Stacked macro photograph of a fruit fly

[ECooper]

Almost exactly a month ago I posted a photo of a sow bug (order Isopoda) on my blog that I created from a stack of 57 separate images. But I was really unsatisfied with the photo and decided it was time to invest in more equipment. I ordered a 4X microscope objective off Ebay and started building a precision focusing rail out of a Zeiss Microscope Focus Arm.

The focusing rail is now functional. The trickiest thing was figuring out how to provide soft, even lighting to a tiny specimen positioned only 14mm from the front of the lens while simultaneously avoiding lens flare. I also needed to find a suitably photogenic subject. Given that it was snowing on the day I took the photo below, a trip to the garden to look for tiny insects wasn’t an option!

I had an epiphany yesterday morning while eating a small tub of yogurt and a banana. I finished the yogurt and realized that it was made from thin white plastic and was the perfect size and shape to fit over both the microscope lens and a specimen. All I had to do was to cut a hole in the bottom to insert the subject. Meanwhile a couple of fruit flies started to buzz around my banana...”aha” I thought, “my specimens have arrived!”

Below is one of the photos resulting from a meeting of yogurt container and fruit fly.

Cheers,
EC www.macrocritters.wordpress.com


fruitfly 1 edit copyright ernie cooper 2012 crop 3_filtered by ernie.cooper, on Flickr

 

[pebes]

incredible detail!

 

[Not a Number]

I was curious as to how you mounted the microscope objective but it appears Olympus had a adapter for the RMS mount. It appears that a vendor in Italy makes adapters for the different camera mounts. And there is a vendor in the UK that makes an RMS to T-mount insert which is probably the way to go.

This webpage may be of interest to you if you haven't seen it already:
http://www.alanwood.net/photography/index.html

 

[DragonsEye]

That is an astounding picture! One of these days I will have to give stacking a try. I understand there are some free online programs to aid in the endeavor.

Be interested to see a picture of your set up just to make sure I am correctly envisioning what you said.

 

[Whimgrinder]

Both terrifying and delightful. Kudos!

 

[adnedarn]

Very nice work!

 

[ECooper]

I was curious as to how you mounted the microscope objective but it appears Olympus had a adapter for the RMS mount. It appears that a vendor in Italy makes adapters for the different camera mounts. And there is a vendor in the UK that makes an RMS to T-mount insert which is probably the way to go.

This webpage may be of interest to you if you haven't seen it already:
http://www.alanwood.net/photography/index.html

I was lucky enough to find one of the original Olympus adapters, still new in the package, for cheap last summer. Otherwise I would have done as you suggested: used a RMS to T2 adapter matched with a T2 to Olympus adapter.

Cheers,
EC

 

[Av8tor1]

amazing..... natgeo level good imho

 

[Not a Number]

I want to try eyepiece projection macro photography too. I have several 0.96 inch telescope eyepieces. I've found a T adapter tube for 0.96" eyepieces with T threads on both ends. I can get a "Russian Telescope Camera" adapter (m42 to T-thread) so I can mount M42 lenses onto the eyepiece adapter. I may be able to use the ultra cheap M42 extension tubes I bought - the threads are in-between M42 and T thread standards. The male won't thread into a bona-fide m42 female thread but fits ok into female T thread. The female side of the extension tubes will take a bona-fide M42 lens though.

You get a lot more lens to subject distance using eyepiece projection - making lighting easier.

http://www.gyes.eu/photo/x-macro.htm

 

[Natalie]

Fantastic shot, Ernie. Do you ever contribute your images to BugGuide.net? Having photographs of key features used in the identification of insects to the species level (when possible) is incredibly useful on there, especially among the dipterans where the difference between two species can be something as slight as the arrangement of the buccal setae.

 

[Wire Man]

You use Olympus, too?!

 

[mobile]

I seen some microscope objectives setups when I was looking into macro photography recently. This is the most basic I have seen, just some extension tubes and the objective fitted into a lens cap!: http://www.fredmiranda.com/forum/topic/847947

 

[ECooper]

I want to try eyepiece projection macro photography too. I have several 0.96 inch telescope eyepieces. I've found a T adapter tube for 0.96" eyepieces with T threads on both ends. I can get a "Russian Telescope Camera" adapter (m42 to T-thread) so I can mount M42 lenses onto the eyepiece adapter. I may be able to use the ultra cheap M42 extension tubes I bought - the threads are in-between M42 and T thread standards. The male won't thread into a bona-fide m42 female thread but fits ok into female T thread. The female side of the extension tubes will take a bona-fide M42 lens though.

You get a lot more lens to subject distance using eyepiece projection - making lighting easier.

http://www.gyes.eu/photo/x-macro.htm

Thanks for this. He certainly is getting a lot of working distance with that set-up. But the resolution of his photos isn't great. I wonder if it is due to limitations of the equipment or his technique?

EC
www.macrocritters.wordpress.com

 

[ECooper]

Fantastic shot, Ernie. Do you ever contribute your images to BugGuide.net? Having photographs of key features used in the identification of insects to the species level (when possible) is incredibly useful on there, especially among the dipterans where the difference between two species can be something as slight as the arrangement of the buccal setae.

Yes, I have contributed a few, mainly when I am asking for help in identification. To be honest it didn't occur to me to upload additional pics. But it is a very good idea! That site is a great resource!

EC
www.macrocritters.wordpress.com

 

[ECooper]

You use Olympus, too?!

Yes I do! I use an e-620 with a e-500 in reserve. You?

EC