setup is calculated by dividing 1000 by the 250's dioptre of 8 - whereas the DCR 150 has a dioptre of 4.8, giving a tube lens focal length of 208.33mm (as demonstrated by Allan).
glad you posted this. hope to get the M5 soon.
Thanks for the very comprehensive video. Two questions: what is the 4-axis stage you're using, and why is this setup -- with all of its extra equipment/adapter requirements -- any better than using the Laowa 25mm f/2.8 2.5x-5x or Canon f/2.8 65mm 1x-5x MP-E, which would either mount natively (depending on your body of choice) or require only a single, inexpensive adapter?
So, I guess I'm a bit addicted to this channel now. I can't quit you Allan!! ...ahem. Not like that. Anyway, I'm having trouble finding the 42 to 43mm adapter ring. Where can I find one of those?
46:53 - Yo? Ey up, lad! 👀
[I get a flat-cap Fred Dibnah vibe from the image...]
I couldn't think what it reminded me of, but all my favorites have that effect on me. It's just one of the reasons people think I'm bonkers.
Thank you for your expert advice in setting up this combination of lenses. Without the information you share, I would most likely be exponentially down the learning curve. The information for me is invaluable and I am grateful for the time you spend educating the rest of us. I was wondering if you have tried longer infinity spaces and what effect might this have on image quality? On one of the previous videos on lighting, I noticed you were using the 14 mm light spreader built-in to the flash. The flash can be adjusted for different focal lengths and I was wondering if you had experimented with this option? Some describe better results using a short focal length of 144mm for the Raynox with less chromatic aberration. I have not tried it yet but wondered if you have? Thank you fo all that you do.
Thanks Bud, I am grateful for your support. Yes, yes, and yes. The amount of infinity space should have no effect on image quality but it does reduce the field of field quite rapidly. This particular system will let you get away with almost 80mm on APSC, but there is really no reason to push it, unless you are having contrast issues de to internal reflection. I use 30mm and it seems like the sweet spot to me. I am getting ready to do a video on the ways I use diffusion, reflection and the built in spreaders of speedlights. I do actively use the feature when I shoot with flash and I have more than a few keepers that were a direct result of using some creative drop off to add interest.
I have used the short-focus technique from time to time and have never been really excited by the results. I'm not sure how anyone can claim to get less CA than this setup at 200mm, because there is none. We call it short focus but it is no different than using a 100mm relay lens to get 5X out of a 10x objective. But the fact remains that the chromatic and geometric corrections of the objective are designed around the expectation that the lens will be used in the configuration of its intended microscope. Focusing beyond infinity at 144mm will reduce magnification to about 4:1 but I have never been able to appreciate any increase in image quality. It also bothers me that I have no idea what process resulted in 144mm. At least if I knew where the number came from I'd have something to explain the apparent phenomenon.
Thanks Allan, I appreciate the info. Can’t wait for the next Episode. Playing with flashes and light modifiers as you choreograph your models may redefine “Tripping the Light fantastic”. Maybe they will do a movie about you perhaps titled “Dances with Bugs”!
I hope you will address your experience with the zoom feature on the flashes and do you prefer the pull out 14mm “light spreader”?
@@BudPerrott I am thinking that there is enough for a short video on the "flash zoom in macro" topic. It raises a lot of interesting ideas we don't get to talk about much.
Always love your content and attention to detail, Allan. Just started he video, but am itching to ask a question right off the bat. Forgive me if you’ve answered it later on. Why is using a Raynox as a tube/relay lens the preferred method of adapting the objective? I’ve tried this but I prefer to go use my Canon 70-200 f4. Easy-peasy. No faffing around with tubes and adaptors and calculating the proper tube length etc. I use 2 step rings to adapt to the Canon and that’s it. In addition there is no need for flocking. I’ve tried the Raynox and tubes but had a lot of reflection and light leaks. Just wondering why this wouldn’t actually be more complex…
Thanks and this is a common question. A lot of people have your experience but when I look at every setup and how it works under a wide variety of subject types, lighting schemes, and sensor types, the more traditional tube lens always come out the winner in terms of adaptability, flexibility, and image quality. Of course this is rather subjective, and most of the time you can get very close results with a good 200mm lens, set up correctly. It is for those other, difficult subjects or lighting conditions that the ability to adjust the tube length or reverse the tube lens really shines. I would tell you to shoot with the setup you are most confident in, but learn the basics for the the other configurations and practice them occasionally in case you end up needing them in the future. Thanks for a great question!
Why is that last histogram better than that first histogram (at 48:30 min and that at 50 min)? How should it look like then if/with a perfect "shot"?
Good question, I was concerned about how far right the green and red channels were. I try to expose well to the left with setups like this. The reason is that clipped highlights are impossible to work with but you can get away with losing a little detail in the shadows. The second histogram shoed all the channels shifted to the left after pulling the lights back a little. The perfect histogram would depend on the photograph, of course, but a nice gentle bell curve between the black point and halfway from mid point to white point on the right would be ideal.
What was that cap you put on the back of the raynox at 31:18? I'm still using the dinky plastic cap it came with. Is that just any old lens cap?
Yes - just an F-mount lens cap - whatever make extension tube/bellow you get, just leave the adapter on the Raynox and cover with regular lens cap for your brand.
Allan, you also have a video showing a setup with this same Mitutoyo 5x objective with a 200mm lens instead of the Raynox. Does one setup get better results than the other?
It depends on the lens, to some degree. But you will never go wrong with the Raynox. I did that video as a way for new 5X owners to get it on the camera immediately and it is a pretty good way to use the objective, but there are some cheap 200mm lenses that do a better job than others. Rule of thumb, use a dedicated fixed focal length tube lens. You can always add an aperture later if you decide you want one.
@@AllanWallsPhotography The way to adapt the (Mitutoyo, microscope objective) on a AF lens and not on the Raynox allows me to use the camera focus bracketing function! Thats an amazing way on the field, at least for me... I also play with the idea to pair the mitutoyo 5x with my Canon 180mm f/3.5 macro lens! I hope that works...
which bellows do you use please Allan?
The incomparable Nikon PB-6. The best bellows you can buy (usually around $200 for mint condition set on eBay)!
How much Does the NA matter on the Mitutoyo objectives. I have seen dem with 0.42 and 0.28. What's the difference?
Great content, Allan! May I ask what font do you use for the thumbnails, it is fantastic!
Thank you ! I have never received a compliment on my thumbnails before - but I do appreciate it as they sometimes take a lot of work. The fonts I use for the title are usually Bodoni Small Caps to which I add a chiseled emboss effect, slight complimentary inner glow and slight neutral outer glow. The secondary titles either use the Bodoni Small Cap, or occasionally the Bodoni Old Style. I use American typewriter for additional text and Roboto condensed for my name. I think that is everything, though I do change it up from time to time. Hope that is helpful, and thanks again!
@@AllanWallsPhotography I really appreciate the comprehensive answer! Wonderfully designed indeed, one of the best thumbnail styles I have seen on TH-cam!
Why does it syay f=200 on the Mitutoyo objective if it's an infinity corrected lens?
Would this exact setup also work with a 10x and a 20x mitutoyo lense?
Yes it does
Thank you!!!
Hey Allan, I was wondering whether you would actually compromise the stability of your wooden platform by attaching the clamps right on it. Any vibrations picked up by the table are transmitted to the arms which then takes much longer to settle as the weight (i.e. flash) is placed at the end of the long arms. To remedy this issue, use a much heavier desk to start off with and/or mount the flas guns seperately on floor stands or similar.
The table it is on weighs over 250lbs, is on the only solid floor in the house and the wooden base layer is mounted on anti-vibration pads at 6 points. This is a temporary stop gap shooting space while a more permanent mount is being constructed, but it is very stable.
Links to triggers don't work.... :) And why is that second better?
I'm doing the same workflow and having almost the same setup as you're showing in this video. And I'm using also the (white) flag's from foam with the "bending arms" as you showed several times in other video's. Can it be that those flag's have a negative (over) reflecting effect on the objective and/or the specimen? Sometimes I get the impression they have a bad result on the shoot. Is that possible or am I doing something wrong?
Hi Kees, Whether I use reflector panels to bounce flash into difficult spots or black flags to accentuate shadows, I always get a test shot before and after adding, moving or removing any lighting element. If you are picking up unwanted color, which is easy to do, you will know exactly where and when it happens.
Nowadays, with some dslr cameras you no longer need to use MLU, if you
shoot in live view and camera has efcs electronic first curtin shutter this is right ????
Yes indeed, there are a number of options with the better DSLRs but I don't like to keep live view active during the sequence and am in no hurry, as I allow long flash recycling times to avoid dropped flashes. But you certainly could.
big like
I love getting two birds stoned at once LOL
23:29 I suspect the weevil might be a male...
I wondered the same thing, but under the microscope it turned out to be evisceration due to putrefaction and gaseous distention. This happens when I leave a specimen out of preservative for too long. It is amazing how quickly the smallest insects decompose. I have seen obvious bloat between the first and last shots in a sequence. Distasteful, but important to consider with tiny specimens.
@@AllanWallsPhotography Consider exposing the insects to chlorine dioxide gas, to neutralize the bacteria and yeast that are present in the insect. Chlorine dioxide will oxidize ad 0.95 volts oxidization potential in body fluids, which is well above oxygen potential in body fluids of O2 which 0.77 volts, O2 in free air oxidizes at 1.28v, but that is no benefit to neutralizing bacteria and yeast in the body of the insect as O2 is no longer a free gas when it is absorbed into the tissues or the insect. Adding CL02 to the gas in the jar used to collect the insect will allow the CLO2 to be respired by the insect, and may be sufficient exposure to neutralize the petrification process long enough to obtain excellent micro photography results. (copy paste and remove ALL capitol "X" in the following) wwXw.mmXsinfo.oXrgX/miscX/Oxidation_PoteXntial_of_Oxygen_and_ChloriXne_DioxidXe_T.Horky_2014.pdXf The mmXs.info.oXrg web pages fully explains the process of CLO2.